Social Media & the Pet Care Industry

Discussing social media & technologys role in business

[petcaretech]

Week 8 Post

After watching the video lecture for the week I learned about the challenges associated with the implementation of social media. When it comes to my client they are already a little bit active online. But in our plan we want them to be posting almost everyday of the week to keep everyone engaged. That will help us achieve some of our goals which include raising our following on Facebook, reinventing our instagram page, and gaining new supporters. But we also know that posting that often can be a hassle so we want to implement some timed posts. That takes away the stress on my client of having to remember to post everyday, but they still have to create the content. That could be another issue to arise, lack of content. This can be overcame by hiring another social media content created like myself to continue the help after this class ends.

[petcaretech]

Week 7 Post

Effective content is created and shared mostly through planning. There are a few key steps in planning content. The number one step is to understand your audience. You need to know who you're selling to, and why they are buying your product. Marketing is all about knowing why people buy and how to get them to buy more. This can be accomplished through research and surveys to help better understand what your customers want. The way you word your content and display yourself will help define the voice of your company. So you need to develop a voice before starting to create content. The next step is creating the content. Using the information from research and what the customers have to say, create content that has value. After creating your voice the content should follow its guidelines. It's important to keep up on reviews, research, competitors, and the market to keep updating your content. You can analyze and update your content as needed, while the market changes or customers change their views.

[petcaretech]

Week 6 Post

After reading chapter 4 I learned that there are a few key factors when it comes to online community building using social media. The first is to understand what exactly you want to accomplish. The next is to identify the best way in which to portray your message that will resinate best with people of like minds. After that a key task is establishing a clear vision and purpose that is portrayed through a vision statement. Your vision statement should be very direct and tell your readers exactly what is you stand for and believe in. The goal is to find like minded people that want to support the same things.

The next large step is implementing your above strategy and figuring out the best ways to allocate funds and time to keep the strategy working. You want people to be engagement meaningfully so that they are likely to come back and or share your business. Having a wide range of people from different walks of life can help give you a more rounded mindset, that in turn will help you reach more people. A good example of this are blogs, I saw a blog specially talking about the importance of feeding and walking dogs for their health. That's a great example of a smaller group of people who all believe In the same thing.

7 Steps To Building An Online Community (With Examples) | Thinkific

We'll show you what it takes to build an online community, with examples from entrepreneurs and online course creators who have built engage

After completing the Hootsuite training I learned that there are various methods to growing an online community. Most of them are the same as the book states. Being very clear in your message and knowing how to connect with people who believe the same things. Having a clean and clear vision statement is key.

These principals apply to my client because they need to implement all of them in order to gain a larger community. They already apply their vision stamens but It think they could grow when it comes to encouraging different peoples input.

[petcaretech]

Week 5 post

Businesses should be aware of many different things when using big data. But the foremost issue is where the data is stored, and who has access to it. Stated easier, cyber security is the largest issue. Big data is the largest data collection out there. It can be used in many ways, some good, some bad. It is very important for companies harnessing this data to understand that, and to take preventative action to protect it. In the video, Dough says that reacting to a cyber attack is the worst option. You should prevent it before it even happens, in order to protect yourself and your customers.

A few other things that companies should look out for when it comes to big data are, being open with their customers about where the data is going and what's it being used for. If it's going to be sold to the highest bidder, or only used within the company. Each customer has a right to know. Another thing to look out for is data bias. Using data they collected to make their own algorithms could cause problems. The insights collected must be used fairly and without any bias one way or another.

On the other hand the consumers main focus needs to be on what data they allow to be collected. Like they say, once something is out there on the internet it's out there forever. The best way to protect yourself is to share as little information as possible. Although that's not necessarily possible in todays world. The next best option is to be aware of the risks, and keep an eye out for any weird activity. Read the fine print, and don't share anything you wouldn't want someone else to know.

As for balancing the pros and cons of big data I think it is very possible. It is a great tool to be used, but it must be protected as such. But with policy, regulations, and proper preventative action it can be used to only accomplish the good.

[petcaretech]

Week 4 Post 2

Algorithms - Big data is collected and used to make algorithms that decide what information is presented to whom. This has less to do with who each person actually is and what they believe in, and a lot more to do with what will make them the angriest / keep them on the app the longest. We have to realize that the companies themselves don't care who we vote for or support, they care about the money they make on their app. If they see the you hate a certain candidate and always take the time to leave a mean comment, the algorithm is going to keep placing posts with that person on your timeline. It's the same as targeted amazon adds. You search for something on amazon, one hour later its on your Facebook adds. It's all about interaction instead of actual content.

