Pinteresting

Pinterest is the social media site that has the most view time of any other social media. Meaning that viewers will stay on their site longer than any other social media site. This is because unlike when you are on Twitter or Instagram, there is no end to a news feed. You can always find more and more information whenever you want. So for marketers, it's imperative to get in that market. Businesses need to make their own Pinterest pages for people to view. With how much Pinterest is growing as well, why wouldn't they want to be on there. I don’t personally have a Pinterest so don’t know all of the details of how it works and all of the ins and outs but can understand the concept of the fact that there are so many people on the site and it is an ample opportunity for businesses to connect with customers. In class we went through a couple of examples of businesses and people such as Ellen, who have Pinterest pages and how they use them effectively. One example that we saw throughout and saw is an essential tip to any page, is include the prices. Customers want to see the prices of products when they go to your page. If they run across something they might like but there is no price they will keep on scrolling. If you want to sell it though, including the price next to the item will increase the chances of the consumer buying it. So Pinterest is growing, and it is growing fast. I still don’t understand exactly how it all works and what not but I know that people can lose a couple of hours of their day on it without even realizes it. Businesses can greatly benefit from using this social media outlet and should definitely get to it if they are not already on it. 

RSS Feeds, Tags, & Hashtags

It’s expensive to monitor social media, really expensive. So how do businesses save time when gathering information from other sites, from clients, and from competitors? The answer is with the use of rich site summary, also known as RSS feeds. What this does is brings all the news to you. Instead of having to go search for all the information you’re looking for, all the news you want comes straight to you. By using a site like google reader, you can subscribe to other sites like blogs and posts and what not you can get all the information you want in one spot. From there, by using XML the information can be organized by things like most popular or most recent. This is how Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and Pinterest are set up. Facebook has moved to a most popular set up where are of your most popular news will be shown on your timeline first. Most of the other social media sites are set up to be most recent. With these RSS feeds it can save businesses, especially small ones a lot of time and therefore money. You are able to keep in touch with what your customers, clients, and competitors are doing with one click of a button. It makes everything so easy and right where you can get everything at once. It brings the news to you and you don’t have to do a thing past just subscribing.

The other subject we talked about in class was tags. A tag is a keyword that you use to help people find your content more easily and they make sure it is relevant to them. We talked about the ethical side of using tags if it’s ok to use tags that might stretch a little past the boundaries of your actual business or content. There are no real rules prohibiting the use of tags though, so whenever you do type in Honda in search of a Honda car, but a Ford ad pops up, it’s because they paid to have their ad come up when the word Honda is typed into a search engine. Is it ethical or not, that’s the popular question.

The last topic we really talked about was the extension of tags, and that’s hashtags. People go way overboard when using hashtags sometimes. I know I have some “friends” that hashtag about 100 different things in one post and all I can say is, “are you kidding me?” I find it ridiculous and usually just keep scrolling through and don’t even bother. As a matter of fact, I’ve got the TV on in the background as I write this and I hear a Dairy Queen commercial and the guy says this blizzard is “hashtag deliciousness.” The point being that the use of the hashtag is everywhere! But you can’t go overboard with them. As a business if you start using too many hashtags, customers will just keep going without even thinking twice about it. Keep it simple, keep it short, if that can be done, there will be more success.

