ECMedia

Social Media Specialist. Educational background in advertising and public relations. Passion for written communication.

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Better Blogger Survey Results: How To Make Your Blog Stand Out In 2015 (Infographic)

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Finding fans & influencers on Facebook: Step 1

As Facebook increasingly serves as the hub for most brands’ social presence, it’s important for brands to proactively connect with fans and influencers on the platform, rather than just waiting for customer to half-heartedly “Like” their page after a transaction. So how, exactly, do you go about finding fans and influencers? We’re glad you asked! We’ve got five steps to get you started. Here’s step one. 

Above: Whole Foods ATX on Facebook. 

Keep reading

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How Social Media Affects Your Image

A commentary

Something that constantly bothers me when I am sharing content on different social media platforms is the question how the specific posts affect my public image. You might have also seen my blogpost concerning this topic, which I recently reblogged.

This week, I came across an article on telegraph.co.uk, which deals with this topic, too:

“93 per cent of recruiters will inspect candidates’ social media profiles before making a job offer, so it pays to stay smart online. LifeSkills’ CV Builder can help users cherry-pick their best social posts.”

- Helena Pozniak, telegraph.co.uk, 10/01/15

Regardless of the tool they are promoting with this article, I would like to share my thoughts about how social media can affect one’s image, once again. I do agree with the aspects listed in the article mentioned above, such as avoiding reckless posts and adjusting your privacy settings.

Not posting content that could put your career at stake should not be too difficult, as soon as you have understood how to evaluate the value of your posts. For example, I tend to always debate on whether something is worth mentioning on any social media site. Of course, it depends on the platform’s structure itself. If I had some random thoughts about a certain issue, I would probably rather post it on Twitter than on Facebook. On the other hand, more personal information about me would rather end up on Facebook than on Twitter or any other platform with a mostly public sphere. This is why privacy settings are very important to me, too. As users on Facebook usually connect with their offline-friends there, specific details about yourself can stay safe in your circle of friends and acquaintances, as long as your profile is not set to public. However, even though you could set your profiles on Twitter or Instagram to private, too, I prefer to use them publicly. But I either share content anonymously or at least don’t mention my last name.

All in all, I would like to have control over the content I share and how people who do not know me as a person interpret it. Just as the article on telegraph.co.uk says, fractions from the content you post could be taken out of context and damage employers’ first impression of you as a job seeker.

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“For a long time, both platforms seem to have co-existed happily together, but today that may not be so true. Many people have accounts on both platforms, and when the same content is placed on both platforms, it can dilute the value of the content for each platform.”

- Adrianus Wagemakers, uk.businessinsider.com, 10/12/15

Twitter Vs Instagram

A commentary

According to the article linked above, there seems to be a tough competition between Twitter and Instagram, when it comes to user-genereated content in form of photos or videos. As it is known, tweets that link to a picture on Instagram do not show the actual picture, but only the link. This can be part of the reason why Instagram might be ahead of Twitter concerning visual content.

In my opinion, both platforms have their pros and cons regarding posting photos and videos. It depends on what you want to express through the contents.

Instagram, for instance, is based on photo sharing; it is the mere purpose of the social media platform. I think many people really only post carefully selected pictures there. After all, you can view all of the pictures in one’s gallery, even months later, and it is always nice, if the user sticks to a certain theme throughout their posts.

Twitter, on the other hand, is not mainly built for sharing pictures. It gives its users the opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions in 140 characters or less. When someone uploads a photo or a video (or even a GIF, which you actually cannot post on Instagram), other users can retweet it, so a larger audience will get to see it.

I can see why companies may be debating on which platform to use for their marketing campaigns. Often, the same content is posted on both Twitter and Instagram. Twitter can be helpful, when users are retweeting the photo or video and therefore spreading the message further. Also, replying to single users might be easier. But the fact that several tweets simply link to an Instagram post might endager Twitter’s chances here.

