Based on the case studies from chapters 3 (on Facebook) and 4 (on Twitter), what were the recommendations that stood out to you the most? Please be specific and include one "do" and one "don't" for each social media tool.
The case studies that stood out to me most were the ones on celebrity postings (Reggie Bush, Selena Gomez and Lil' Wayne). I have never really considered celebrities to be "brands" that had to market themselves, but in reality they do! They need to maintain interest and a fan base to keep their high status and sell products, tickets, CDs, etc. I think that celebrities have an easier time posting native content because people actually want to know about their lives. That is the hardest thing I have trouble with when I post for the company I work for, but for celebrities it is so easy. I was surprise to see how horribly maintained Lil' Wayne's Facebook page was. He could easily have someone, either him or his PR person that knows his language, comment on what he is doing that day with pictures to engage fans.
One "do" that Gary V mentioned several times, and often brands overlooked, was putting your logo on the photo you post! It is an easy fix, but something so small that they may forget.
One "don't" that Gary V talked about was not posting a link, and instead posting a photo with a link in the caption. When posting a link on Facebook, the picture along with it gets too small (thumbnail size) and too much text accompanies it.
The case study from Round 3 that stood out to me the most was the Regal Cinemas ad. It posed the question, "Who would you rather have as your college roommate?" and showcased photos of hilariously obnoxious, popular movie characters. The visual is very good and would instantly draw a millennial's eye to Will Ferrell. Vaynerchuck especially recommended that the status update should not just repeat the copy in the artwork. I think that's a great, yet basic, suggestion that not a lot of marketers would necessarily think about.
This "do" contrasts with the "don't" of the Subaru ad that stood out to me. The photo was eye catching in the sense that (as I was searching for a striking visual) is was so extraordinarily uninteresting. The "don't" of this marketing mistake was more like 3 "don't"'s: don't post boring photos, don't post boring text, don't forget a logo. There was absolutely no branding in this ad, and it was so easy to overlook.
For Round 4, the Twitter recommendations that stood out to me were to be simple, and not to be emotionless in your messages. Netflix took a very striking and very recognizable image and used it to convey a short and sweet message. This is what gets results. On the other hand, Twitter itself was criticized for not using Twitter effectively. That was really interesting to me. Vaynerchuck emphasized that Twitter pushed too hard to sell its platform, rather than presenting any kind of emotional stimuli or personal engagement. There were some great tips and examples in these chapter examples.
There were a lot of recommendations throughout the case studies in chapters 3 and 4. I read through the case studies and compiled a list of the recommendations that I thought were the most helpful based on each social media tool.
Facebook
DO: use your logo use a clear or dramatic picture center your text well consider the platform double check the URL works use proper timing
DO NOT: use too much text forget to consider mobile viewers create multiple call to actions let your page go (keep up the management) use irrelevant hashtags
Twitter
DO: spin your story use a cool picture
DO NOT: use pointless links use pointless hashtags
In Chapter three, I thought that the Victoria's Secret ad highlighted all of the 'do's' that Gary V was mentioned in the book. The picture was focused on the product, and they had the words on the photo in a good place.
One of the 'don't's' that stood out to me in the Facbook section was the Land Rover ad. Has I not been reading the case study that told me what the company was, I would have had no idea what company the ad was for. The description of the photo is also not very descriptive.
In chapter 4, the 'do' that stood out to me was using a cool picture as the focal point of the tweet. Another 'do' that I liked was too have a hashtag that piggybacked onto another hashtag like Netflix did.
The twitter 'don't's' that stood out to me were AMC's tweet that had text mixed in between with the link. Your eye is drawn to the link, and then skims over whatever text is in the middle.
For Facebook I found one of the majors do’s in the chapter was to make sure that the links works, it is embarrassing if you post a huge important post with a link that does not even work. It causes you to fail to get your point across and make it seem like you don’t really know what you are doing. While there were main others I thought that was one of the most important.
For twitter I think the major do was to use pictures, based off my own experience. If I see a picture that catches my attention I am more likely read the tweet rather than tweets that are just text. Also when Netflix used hash-tags was another important example feature to use when tweeting.
For don’ts I would say the placements of the links in tweet is very important so avoid placing in the middle of the text otherwise it distracts the reading, like the land rover advertisement. The placement of the link needs to be very strategic and not distract for the other text in the tweet.
For Facebook I would say don’t use unimportant information or have to much text that is unnecessary otherwise people will be unsure of the important selling point of the product. You want your post to be clear and too the point otherwise the reader will lose interest.
