Socially Inclined Online

My random thoughts and opinions about anything related to my life, digital marketing, commercials, social media, campaigns, etc. Chime in and share your own thoughts. Thanks for visiting my blog! Feel free to tweet to @danchan_mktg Connect: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellechan

[danielle-chan]

Relocated to WORDPRESS!

Please visit this link: www.daniellechanmktg.wordpress.com for my new blog posts!  Thanks!

I look forward to seeing you there.

-Danielle

[danielle-chan]

Facebook.

I’m sure most of you have all gotten a new toy and you were just mesmerized by its awesome features…

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[danielle-chan]

Tired.

Do you ever get so tired of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Foursquare, etc…? I know there…

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[danielle-chan]

Volkswagen.

This is going to be a short and simple post.

I just came across CreativeSandbox.com by Google,…

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[danielle-chan]

Social Media Sales.

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[danielle-chan]

Burger King

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[danielle-chan]

I'm Back From My Hiatus.

First of all, hope your holidays were fun and relaxing!  I wish you all a great new year full of new adventures and success!

--

As some of you might know, I am now a college graduate with a B.S. degree in Marketing! College was a great experience as many graduates have said in the past. However, I am a bit disappointed in the courses offered during my time there. Although the course catalog included Business to Business Marketing as a marketing elective, it was not available to take (most likely because there wasn't a professor to teach it). I also noticed that other colleges offer Digital Marketing as a course even though my school unfortunately did not. This would have been a great course for me because I am very interested in that area of marketing. Social Media has also made its way into some marketing curriculums. In addition to those courses, a course on various marketing metrics and analytics would have been helpful. I only learned how to create and implement campaigns. The focus on measuring the effectiveness of the campaigns was almost nonexistent.  

The lack of this knowledge has made it difficult for me to feel qualified for internships and full-time positions in marketing. Even though I am a college graduate, I feel as though I have only learned the foundation of marketing. This is unsettling for me, especially when I invested so much money into getting a solid education in the marketing field.  

I am currently working at a very small marketing agency in Central Jersey. I have learned more in the three weeks with the Creative Director than I have in the four years I spent at college. When I am not interning, I am constantly educating myself by looking at marketing blogs/sites, following marketing leaders on Twitter, interacting with marketers on LinkedIn and Google+, reading books on digital and online marketing, researching agencies, and learning about creative software.  

As a recent college graduate, I am apprehensive about my future. But I know I am not alone. I know that I am in control of my future and that I have the power to keep educating myself. A phrase I have been using the past few weeks is: "I am a marketing student for life." And I truly believe that anyone who is in the marketing field will always have something new to learn. Gaining experience and knowledge in marketing is a lifetime responsibility if I want to succeed in the world of marketing. 

Well, these are just some of my thoughts regarding my current life state. If you have any advice or thoughts for me, that would be greatly appreciated!

Q: If you are in the marketing field, what are some ways you are learning about marketing in your every day life?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Social Media Sales.

In Mashable's article Social Media Influences Less than 1% of Online Purchases, I found it interesting that the writer goes on to say "Social networks may one day figure out a way to drive more purchases...".  I do not believe a social network's purpose is to increase sales.  Social networking is meant to bring awareness to a business and their products/services, and if sales are made, then that's a plus.  Social media is a great way to build customer relationships and to create an online fan base.  Businesses should invest their time and money in social networking because it is where most of their consumers spend their time.

I liked BMW USA's Facebook Page and I am following them on Twitter but I don't plan on buying a BMW anytime soon.  The reason I want to keep tabs on the company is because I am interested in the events they sponsor and the innovative concept cars they are working on.  

Furthermore, if a business' only goal for creating a Facebook page was to increase sales, their goal will not be met; at least, not until they set up a Facebook page store where people can shop right on Facebook itself.  

In the end, this Mashable article really should not have been a surprise.  It really isn't all that newsworthy either.  Social media, at least for right now, is not a sales tactic.  It is a marketing tactic where both businesses and consumers can come together and interact.

Q: Would you shop on Facebook if you could?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Volkswagen.

This is a going to be a short and simple post.  

I just came across CreativeSandbox.com by Google, which is a great online resource for marketers to create campaigns. I browsed a few and I really liked Volkswagen's campaign. If you follow the link, you will understand why it's such a creative campaign!  VW makes use of a very familiar interface: the YouTube page. I thought this was genius, since it's unexpected that a YouTube page would be interacting with a video. Check this campaign out and let me know what you think!

Question: Go to www.CreativeSandbox.com. Which is your favorite campaign?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Disagree.

I just read an article from Mashable, “5 Reasons Social Media is Ruining Marketing” by Alex Goldfayn.  I was very interested in what these reasons were, especially since I would like to be a social media marketer, and the reason’s might change my mind.  However, after going through each reason Goldfayn had, it encouraged me even more to become a social media marketer.  I will go through each of his reasons and explain why I disagree.

#1: Social Media Builds the Wrong Habits in Marketers Goldfayn explains that “Ironically, social media actually decreases how much a company talks to its customers because they think a Facebook or Twitter exchange takes the place of a real, personal conversation.”  I completely disagree.  Just because there is a social media exchange between customers and companies, does not mean a “real” conversation cannot occur.  If anything, social media exchanges allow for faster communication and the “real” conversations are handled more efficiently when taken online.  You no longer have to be put on hold and wait 15 minutes for a response.  Customers can leave a comment on a company’s Facebook wall and come back later to read a response.  Social media creates more valuable exchanges between customers and companies.

