Social Media Meets Business

Rach | Business administration major | Follow me as I blog about social media and technology in business 

[businesspropro]

Implementation

After viewing the video lecture on implementation, I think my client will have very few, if any, challenges when implementing my recommendations. My client clearly understands the importance of social media and how it can help his organization thrive and succeed. My client is focused on the purpose of having social media as a valuable tool to help him reach his goals. Social media is a tool and community that my client has learned to embrace. Social media fosters communication in the community and helps the community understand and align with the organization’s vision.

A challenge that may arise is a lack of time to figure out the following:

1. which content to post

2. which clever and thought-provoking caption to use

3. what type of questions to ask his audience

However, I gave him some very good tips to encourage engagement from the community and I’m sure he will utilize them. I showed my client how to schedule posts ahead of time through Hootsuite, which will save time. I also gave him the tips to post eye-catching photos to show off the vivid colored paint he works with, post photos of staff because people are naturally more drawn to pictures of people, and to always ask questions or have polls to get to know his audience more. If he is unsure of what to ask or say, he will have to get to know his audience better by posting more and monitoring engagement closely to see what his audience responds to. He knows the majority of his audience likes classic cars, so he can post more of what his audience is interested in. Offering the audience some knowledge about vehicles, paint, or tint will be interesting content for my client to post. If my client is stuck and unsure of what to do to implement my recommendations, I told him to contact me.

[businesspropro]

Week 7

After completing the Hootsuite/Podium modules 3 and 4, I have learned so much about the way effective content is developed and shared. I am excited to share the following great content sharing tips with you all:

Post visual content to boost engagement (pictures)

Post when your followers are likely checking their feeds, such as outside local work hours or around lunchtime

Experiment with headlines and posting times to see what produces the best results

Don’t post too many messages to the same network at once

Carefully think out your captions to express key information and your brand’s personality 

Captions are important for expressing key information and your brand’s personality. The general format to follow when writing an Instagram caption has three parts: One - a short description of what’s happening in the photo. Two - an open ended question to encourage your audience to comment and engage, and three - relevant hashtags to make your content discoverable.

Vary your content regularly  - a mix of questions, polls, and calls for user-generated content are all great ways to facilitate a conversation

End your posts with a clear call to action. For example, on Facebook, you can announce the opening of a new location and entice people to comment on the post for a small reward.

Keep self-promotional content at around 1/3rd of all content you publish

Focus on telling your brand’s story through your content

Use a tool like Hootsuite to pre-schedule or auto-schedule your messages in advance

Keep an eye on the response from your community so you can address their comments in a timely fashion

On Facebook, shorter posts get better engagement (keep the length of your posts to a max. of 120 characters) 

If you are eliciting comments from your audience, end your post with a question. If you are eliciting likes from your audience, post a visually impressive photo. 

When asking a question of your audience, keep it relevant and specific, so that your audience is eager to reply

Add one to two hashtags in your main caption, and if you need to add more, hide them at the end of your post by adding line breaks, or add them as a comment right after you’ve posted to avoid an overcluttered post.

What does becoming a social organization have to do with the principles of effective content development and sharing?  

According to Hootsuite Academy, content plays a crucial role in achieving the following business and social media objectives:

brand recognition

thought leadership

audience engagement

lead generation

There are many principles of effective content development and sharing. Hootsuite made the following excellent recommendation, “keep your content relevant to your audience’s interests, goals, and pain points to make sure they receive it. Not only is well planned content a great way to build trusting relationships with your audience, it can also help you support the needs of your business. The best way to achieve this is by ensuring your content reflects the unique perspective of your brand, while also taking into account the needs of your organization.” A strong Content Strategy is a key tool to achieving your social content marketing goals by acting as a game plan for coordinating, creating, and distributing your organization’s content.

In the photo below, Rihanna does a fantastic job telling her brand’s story through her content. She has a lingerie line but is very careful to not overwhelm her audience with too much self-promotional content. I can tell what the brand’s vision and story is by looking at the visual content. Riri wants her audience to feel empowered and confident.

[businesspropro]

Online Community Building

After reading chapters 4 and 5 in the Social Organization, written by Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald, I learned a lot about effective principles on online community building with social media. I learned how to keep audience interested without overwhelming them, boost engagement, plan and post more visual content, use the unique features of each social media platform, and embrace your authenticity by capturing and posting photos of employees.

Hootsuite stressed the importance to keep your audience interested by, not overwhelming them with your content, but sharing a variety of content, such as questions, polls, and calls for user-generated content. Although it may be tempting, do not overwhelm your audience with self-promoting content. Hootsuite recommends to keep self-promotional content 1/3 of your posts and to focus on sharing valuable information with your audience. Followers may also be overwhelmed by multiple posts, which is why it is a great idea to use Instagram’s Carousel feature to post a combination of videos and photos from an event in one post.

