Week 3: How would differen groups/organizations use different social media to reach customers?

I feel that most organizations will choose 1 or 2 channels that they can regularly maintain everyday. Then through those, the will submit content and engage their followers or customers bsd of interests and interaction. Facebook is the most widely used social media site so it’s the most commonly found channel in the business arena.

Some may use it to engage customers, marketing/sales, new business, community relations, news, relay information etc. CHB

Who is your Group~What Social Media channel(s) work Best for you?

Tw3- How would different groups/organizations use the different social media channels to reach their customers/supporters? LL

Different organizations would use or select those social media channels that best serve the organization’s purpose or mission and falls within budget restraints.

Organizations would also use different channels to meet the marketing needs of their different target segments. LL

Wk 3: How would different groups/ organizations use the different social media channels to reach their customers/ supporters? Know your customers.

=^..^= Witty Kitty – Week 3: How would different groups/ organizations use the different social media channels to reach their customers/ supporters?

Words of Wisdom from Witty Kitty:

Just looking at that Kitty I can tell he wants the “Twitter” bird….  Because he is a cat.

The other social media do not interest him… Because he is a cat.

Some people are glued to their smart phone. They might prefer a text message to a phone call. They might reply to an email from their phone.

Some sit at a computer all day and have Facebook on in the background. They might prefer a post on Facebook.

Some people only visit the internet at the end of the day when they are looking for something. They will go to a web page to find what they want.

Know your customers.  What do they respond to the best? Where do they expect to look for you.  Who are you trying to reach?  How much is too much?

My father is over 80 and does not use internet. I can reach him by phone.  If I want him to come to an event I need to call him and remind him every few days.

My mother is over 80, usually has Facebook open at home and follows her emails.  She does not have a smart phone and does not have Texting. If I send her an email about an event she will read it.  She will call me and remind me every few days.

Whooooo are you?

Week 3 – How would different groups/organizations use the different social media channels to reach their customers/supporters?

I think this focuses directly at target markets or segments. Knowing who your customer or client is makes all the difference in figuring out how to reach out to them.

One place to begin is with demographics. If you can use this “category” as a baseline, you can then determine how to plan for using the right media for the right customers/clients/supporters. First, give some thought to how you typically view these customers or clients. Think age, income, ethnicities, education, locations, and neighborhoods to start. Knowing this covers a wide range of folks, tailor your social media messages to each group as succinctly as possible. Structure the information for the type of news or event you are “talking” about. By really taking the time to understand who is receiving the message you can be assured that the right message is being received.

Here would be an example I might use. If I am a public relations specialist, I know that first I have to be a top-notch writer. So, if my target audience is younger, say 26-34, I probably wouldn’t mimic their language, but I’d play to it. I wouldn’t want to be seen as writing something that their grandmother would be drawn to (no offense to grandma, by the way). Instead, I’d be saying I know and understand you. Here it is on Twitter, and I can tell you what I need to say in that brief 140 characters. By doing so I’m also not talking down to them, but am trying to create the conversation with them, hoping that some ongoing dialogue might ensue. I would also try to cross-engage them on other social media platforms that would be appropriate. Perhaps Facebook, or Instagram, or another, more specialized piece of the social media universe.

[CAA]

Different roads that lead to the same destination… (Week 4)

The topic on which we’re supposed to write this week asks how a company can best pick social media channels (plural), but it is best to first pick a single channel instead of multiple outlets. It may sound obvious to pick one option before picking five options, but with the over-abundance of resources on the internet, it can be easy to bite off more than can be chewed. Social Media is more effective when one channel is used very thoroughly instead of using multiple channels inefficiently. New media can be pretty intimidating and there is a lot to learn, but with a little practice any media outlet can be demystified quickly. The goal for proper use of social media is simple: Just pick one. Focusing on just one channel at a time and concentrating the effort will make for better initial understanding. Social Media is here to stay, so there will be plenty of time to explore other channels as time goes on.

Picking the best social media channel comes down to what the organization wants that channel to do. Are they trying to reach a certain audience, or a wider audience, or just develop an audience in the first place? Who do they want hearing their message? Do they want feedback or are they just trying to widen their reach. These questions all feed back into the way a company should choose their best route for social media, but the underlying idea that needs to be remembered is that all social media channels are pretty much the same. Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest and the rest are different roads that lead to the same destination. It matters less which channel is picked and matters more is how that channel is used.

-C.Nash

Decisions, decisions…on choosing the right social media channels

What if social media channels had been around in 1959?

So, you’ve decided to go social. Now how do you choose the best social media channels for your group or organization?

Blogging or microblogging? Social networking or social bookmarking? Multimedia, reviews, opinions, and wikis, oh my!

It does get a little overwhelming out there, but don’t worry: you don’t have to use them all. Choose your channels for the audience you want to reach, the kind of content you want to share with them, and the results you want to achieve.

Channels are great tactical tools, but to use them wisely, you have to get strategic. Plan your communications so that social media serves your objectives, your goals, and ultimately your mission. Otherwise, why bother?