#2: Social Networks are Struggling So basically, Goldfayn makes this general statement about social networks, based on Facebook’s loss of market capitalization.  Not smart.

#3: Social Media is Useless for Business-to-Business Companies This reason has some truth in it, but I truly believe social media can still affect B2B companies.  Businesses are just like consumers.  A business has employees and those employees are on social networks.  They are exposed to what businesses say online and what they have to offer.  As an employee, they can suggest a service or product from another business, for their own business to invest in. 

#4:  Social Media Leads to Neglected Messaging Goldfayn states “People feel like they have to constantly communicate when their business is invested in social media. So they communicate low-quality, ineffective messages. Non-stop.”  Some businesses create posts just to educate their fans on Facebook and not to create conversation.  Disseminating information for just the purpose of having someone reading it does not mean it is a neglected message.  I tend to see plenty of interesting posts on my Facebook newsfeed from businesses, and I do not like, comment, or share it.  I read it and I keep it in my mind. 

#5:  There are a Number of More Effective Platforms I believe that social media is only as effective as a company makes it.  A company needs to get creative and truly put forward effort.  They need to create an environment where their customers can voice their thoughts and criticism.  It needs to be integrated with all the other marketing tools they invest in.  So, social media is not a standalone marketing tool, it is a part of one big marketing picture.  

Link: http://mashable.com/2012/09/07/social-media-bad-marketing/

Question: Do you agree with Alex Goldfayn's article?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Medium.

I came across a new social publishing platform called Medium.  It was developed by the co-founders of Twitter, Biz Stone and Evan Williams.  I checked the site out and it looks simple and elegant.  It has not been released for the public to begin posting content, however, the public is welcome to read and provide feedback for the existing content created by their company Obvious  Corp.  I’m curious to see exactly how I will be able to post content, photos, videos, etc… I’m also excited to see what kind of tools it will provide, user interface, and the preferences/settings.  Whenever I discover a new site where I can share my thoughts and such, I just find the tools and settings to be the most exciting part.  I am looking forward to the moment when I’ll be able to spend some time on Medium.

Link: www.Medium.com

Question: What do you think of Medium? How popular do you think this will be?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Tired.

Do you ever get so tired of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Foursquare, etc…? I know there are times where I am so frustrated with my newsfeeds when there is nothing new. I click refresh. Over and over again. Yet, I see the same posts that have been up for the past 10 minutes. Those are the moments where I ask myself “What am I doing with myself?” I am spending half my day on the internet and basically wasting the day away. Those are the moments where I am so tired of social media.

I was away on vacation this past weekend and did not have good internet connection for about 3 days. I was barely surviving without access to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter updates. I have to ask myself. Why am I concerned about how other people’s lives are? What am I missing out on when I’m not updated? What good does social media do for me? I have surrounded myself with media and I have created a lifestyle intertwined with these social networks. But there are times where I am in need of a nice break from the world. I miss the days where I would just curl up in my bed with a book, without my MacBook on my lap or my iPhone glued to my hand.

However, at the end of the day.  Social media is something I depend on to connect with my friends, family, and co-workers.  Social media gives me the ability to be connected to the world and allows me to participate in discussions with like-minded people across the world.  

Question: Do you ever get tired of social media?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Real Communication.

What is communication? As defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, communication is “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.” Why then do people always say things like “Oh, kids these days, don’t know how to talk to people anymore, always texting or on the computer, etc.” I also hear people say that using a phone or computer for messaging/commenting is not real communication. I’d say that any electronic method of communication is as real as it gets. I know that when I am not face to face with someone that I am talking to, I am more at ease and can say things I would otherwise be uncomfortable saying in person. Being able to express my real thoughts is a relief. These days, technology is running our lives and we use several different devices to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers. Real communication has not been lost with the introduction of computers and mobile devices; real communication has been enhanced. Communicating by typing out messages on devices is also a great way to ensure that people think before they speak. I find that I am more wary about how I word things so that it does not become misconstrued.

Question: What do you think is “real communication"?

-dchan

[danielle-chan]

Facebook.

I'm sure most of you have all gotten a new toy and you were just mesmerized by its awesome features and how much time you’d waste on it.  This sentiment was met with the introduction of Facebook.  I was in my

sophomore year of high school and I was late to the party.  A bunch of my classmates had already created their Facebook pages and I was just very hesitant, worried that some stalker would hunt me down based off the information I would be giving the site.  But eventually, I made one.  I felt cool and felt like I was in a new crowd.  It’s been about 5 years since that day and the feeling has changed drastically.  There really is nothing cool about the site anymore.  It has become a part of my daily routine and feels almost as natural as breathing (slight sarcasm?).  But really, I am getting bored of what Facebook has to offer me and the little changes it makes are not enough to keep me on the site. 

I've learned that a lot of businesses are investing in display ads on Facebook and I just don’t know if that’s as effective as they think.  For myself, I have an Adblock feature on my browser, which I am sure a ton of other computer users also use, and I do not see the ads that companies pay for Facebook users to see.  I need something fresh (nope, Google + did not fill this void).  I am a social media geek and I need a new site to waste my life away on. 

If you've got a new social site that you think is worth sharing, please let me know!  I’ll give it a try!

Question: How has Facebook changed your life?

-dchan