I asked myself, what valuable and interesting information can my client share with his audience? My client’s expertise lies with painting and fixing vehicles. He has painted many unique items with car paint. a few items I recall include gaming controllers, bikes, light fixtures, doors, and more. It would be valuable to show our audience a step-by-step demonstration of fixing and/or painting something cool. I plan on using IGTV to post lengthy videos to Instagram.

As you know, visual content is a great way to boost engagement. Editing photos with text overlay and video enhances value and visual appeal to your posts. For example, Jamie Oliver does a fantastic job capturing the attention of his audience and boosting engagement with his posts. To make his content more visually appealing, he uses thumbnails and text overlay videos. Here is an example and link to illustrate:(https://www.instagram.com/p/CRvV7xKoH8l/)

Hootsuite said it best, “your audience is always eager to share, but it is up to you to engage them with the right questions!”

Jamie Oliver’s post captions seek engagement by asking the audience questions, inviting feedback, and asking them to share their own photos. He also invites his followers to use his own branded hashtag, which makes it easier to monitor others who are important to your business.

Hootsuite/Podium module 4 gave me helpful insight about growing an online community. Instead of sharing the same exact content to different platforms, it is best to personalize your content to fit the strengths and weaknesses of whichever social media platform you are using. When working with my client, the social media platforms I utilize are Instagram and Facebook. Our company’s Instagram is the major website that appears when you Google us. I prefer Instagram due to it’s simple layout and emphasis on photos. It has more options when it comes to editing photos and videos to bring a viewer’s attention to the eye-catching vehicles we have worked on.

I learned a lot about planning content to post. For example, Hootsuite said experts advise only 20% of your content to be promotional, and the rest to tell your brand’s story. Hootsuite also made the following excellent point: “posting photos of your company’s employees at work humanizes your brand and gives followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of daily life on the job.” I plan to apply that principle with my client. I will take more pictures of employees working to post to our social media platforms.

Capturing photos of our team working has so many benefits. It is a great opportunity to show our authenticity to our audience, help our audience get to know us better, give our valuable employees recognition and motivation, and get customers more involved by tagging them in the post when our team is seen working on their vehicle. Another benefit is higher engagement because Hootsuite mentioned how a viewer’s attention is naturally more drawn to pictures with people in them and are more likely to engage with those photos. It is good to know since we typically post vehicle photos. It would be great to start capturing people in our photos. Our company recently hired a couple more employees. Posting a photo of our employees working would be a fun way to onboard them to the team.

[businesspropro]

How Internet Business Models Influence Surveillance and Data Gathering on the Internet

After reading "The Internet's Original Sin" and watching Maciej Ceglowski's talk, I will discuss how internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering on the internet. I will discuss what businesses and consumers should be aware of when using big data. I will also talk about the best way to balance the opportunities and threats presented by the development of big data.

Businesses should be aware of the risks when using big data. There have been many data hacks where private information has been compromised. For example, if Apple’s cloud server was hacked, hackers would have access to everyone's fingerprints and private information. It’s undetermined what hackers would do with that critical information. Businesses should think ahead of the hackers to prevent data breaches and secure private information. Businesses must be preventative on this issue by investing in risk assessment and enabling security software. When businesses capture data, proper policies and contract measures should be in place to protect the data properly and to ensure the company legally owns their data.

Consumers should also be aware of the risks associated with using big data. There is a lack of privacy and risk of consumers’ private information being compromised. For example, Target Redcard users’ private information was hacked in a major data breach in 2013. It is unsure what hackers did with that data. Consumers’ private information was possibly sold in the black market. Consumers’ records are often sold to third-parties.

According to the article titled "The Internet's Original Sin", if consumers want privacy, they should pay to support the services and abandon those free ad-supported web services. The “free” ad-supported web services are not really free because they sell the users and their attention as the product. On the other hand, people pay money for other web services that are more private and less intrusive. For example, Reddit charges their users by offering a Gold subscription that gives users special privileges and the ability to turn off ads.

The best way to balance the opportunities and threats presented by the development of big data is to take proper precautions to protect the data of businesses and consumers. Precautions to protect business and consumer data include strong privacy policies, vendor agreements, and secure data storing.

[businesspropro]

Consulting

These are the top five most important qualities for a social media consultant to have: 

1. a vison which aligns with business goals

A social media consultant must understand the unique business goals and objectives before putting together a social media strategy plan that aligns with business goals.

2. knowledge of social media marketing

Social media consultants must have knowledge of social media marketing and the major social media networks. It is important to understand which social media platform would work best for the unique business.

3. willingness to learn new things and adapt

Since social networks make many changes and updates, social media consultants need to be willing to learn new things and adapt. It is important to be willing to grow and change to adapt to the newest updates. Doing so will help stay current and competitive.