I felt chapter 3 and 4 did a good job of pointing out the do’s and don’ts of social media. They gave good recommendations of what to avoid and watch out for.
One of the major do's that I found for Facebook was to make sure that you are placing your advertisements in the right place. The book illustrates how placement is everything in the world of Facebook and advertisement. The best place for marketers to put their ads is in the center of the page. This is because, as we learned, there is a high percentage of people that only use the mobile app for Facebook. This means that if marketers choose to advertise on the right of the news feed a lot of viewer will never see it.
Also for Facebook a don't is to make sure that you don't over stimulate your viewer and make sure that instead of all print or logo's in ads there should be more pictures so that as people scroll through the news feed they will notice the picture and stop to see the advertisement.
For Twitter a Do is to be consistent and show a personality. These Do's are important because they will keep followers coming back for more information on specific products. Showing personality also makes people pay attention to what your company is selling and they will continuously check the feed to see if there is something witty or entertaining being posted.
Some twitter Don'ts are to not use hashtags that may mean something else on twitter or be pointless. Hashtags should be created with the intent to trend worldwide, if marketers create insignificant hashtags then there will be a lot of people who may consider the product/ company inferior to others.
In chapter three, I thought the Victoria's Secret ad was a perfect example of a well executed ad. One 'do' for Facebook is definitely to use a dramatic photo. A dramatic photo captures an audience's attention and makes them want to 'screech to a halt mid scroll.' The image is extremely large and the black and white effect adds a lot of drama. With such an eye catching photo, they did everything they could to make sure no one would miss this photo if it were to pop up on their News Feed.
One major "don't" on Facebook is a go-nowhere link. I find this to be incredibly frustrating. I always find it hard to believe that a major corporation (in this case, Land Rover) can't even put enough effort into their post to make sure the link works. If a link doesn't work, it portrays the brand in a negative light and makes people think the company really doesn't care.
In chapter four, I thought Hollister's busy visuals were a good example of a "don't" on Twitter. When images are too small or cluttered, there are way too many things competing for your eye. I agree with the book that Hollister should have used a "single up-close picture of a pair of pretty boys' faces with hashtag beneath.' The ad looks unprofessional, unappealing and cluttered.
One "do" on Twitter is skillful use of trendjacking. For example, when Taco Bell saw that #ThoughtsInBed was trending, they jumped in and tweeted "#ThoughtsInBed Taco Bell, I need you." Taco Bell obviously hit a home run with this tweet, receiving 13,000 retweets. Why did this tweet work so well? "Because Taco Bell respected the platform (Twitter) and talked in the same voice as their consumer." Taco Bell definitely used twitter to their advantage and people recognized.
Vaynerchuk made some really awesome points in chapter 3 about telling your story on Facebook. My favorite point was when he asks: “Are we asking too much of the person consuming the content?” Brands have to remember that we get on Facebook for an outlet, an act of procrastination and for mere pleasure; therefore, I found it just as amusing as he did when companies were complaining about having to pay for their ads to reach a larger audience. As a result, brands don’t want to make the same mistake as Air Canada, in which, the celebration of life of their first flight attendant was overpowered simply because they got a bit ‘wordy’ and put too many words on the post. Enlarge the picture of this awesome 102 year old and let that speak for itself! For Facebook: DO gear towards picture posts and DON”T burden the audience with too much text.
Vaynerchuck says a lot of the same stuff for Twitter users of what to do and what not to do in terms of treating the audience like they are surely capable of analyzing what a brand is trying to get across. The first example in his book was of Lacoste’s mistake of engaging + interrupting fans. DO engage your fans with questions, but DON”T treat them like idiots by answering the questions for them! Taco Bell on the other hand, does a great job of respecting the Twitter platform by hoping on the hashtag #ThoughtsInBed and finishing with ‘Taco Bell, I need you.’ Short, simple and hilarious! This post is completely relatable because who doesn’t think of food in bed?! IN short: DO take advantage of trendjacking (skillfully) and DON’T talk in any other voice than that of your consumer.
A major “do” on Facebook is to portray authenticity. Marketers must be creative in their posts on Facebook to gain consumers’ attention, yet still remain true to their brand. Show consumers the brand and its employees are people just like us and are relatable and share similar interests. In responding to feedback, whether it be positive or negative, brands must display genuineness to remind their loyal customers why they are a strong brand.