Advertisement - Because of the algorithms once something is gaining a little traction online it will start appearing on more and more profiles. Thats how we get the viral overnight videos that go crazy. These are usually very funny or crazy videos that actually draw a lot of attention. But sometimes they are what is called clickbait. A video made to grab attention that isn't serious or isn't accurate. An example would be a Youtube video labeled "Falling off the Eiffel Tower", but after watching the video its just a kid going on a tour of the tower. This may start gaining views because people think they might actually see someone fall off, only to find out it isn't true after interacting with the post. Which in turn makes the post more popular making more people fall for the trap of watching. It's a deadly cycle.

Exposure - There is a very small sliver of choice that we still have as users on these social media platforms. We still have the choice of who to follow and what we like. So we can choose what pages we like, but the app is still going to use those preferences in its algorithms to give you choices like the ones you've already made. So you immediately have a small bias when it comes to the content on your page because it is created specifically for you. It's going to be stuff that you like, dislike, or usually interact with. And that is not free speech, or equal representation of all points of view.

In order to avoid these conditions it's important for people to be aware of them first off. And secondly to avoid being too narrow in what you choose to inject with. If you 1 interact with all types of messages and content, or 2 not react to any content, then you have a much higher chance of receiving a less bias and more diverse amount of information on your social media.

[petcaretech]

Week 4 Post 1

There are a few certain key qualities that come to mind when I hear "social media consultant"

Young

Creative

Great listener

Intelligent Communication

Visionary

I think these are just a few of the most important qualities. Being young is important because in todays world the leaders are the newer generations. They come with a different mindset and approach than the last few generations have ever tried. It will be very hard for a young audience to follow an older leader, they can't relate.

Being a visionary and having creativity are huge parts of this job. You're building an online persona, creating a brand, with your words and pictures. It is very important to be able to view yourself the way others will view you. As well as to have a vision for the future and how things will work out in the long run. Relating to the customer is the name of the game.

Being a great listener is important for the client. You have to be able to listen to the type of image a client wants to present themselves as, and build something beautiful that matches that vibe. That can be limiting, and hard to get a good idea of exactly what a customer wants. Thats why it's important to be a good listener that can take a few pointers and create a matching tone.

Another key is intelligent communication. The way your social media consultant talks and communicates will be seen through your social media platforms. If you don't like the way they communicate or the vibe they put off, its most likely your customers won't either. Being able to adjust and and communicate with everyone is very important.

If I were my own social media manager I would make a few changes. First off I would update my profile picture with a decent headshot. Next I would try to connect with as many possible clients/customers as possible. Next I would develop a few goals. I would make a few posts about topics interesting to me. These posts should be in the direction of my previously invented goals. During this time I would monitor clicks as well as likes and comments to see if I am working toward achieving my goals. I would continue this cycle until I felt like it wasn't working, or until I accomplish my goals.

[petcaretech]

Week 3 Post

Big data and algorithms are powerful tools used by large companies. They have the power to filter, track, identify patterns and predict future behavior of consumers. This can help companies directly market and tailor their products to their customers. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. They know the best ways to make you buy things. Meaning they are essentially controlling you without you even knowing it.

This can be damaging to consumers. There are many risks involved including fraud, Identity theft, explicit content, causing children low self esteem. I think on a personal level its on parents to filter their children's use. On a professional level I think having a company wide system that filters searches, apps, and screen time. And on a societal level its on each and every person to filter themselves and what they post. Knowing that your data is being collected and monitored should make one think twice about each and everything they post.

[petcaretech]

Week 2 Post 2

Seeing how often I check my phone and the amount of time I waste daily was very eye opening for me. My original count for 24 hours was very high. I had almost 7 hours of screen time! Given, that was a day that I didn't have work so I was basically just sitting on my phone. But still that seems very excessive and possibly harmful.

For my experiment I decided to try and go a full 24 hours without using my phone at all. I chose to carry it out on July 1st, the day of the fireworks at my grandmas lake. I knew we would be celebrating all day and thought it would be easy to stay off of my phone.