4. passion for their work

When someone is passionate for their work, it shows! It gives them a competitive advantage.

What if I was Acting as a Social Media Consultant to Myself?

If I was acting as a social media consultant to myself, I would advise plans and strategies to improve my professional social media presence. For example, I would incorporate social media into my business to reach my goals, such as increase customer satisfaction, more web traffic, and higher revenue. I would like to give customers the opportunity to tune into my social media account and see what exactly I’m working on. I have posted a few photos, but I would like to post more photos, videos, and live-streams. Customers always reach out and ask how our project is coming along. It would be more personal and it would give my customers greater satisfaction to be able to see live progress updates of their car being worked on. It would also help document the overall process and capture the attention of other car enthusiasts.

[businesspropro]

Why Does Junk News Spread So Quickly?

Have you ever noticed your friends on social media platforms sharing fake news articles that aren’t from credible sources? It seems like the articles always have alarming titles that stand out, demand your attention, and cause panic. I read some great points in the article, "Three reasons junk news spreads so quickly across social media", from the Oxford Internet Institute. According to the article, the three reasons junk news spread so quickly across social media are algorithms, advertising, and exposure.

Algorithms is a major reason junk news spreads rapidly. The content we see on social media feeds and Google search results are filtered, personalized, and directed to us. The algorithms and machine learning models are described in the article as bits of code that make decisions for us and about us by personalizing content and tailoring search results to reflect our individual interests, past behaviors, and geographic location. Untrustworthy content may be suggested and delivered to you by the algorithms since humans do not filter or edit the content suggested to you. 

I have seen junk news spreading on social media and it often has a shocking title that entices people to click and share before they even read it thoroughly and figure out it isn’t credible. People may wrongly assume that since their friend shared it, it is trustworthy and worth another click and share. I have seen that happen several times. I remember scrolling on Facebook and seeing an article with the headline, “Just What 2020 Needs: an Enormous Asteroid Heading Towards Earth.” The headline got me worried and I clicked the article. After reading, I found that it was quite common and not a cause for concern for there to be a massive asteroid heading towards Earth. The title of the article implied that the news was an urgent emergency and the asteroid was comparable to the one that took out the dinosaurs. However, the article did not even have a significant author or newspaper associated with it.

Advertising is another major reason junk news spreads rapidly. Social media users often do not realize they are paying for social media by offering their personal information. User data is collected and sold to companies, which gives companies a good understanding of the users and type of micro-targeted messages to craft and deliver. Junk news often alarms readers with the title and is a prime example of clickbait. When suggested content is clicked on, it is rewarded and the content becomes more popular. Even if the content is not credible, it circulates to more people when people click it. Similar content may be suggested more.

 I clicked on an article suggested to me about people saving a killer whale stuck on some rocks. After I fell for that clickbait and spent some time on that article, I started noticing much more articles of similar nature suggested to me. Another example of suggested content and ads includes clothing items that I have searched for. When I spend a lot of time online shopping, I often see items I’ve looked at in online stores reappear as suggested Facebook ads. I am much more wary of what I click on and search for now. I am irritated with the amount of suggested content I receive. I try not to entertain the suggested ads by clicking it because it can be overstimulating constantly seeing targeted ads and suggested content. Junk news is also spread through social media advertising to target voters with strategic, manipulative messages.

Exposure is the third major reason junk news spreads rapidly. Algorithms and advertisements not only filter and deliver information, but users select what they want to see or ignore. While algorithms and advertisements filter and deliver information, users also select what they want to see or ignore. We rely on selective exposure. We share our preferences and are more likely to share on social media platforms that conform to our current beliefs. People selectively expose themselves to political news and information by selecting messages that strengthen the candidate they already have a preference for. 

I agree with what I read in the article and I have seen it to be true. For example, during last election season, I noticed people who already were Trump fans or Biden fans were very likely to find and share content on social media to strengthen their preference for their favored candidate. If they read something that didn’t match with their beliefs, they would likely keep scrolling and choose to not interact with the content, which would let the machine learning tools know more about their interests and preferences.

[businesspropro]

Response to Stossel and Rathbone

I enjoyed the Max Stossel video titled, We’ve Been Sneaking into Your Brains, and the Emma Rathbone article. The speaker and writer made some interesting and excellent points. They made me think a lot about social media’s influence in my daily life.

Social media has a big influence on my daily life. It tends to be a huge time waster and distractor. Having the internet constantly available affects my life because it takes a lot of my energy. I spend a ridiculous amount of time on my phone. When I wonder something or have a question, I am quick to look for the answers on a Google search. For example, the weather, proper cooking temperatures, symptoms, remedies, recipes, what to make for dinner, what to wear, and more.