Let’s say your mission is to make the world better informed by sharing your expertise. If your goal is to build and strengthen your clientele, choose a channel where you can go into depth.

Blogging is a natural for professional advisors—lawyers, tax accountants, editors, and consultants of all types. It’s also good for teachers, researchers, stay-at-home parents, authors, government officials, and politicians—in other words, people who do a lot of explaining.

If you blog on the basis of your expertise, you can also provide guidance on review and opinion sites as well as wikis. Likewise, businesses that depend on being reviewed—the hospitality, restaurant, and travel industries come to mind—will also want to be in dialogue with reviewers.

Suppose your content is primarily verbal, but its value is highly time-sensitive—think of reporters, activists, celebrities, crisis communicators—you can share up-to-the minute information on a microblog. This channel is also good for cross-promoting updates to your other social media channels.

But suppose you want to show, not just tell. In that case, focus on multimedia. Some channels specialize in still images—good for galleries, museums, artists, designers, garden centers, or mail-order retailers, to name a few.

For more multimedia impact, focus on moving images with sound. Video channels are just the thing for a how-to demonstration from a skilled tradesperson, a travelogue from a tourism bureau, a teaser from a film or TV company, the latest release from a musician, or a political action not covered by the major media.

Would you like to keep up with industry news? With social bookmarking, a typeface manufacturer can track the use of its fonts in the digital world. Are you a fan of popular culture? Share and save the latest links with social bookmarking. Do prospects have trouble finding your niche product or service on a too-general Internet search engine? Try social bookmarking and get noticed faster by the right people.

If you’d like to tailor the scope of your appeal, social networking works for both mass and niche marketing campaigns. Business-oriented social networkers include retailers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and executive recruiters.

Again, there’s no need to use every channel. Start with just one or two that suit your strategies. Keep them updated with content that your audience(s) will value. Get strategic, and get social! (LA)

Note: Thanks to ApartmentTherapy.com for showcasing the “Faux Vintage Tech Ads” from Brazilian ad agency Moma.

Getting started (Carol)

So, here’s my first stab at this whole blogging thing in “real world” for all the see. Oh, and the swans, they’re Lancelot and Elaine. They live on Lake LaVerne, on the Iowa State campus, in Ames. So pretty and graceful.

First thing I looked at for class is MinnPost.com, a website for news content. I am a regular/daily reader of this website. Several StarTrib reporters have landed here after layouts and buyouts, etc., so it’s nice to read them again. They provide breaking news, other current news, and long-format pieces. Their coverage area is wide, including politics, arts, legislative issues, local/city issues, education, business, sports, and news from DC reps.

Their social media presence includes Facebook (where I get some info), along with Twitter, Tumblr, You Tube, and RSS feeds. They also have good back-and-forth commentary and interaction with readers. Checked out the Tumblr blog, but don’t really get what’s there. What do you do with it, beyond “liking” something? Not sure of the point.

Selecting the Right Channel

A way, course, or direction of thought or action; is the one of the definitions Webster gives for the word channel. When deciding to select a channel(s) for sending out information you must consider the following.

1) You must first understand what each of the channels do and how they are used buy your audience.

2) Second you must understand what your company’s goals and vision are for sending out certain information (What are you trying to accomplish by sending this information out?

3) Third how is your audience going to receive this information (computer, tablet, phone) must make sure information is presented the way you want it on each device.

4) Create content that is meaningful with that channel. If the channel requires short and sweet info make sure it is, if it requires you to have it lengthy then do so but make the content appropriate for the channel

Deciding what channel to use is difficult but as long as you do some research first it will make it a lot easier to do.

 

WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?

Zan Tomko (ZT) for PRACTICAL PR- After looking at the AARP site in Pinterest, I can see how this social media channel can be used to reach and engage clients.

Does Pinterest fit into your social media mix? According to the Pew Charitable Trust, this is Who uses Pinterest.

Women White and Hispanic

18-49

income $30,000- $75,000

Does this fit your demographic target?

Now you can make original images to craft your message, and avoid churning other posts (PINS)  You will be working in pixels, any program that can give you a [pixel canvas will work.

Before you graduate from Takoda, you might want to buy a copy of Photoshop Elements software. If you purchase it through

journeyed.comit is about $118 for the student/ teacher edition.

In addition to Elements, I recently purchased Adobe acrobat XI. It is also helpful in creating imagery for Pintrest; it can create JPEG and PNG images from a PDF and these can be inserted into Elements documents.

Elements

has enough depth that you can alter and improve photographs, prepare images for the web, open up PS images, and many other functions found in the full version of PS.

I used Elements to create original imagery for Pintrest.

If you look at Pintrest images and hover over them with the mouse, you can see the basic size. The image ratio I used was 600 px by 3000 px.

I used original images, layers and filters.

Consistent style parameters and content management will maintain the integrity of your brand.

In the edition of PRACTIAL PR , I’ll explain how to use PowerPoint to create original imager for Pintrest. -ZT