These are just a few thoughts, I wrote down spontaneously. We could go further into detail here, but I will leave it at that for now. What are your thoughts on the matter?  Feel free to message me via the Ask or Submit feature on Tumblr, via this blog’s Facebook page, or tweet me via @michelle_ak94.

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Ad Quality On Instagram

A “review”

Recently, I stumbled upon an article that commented on the quality of Instagram ads. As I have already come across a bunch of ads on Instagram as well, I would like to shortly “review” them as a whole and give my opinion, too.

The mentioned article on theverge.com complained about the ads on Instagram becoming less creative and therefore changing the Instagram user experience:

“Instagram’s doing tremendous work on the consumer end […]. But there’s something to be said for overall experience. Bad ads won’t make me stop using Instagram. They’ll just make Instagram and its ad partners look, well, pretty lazy.”

- Chris Welch, theverge.com, 10/17/15

Examples like the ones shown below are well-done ads, according to Chris Welch from theverge.com, whereas products that are just added to a blank background are not really appealing ads.

Photos: theverge.com

All in all, I agree with the author’s opinion. I certainly prefer ads that I do not really recognize as ads. I have noticed that I sometimes “liked” a photo and then only realizing seconds after that it actually was an ad. Some brands are truly careful when it comes to choosing images for their sponsored posts.

Keep reading

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News: Week in Review

A news overview for the week of Oct. 20 - Oct. 26, 2015

Note: This overview is only a collection of news articles selected by this blog’s author and does not necessarily imply a primary importance of the news’ topics.

Instagram Introduces “Boomerang”

“Capture a friend jumping off a diving board, defying physics as she flies back and forth through the air. Transform an ordinary selfie with your friends into a funny video. Get that exact moment your friend blows out his birthday candles, then watch them come back to life again and again.”

- Instagram, blog.instagram.com, 10/21/15

Read more about it on blog.instagram.com.

Also, stay tuned for my review of Boomerang, which will be up on Thursday.

Photos: blog.instagram.com

Polls On Twitter

“If you want the public’s opinion on anything — what to name your dog, who will win tonight’s game, which election issue people care most about — there’s no better place to get answers than on Twitter. For poll creators, it’s a new way to engage with Twitter’s massive audience and understand exactly what people think. For those participating, it’s a very easy way to make your voice heard.”

- Todd Sherman | Twitter, blog.twitter.com, 10/21/15

Read more about it on blog.twitter.com.

Photos: blog.twitter.com

SoundCloud Bans Users For Reposting Too Much

“[SoundCloud is] back in the news with a move aimed at phasing out major SoundCloud pages by banning users who repetitively repost music. Users who have reposted heavily in short periods of time are starting to receive messages from SoundCloud stating that their account “loses that human feeling” which has resulted in a number of temporary bans. An example would be the 1833.fm page, which reposts an average of 3-6 tracks a day and has received such a warning.”

- Jeffrey Yau, youredm.com, 10/23/15

Read more about it on youredm.com.

Want to discuss any of the topics above? Feel free to comment or message me via the Ask or Submit feature on Tumblr, via this blog’s Facebook page, or tweet me via @michelle_ak94.

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Social media in my life

MySpace was the first form of social media that I ever used.  I loved the customization of the pages with different backgrounds, music, and layouts.  It was always fun and interesting to see where your friends had your ranked on their friend list.  

Twitter was the second social media platform in my life, and I still use my original personal account until this day (you can check out my professional Twitter @ https://twitter.com/erikcichonmedia).  I love the spread of information and seeing what is trending in different parts of the world.  To me, that is truly amazing.

On my personal Twitter, I mostly use it to follow beat reporters for my favorite sports teams and developers of my favorite games.  By following these people, I am always informed ahead of other media outlets and I know information before most of the people I talk to.

It’s really cool how social media has so many uses.  It’s not all about making money and expanding businesses, and it’s not all about following your favorite athletes and actors.  It’s a mix of both, and the more you understand what makes it work, the more effective you can be with it.       