I started off my morning by turning off my alarm, yes on my phone. I immediately went into my routine of checking my phone, but caught myself pretty quickly. I took a shower and noticed that it lasted about a third of what a regular shower usually lasts. This is definitely due to the fact that I'm usually having a full on concert in the bathroom, trying to pick the best songs and not being able to narrow it down.

After that I headed to my grandmas house to start celebrating. In the car I caught myself looking for my phone multiple times. I think it was more so to know that I had it and hadn't left it at home, because its usually tucked under my leg. But it was in my backpack so that I wouldn't be tempted to check it.

After arriving I was greeting everyone and helping prepare food, during that time I never even thought about my phone. I was present and enjoying the moments with my family. It felt good to not be distracted and trying to split my attention between two things. That lasted about two hours and then I started to wonder if I had any notifications.

I was tempted to check, but for the sake of the experiment I decided not to. I went outside and got in the lake for little bit. I played with my cousins babies for a while to distract myself. But I did catch myself thinking about possible notifications and what if someone needed to get ahold of me, things like that.

We ate dinner and began to light our own little fireworks before the big show began. I wanted to pull my phone out to take some pictures and videos but quickly realized I didn't have it. It started raining and the firework show got canceled so it was time to call it a night. I did check my Lock Screen when I was leaving my grandmas. I saw a lot of notifications that I really wanted to check, but I didn't.

Overall I felt pretty good about the day without technology. I felt very present and was able to actually enjoy the company of the people I was with. I wasn't distracted by the notification buzz, and I was able to give my full focus to whoever was talking. I felt a lot sharper, my brain wasn't fuzzy from staring at a screen. I think I should make it a goal to keep my screen time lower everyday. I think it would help the brain fog, and sleepiness that I battle with.

[petcaretech]

Week 2 Post 1

We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brians Video

In the video Max talks about different ways in which technology is created to be almost addicting. Tech developers are always coming up with ideas to better hold peoples attention. With almost constant notifications from multiple different platforms it makes it hard for anyone to say no. People want instant gratification and praise throughout their everyday lives, and technology gives them the opportunity to get it. They encourage consistent updates and regularly checking online platforms in order to stay up to date. I hadn't realized until watching the video, but I do refresh my email after already checking it. Why? Because subconsciously I'm looking for the next best thing to come through. I think this is a huge reason that so many people lack self confidence, and are so insecure, anxious, and depressed, in todays world. When you get less likes than you were expecting, it knocks your confidence. When the person you posted the picture for doesn't comment, it makes you question your appearance and possibly even value. A lot of children grow up thinking that the number of likes you receive determines your likability, attractiveness, or worth. I think this video should be shared with more schools.

Before the Internet Article

This article focused on what life was life before we had the internet at our fingertips. It gave multiple examples of things children used to do for fun, or out of boredom. It listed things that almost everyone does, to this day, when they are without a cellphone. It had a very nostalgic tone to it, almost as if they missed doing those things. It felt like a movie that's looking back on a child that passed away, and how they won't ever get to do the most basic of tasks again. It personally made me remember the old days of going to the bathroom without a cellphone. If I got bored I would read the back of the shampoo and conditioner bottles. Now days I scroll through Tik-Tok until my legs go numb and my phone is 100 degrees. Both of these articles made me look deeper into the meaningless forever scroll I get stuck in. It was intentional. That makes me feel a little violated.

[petcaretech]

Introduction

Hello everyone, I am currently a senior at CMU and plan to graduate at the end of the summer. My degree is focused in business admininistration with a minor in management. I plan to work in HR for a midsize company while also beginning my journey into opening my own business. I plan to run a dog kennel and grooming business, I'm hoping my time here at Central will help prepare me! And I'm looking forward to learning new ways to use social media and technology to better the industry.

I want to use this blog to discuss, debate, and research the effects of social media and new tech on the pet industry specifically. And to help learn and grow my professional online presence through connections.

One company that I have noticed uses their social media very well is Platos closet. They have multiple pages per store, run by different workers. They also have many "brand ambassadors" or "Influencers" that they connect with to help promote themselves. In todays world, that is the best option for advertising. They also encourage their workers to run multiple accounts on varieties of platforms, reaching huge audiances. As well as post on their own personal platforms tagging Platos and shouting them out for great deals and hot clothes. In my opinion they do very well with using technology to their advantage.