Casual Videos and Youtubers

This week in our marketing through social media class we talked about different ways to reach our consumers through the use of videos and by the use of Youtubers, who are YouTube famous people. We talked about the use of just casual videos being shot at low cost maybe through a smartphone or some sort to save money and time while still reaching your targeted audience. By doing this it is beneficial to also get famous YouTube stars to be in the video to get that familiarity and have even more of a reason for people to watch your video. We discussed the importance of using casual videos and the big time production videos. What I felt as the best solution would be to have the big time production commercials or videos and then integrate the small casual videos throughout. Have little YouTube videos, play them on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram and get your audience seeing your videos constantly. These types of videos can and should just be little short ones that don’t cost much and aim to just keep your company brand on your customers mind. Some of the best in my opinion would be little funny ones. They would be short, to the point, and get the audience laughing. They are low production videos anyway so there’s no need to try and over do anything and over impress, that’s what the big commercials are for. Make the casual videos with a casual mind, keep it easy and simple. What a lot of businesses do to do this is to use Youtubers. Youtubers are people who are stars on YouTube and are recognized by viewers. So what they do sometimes is even write the script of the video and then produce it for the company. One example we looked at was Youtuber Ryan Higa doing a spot for wonderful pistachios. He put together the video for the company to air during the super bowl and wonderful pistachios didn’t have to do a thing. Now they have a video that cost them very little, took no time from the company, and got a face of someone that many people are familiar with. The use of casual videos and using smaller time stars can be so beneficial. Casual videos and Youtubers can be utilized so much more and I think that we will start to see the rise in them. They are such an easy way to reach the audience in extra ways other than just the big commercials. As a consumer, watch for more of these smaller videos, and as a marketer start making more of these small videos.

MEMES!!

Who doesn't love a good meme?? When you're scrolling through your timeline or twitter, what's going to catch your eye? I know for myself, I am not going to stop scrolling for a bunch of words, but I will stop when I see a picture, especially a picture with a little caption. I always think of a good meme as one that makes me laugh and then wondering what it's point is that they're trying to get across.
Memes can be such great marketing tools. As I just said, a good meme is one that gets the point across. So if you can use memes to market a product for example, you can get people thinking. In class we actually did this and made a meme for the University. We use the most interesting man in the world and said "We don't always go to class, but when we do we go to Dr. Welch's class." Now when other students see that and are signing up for classes, they will see Dr. Welch, and maybe give her class a shot. If we are saying that her class is really worth going to and we actually enjoy being in there, maybe other students will too. I think this was a perfect example of using a meme to catch someone's eye, be a little funny, and promote the class. Another example we had in class, was from the group behind us where the used the crying girl meme and said "TLU when they realized they were playing UMHB football this weekend." This was another great example because they are promoting UMHB football, and potential students of the university realize that this school has a dominant football program, so it will bring in students wanting a good program to cheer for, and also student athletes who want to compete for championships.
Memes are starting to become more and more popular. We are starting to see them everywhere now. You see them all over social media and why not? With how many people are on social media and how that number is growing, it's the perfect spot to plant these. They are so easy to make, that literally anybody can do it without any cost. You are going to see random ones that might just be for some entertainment, but there will be some that are there for marketing purposes as well. It's up to the marketers to still make sure that they are getting their product or service noticed when using memes and distinguishing themselves from others.
Memes need to be used. It's as simple as that. They are such a great tool for marketers to use and grab the consumers attention and get them thinking. Keep it short, keep it sweet, get to the point, that's all they have to do.

Slacktivism vs Clicktivism

This week in class we went over two key terms that are very relevant in the world today, slacktivism and clicktivism. Slacktivism is where we get on social media to support an issue or cause but it has no practical effect on anything. In essence, it is a “feel good” measure people take to make them feel like they are contributing. On the other hand, clicktivism is where people use social media to organize protests or petitions. They can keep track of how people have “clicked” on their petition or signed it through the web. Clicktivism has in a way taken the place of paper surveys, phone calls, or word of mouth, and still does the same job of a real protest. So in difference to slacktivism, it actually has a physical effect.

An example of slacktivism that might be able to be considered would be the recently popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. While this challenge was making its way around the world, many people took the challenge and did not donate to ALS. The whole point though was to raise awareness about the disease but still help fund research for it. So while some people might be able to argue that just doing the challenge they were raising awareness, I would say that the physical effect would be the money for research. They were still practicing this idea of slacktivism because they just made their video and think that they did their part. While yes they are spreading the buzz and generating conversation, do they even know what ALS is? Do the people watching your video and reposting their own know what it is? Are you really helping the cause with just a video?