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Know Your Audience: 6 Things You’ll Miss if You Don’t

Who are your customers? Who are the people who would be your customers if only they knew you existed?

In social media marketing, you need to know your audience. Pam McBride recently published a post on Business2Community about the aspects of social media marketing that you’ll miss out on if you don’t know your audience well enough.

Here are the seven opportunities that McBride says you’ll miss out on:

1. Generating more followers

A lot of the success of a social media manager is still based on number of followers. If you know your audience, you know what kind of content they want to engage with. Indeed, your content is almost like bait to catch more followers.

Knowing what your audience wants to see “will increase your reach and exposure, and in turn increase the number of followers and fans across your social profiles,” writes McBride.

2. Personalized offers

You know that you respond better to messages that are personalized. If you know your audience, you can personalize deals and offers to specific audience segments.

“By understanding what your audience likes and dislikes, you can create offers that appeal to their lifestyle,” writes McBride.

3. Word of mouth

“Your audience wants to share their experiences with your brand – and you want those experiences to be positive,” writes McBride. When you really understand your customers you can create positive experiences for them that they will share with other like-minded people. Voila, more customers!

4. Better customer service

“When someone reaches out to your brand for help, they’re looking for engagement and personalized customer care – something that you can only give them if you take the time to get to know them and their issues,” writes McBride. I’ve found that when a company reaches out to me after I have a problem with their product or service, if I feel they really understand me and my grievance, I feel much better taken care of.

5. Real-time feedback

“Launching a new product? Adding new features? Why not ask your audience what they think?” writes McBride. Twitter is great place for real-time feedback (sometimes even when you don’t want feedback). But it is only useful if the people giving you feedback are also the people who will potentially buy your product.

6. Networking with influencers

Know your audience not just as a group, but as individuals. Who are the big influencers among your audience? “Deep audience insights don’t just give you knowledge in the aggregate – they can help you pinpoint the VIPs, potential brand advocates, and individual influencers that can help improve your reach and reputation,” writes McBride.

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How to Make More Effective Use of Social Media in Your Ecommerce Strategy

Profiting from the seemingly-endless boom in online spending requires a clear vision of who your customers are and how to engage them.

As online sales increase year after year, e-commerce companies are having to incorporate new marketing strategies to win customers trust. Today, it is inevitable that an e-commerce needs to have social media presence in order to engage with customers. 

However, some companies forget that the key to success in social media is connecting with customers in a meaningful way, such as giving them opportunity to engage with the company; comment, like, and share content. 

Therefore, the first thing to think about social media is creating a channel that connects company and customer. Then, the company will be able to create a bond with customers and enhance their purchase experience. 

Second, is very important to choose the social media platform more relevant to your business. According to Brett Relander, specialist in social media and mobile marketing, companies do not need to have presence in all platforms. Companies need to choose the platforms that fit the companies’ profile. For example if your companies’ customers are women from 25 to 50 years old, they could use Pinterest in their marketing strategy. 

Nonetheless, the only platform Relander suggests every company having is Facebook. Facebook have more than a billion subscribers, therefore, it offers a lot opportunity to more people know your company. Further, companies should encourage customers through social media to subscribe on their email list. This way customer will have maximum exposure.

Finally, companies should optimize their e-commerce by placing social media buttons strategically in products page, so customers can be able to share with friends what they wish to buy or what they have bought.

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How often & When should you post to social media networks?

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Why is social media important?

In today’s digital age, people expect brands and companies to have a presence on social media.  It is not something that is preferred, it’s something that is expected.  Social media gives companies another avenue to connect with their clients and potential customers.  Using social media effectively increases the connections and value of the connections made online.  

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Welcome

This is ECMedia, and I am a social media specialist.  With a background in public relations and advertising along with a passion or writing, I can help improve your brand’s identity in the social media realm.

This blog will have advertising and social media related posts, as well as my thoughts and work.