Since it is so easy to look things up, it sometimes makes me second guess myself by double checking to see what Google says. I would like to have more trust in myself. Rather than being so quick to Google everything, I would like to look to myself and others for their expertise and answers to my questions. I do not want to be so dependent on Google. I know my Grandma had her recipes memorized and she never had to Google anything. She’s my hero.

I notice targeted ads related to my searches. Certain targeted ads are very effective in making me click, search, and spend extended amounts of time looking at the content. I know that just helps marketers get to know me and what I like more to help target some more ads my way. Based on all the click-bait, marketers know me and my consuming habits pretty well. Times were so different before the internet. I always hear my son say how bored he is and I can’t help but think, he should imagine the boredom of the kids before technology. Those people had it way more rough. It would be so boring driving up north in a horse and carriage with no technology and phones to scroll on. We are so spoiled and used to today’s technology. It is so easy and convenient being able to talk to friends and family with the click of a button, Google search any questions that arise, and search for detailed directions with the best route and estimated time of arrival with the help of Google Maps. Personally, I feel increased stress levels when WiFi or phone service isn’t available. I’m so used to always having technology readily available, it is my comfort. It isn’t necessarily healthy how dependent I am on today’s technology, but it certainly is entertaining. I get nervous when I go camping without technology. I went camping last weekend and my technology use was very limited. Camping was a nice break from social media and technology. However, I did get a little anxious not being able to look up anything, due to the lack of phone service and reception available up north. I tried to post some pictures to my social media accounts and they did not complely load, making it look like I posted some black screens. That was a worrisome and stressful moment.

[businesspropro]

Social Media Experiment

I have been tracking my social media use all week. Based on what I found in tracking my social media use and recording it in a log, I created an experiment in which I altered my social media use significantly. Instead of having my phone in hand and smart watch on my wrist all day, I decided to give that a rest. My goal is to focus on being present. I am tired of being absorbed in my phone.

Over the years, I have gotten used to waking up and going to sleep with my phone very close by, sometimes in my hand. It brings me comfort scrolling down on social media platforms and online stores. I have gotten used to spending hours online shopping. I remember spending hours searching for the items I want and adding them to my online shopping cart, just to change my mind about the order when I see the grand total. I talk myself out of a lot of purchases online, which is why the online shopping process takes me so many hours. It is so easy to go from one online store to the next and constantly doing the following: comparing items, their prices, and reviews. It is overwhelming sometimes. Online shopping is very time consuming, ungratifying, and unsatisfying.

For my experiment, I pushed myself to get out of the house and shop the stores in person when I felt like doing some browsing and shopping. I was a little nervous to venture out and find my items in stores. I found that it was much quicker to go to the store and pick out my own things. I had to be quick because my sons do not like shopping. I did not get too carried away with browsing because my sons are not very patient, which pushed me to only buy what I needed. Unlike online shopping, shopping in-person gives me less time to talk myself out of buying things, which is good because it frees me from self-doubt and second guessing myself. It also saves me time. I felt a sense of relief after completing my shopping trip in an hour. It would have taken me way longer than that to find my items online because I would compare each item to others and become overwhelmed with all the choices.

Instead of online shopping, I went shopping in person. Instead of spending hours scrolling on social media, I cleaned my house and played with my kids. It felt great. It was something that gave me a sense of accomplishment, which is obviously a much better feeling than spending hours staring at my phone. Being engrossed in my phone makes me feel unmotivated and sad at the end of the day. My goal is to break that routine of always having my phone handy because it is so easy to lose track of time scrolling on social media. I plan to keep my phone out of sight for most of the day, relying on my watch for keeping track of time and phone calls, so I can focus more on being in the moment.

[businesspropro]

About me

My name is Rachel. This is my first time blogging as a business professional. As a child, I was a huge Xanga fan and loved blogging on that site. I’m not new to Tumblr. My comfort level of blogging involves sharing inspirational images and quotes, which I’ve done on my personal Tumblr account since high school. 

Business has been a passion of mine for many years. I’ve earned an associate’s degree in business administration. I’m working on obtaining my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Central Michigan University. Through my coursework, I look forward to learn more about social media and emerging technology in business. I hope to become more knowledgeable, help my overall professional image, and gain recognition on my business social media accounts. I help my partner run his business social media account on Instagram and Facebook. I would like to reach a broader audience and engage with more people who are interested in my content. Our Instagram can be found at the following web address: https://www.instagram.com/superior_color_and_collision/. 

I admire a few companies for their social media use. IKandy Paintworks Inc, found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ikandypaintworks/, is an example of an organization I believe is exemplary regard to its use of social media. I follow the company on Instagram, along with with 80.2 thousand others. Ekstensive Metal Works, which can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ekstensivemetalworks/, has 174 thousand followers on Instagram and is another company I admire for their social media use. Both companies do well to be authentic, post interesting content, and actively engage with their audience.