Clicktivism is big within politics. How easy is it for people to sign a petition or show their support for a running candidate from the click of a button? In class we talked about how President Obama won his campaign because of social media. How easy it is to reach everyone without even being around. If you can make a good cause that people will agree with, you can get them to sign petitions just like that and have countless signatures within a day or two. The point being that with clicktivism there is actual results. It can mean something with a true effect on something as big as the presidency.

In my opinion, neither slacktivism nor clicktivism is a bad thing. Clicktivism is definitely more proactive with more proven results, but it doesn’t mean that there is a tremendous amount of work put in; there is still some slacking involved. Slacktivism as shown with the Ice Bucket Challenge can do well such as raise awareness and get people talking, which is good. In the end though most people would just like to see more results, more action, and less slacking.  

Market Yourself

What is not seen these days? Almost anything and everything you do is seen by somebody. Anything you put on the internet is always seen by someone, nothing is truly private. Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, etc., it's all seen and is a representation of who you are. 2 in 5 employers are researching potential job candidates on social media. 65% of employers look to see how a candidate presents themselves both personally and professionally. So why not give yourself a head start before even meeting someone or a possible future job employer. Clean up your social media and post things that represent you in a good way. Use social media as a platform for yourself to show what good qualities you have, to show you're active in the community, and even achievements. It is a great way you can show yourself off and make good first impressions. 

It's not all about the good though that you have to pay attention to. With content being so easy to find on anyone at any time, you have to shy away from the bad things you post as well. Things like drinking, doing drugs, poor communication skills, or bad mouthing previous employers. All of these things are looked for by potential employers and it could make the difference on which candidate gets the job. It's all about how you want people to see you, social media can make or break you and that's why you have to take it as you're marketing yourself. Everything you post is a representation and people, like job employers are judging you as a person and a professional. 

What do you want people to think about you or see about you? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself when marketing yourself. For example, with this blog I need to make sure and have good grammar, correct spelling, and so on. Everything we do is being criticized and evaluated so we need to make sure and do the things we are doing right. Just always keep in mind, someone is always watching, what you're putting on social media is being seen, and so make it good stuff to market yourself in a positive way.

Interaction with the Fans

This week in class we talked about how social media has linked in with marketing through TV shows and interacting with the fans. One of the biggest ideas that has just been started to be implemented into the world is the idea of fan made shows. A TV show that I watch and uses the method is on the MLB Network called Intentional Talk. What they do is have their fans send in what segments they want to see and who they want to be as the guest star and many more aspects. It's a great way to get the fans involved and stay intrigued with the show. It gives them a sense of importance to the show, like they can control what happens and have a big say in what they want. This TV show is not the only one doing this either though. In a world where it has become a little bit of a struggle to reach the consumer through TV commercials, this new wave of tactics to reach the consumer has helped marketers through the interaction with the actual show. It's a great way to do this because the TV shows are what the people are actually watching these days, not the commercials. Reaching out on social media and getting people to cast their live votes via hash tags, or tweeting at them directly, or other means is what you want the fans doing to get them involved. I think that these kind of tactics and ideas will only continue to grow as we move forward.
Personally, I don't get into the TV interaction. On almost all of the TV shows I watch they will have a hash tag in the bottom corner for that nights show. I still never use it though. That being said, I think there is still some room for improvement to continue reaching those people like myself, who still don't care as much about the interaction as I do the TV show. Some ideas that might get me more intrigued about the interaction would be a contest. Some shows will do that for like the best tweet about the show or maybe the best picture, but the point being I would be much more inclined to participate if I had a chance to win something.
Interactions with the fans is a very important concept to grasp. With more and more people who watch TV on demand, it's getting harder to reach the consumer, so to grasp the attention of the fans through interaction, is very important for marketers.