One major “don’t” on Facebook is a terrible photo! This may sound like an obvious “don’t” yet many marketers are still making this mistake. After analyzing the Subaru ad, it didn’t encourage me to purchase a Subaru. The photo had way too much “white space” and was not focused on the car. While consumers are scrolling through Facebook, an eye-catching photo is a must if marketers want them to stop and look at their product. This ad surely won’t attract consumers to stop and check out their Facebook post.
Simplicity is a major “do” on Twitter. With only 140 characters for marketers to promote their brand and products, they must get creative with simpler word choices and phrases. In the Netflix example, I thought it was so creative that they incorporated a popular line from the TV series - automatically catching consumers’ attention - and then using a hashtag for an unofficial holiday. As Gary V. mentioned, every day seems to be an unofficial holiday and marketers can use this to their advantage and gain consumers’ attention in a simple way. Consumers are more likely to stop and glance at a short and sweet text from a brand versus a wordy advertisement about a product.
One major “don’t” on Twitter is using a clumsy hashtag. In the Hollister example, you can see their choice of hashtags were not the strongest. Brands are not able to hashtag any word they want in a tweet, marketers must ensure it is used in appropriate context. We’ve mentioned in class how brands have attempted to be active in real-time marketing by using a trending hashtag and relate it to their brand but many times that has ended in embarrassment to the brand. Marketers must do their research before publishing a tweet with any hashtag. To avoid making this mistake, marketers can create an authentic hashtag, only used by their brand to generate appropriate and useful feedback.
In the Facebook studies chapter of the text, there were several great points. I found the Unicef case particularly interesting. They used a great spokesperson/representative (Katy Perry) and they led with a great question: “Want to know what Katy Perry has been up to?” As the text points out, these are two great aspects of the post. The relevant singer’s presence in the post caught the eyes of many Facebook users (DO), and the question presented created a sense of intrigue (DO). However, Unicef answered the question in the same post. Instead of hooking the viewers and linking them to the Unicef website, they simply kept them reading the same post (DON’T). It has potential for so much more publicity.
In the Twitter studies chapter of the text, I found the Hollister example interesting. While the company had a great idea to mimic the popular teen trend of planking, essentially employing current events to market their products (DO), they executed it poorly. They chose a broad hashtag like #guarding to promote these photos. Think about how many other photographs could have that same hashtag, but for a different reason. They should have make their hashtag more specific that they did (DON’T).
I found all of the case studies to be very interesting. I enjoyed seeing examples about what was done correctly and incorrectly on specific advertisements. Using real examples is very helpful when learning how to use social media correctly for marketing purposes.
In the Facebook case studies in chapter 3 I found the Amtrak case to be especially interesting. I liked that they used a lackluster photo, that related to their brand, and made it exciting and memorable. They also asked people to tag their friends, which inspired people to get involved with their brand. This will make Amtrak stand out in their minds next time a consumer needs to travel. One Do that I thought stuck out throughout all of the case studies was that people kept not putting their brands in the pictures they were posting. It seems obvious that when you post a picture it should include your brand or symbol. One Don't that stuck out was to not use faulty links. Before posting, you should make sure the link works and check that it takes the user to where you want them to go. You also shouldn't just post the link to your homepage. This gets boring for customers and makes them less likely to click your link again.
In the Twitter case studies in chapter 4 I was drawn to the Adidas ad. It used a bright, eye-catching picture and interesting text that really targeted their audience. A good Do on Twitter is to keep the message short, sweet, and to the point, just like Adidas did in their ad. Also, if you can make a distinct, catchy hashtag it will help your brand to stand out among your competitors. However, if you do try this, you must make sure that it isn't already being used for another topic. One Don't on Twitter is to not retweet nice customer comments made about your company. This seems appealing because it is easy and shows people who like your product; however, to most customers it comes off as your company is bragging.
For Facebook the do that stood out to me the most was having the correct link. So many times I have tried to click on photos or links and have been annoyed and disappointed when it goes nowhere. Also connect the link to a specific area or product on the website do not thing consumers will take the time to go through the website. If you advertise a certain clothing bring them to that page and make it easy.
For Facebook the don’t that stood out to me was the Lil Wayne case. You cannot have poor management of the Facebook page. If the star or the brand is not doing the postings themselves, then the people who are posting need to have the developed “voice”.
For Twitter the do that stood out to me was taking the opportunity to connect with the public. Make the tweets something that will relate and engage friends. Also take the time to answer tweets and build a relationship with a single person.
For Twitter the don’t that stood out to me is don’t use irrelevant hashtags. Make sure you check what tweets use the hashtag that you will use. You want the hashtag to make sense to your product and/or company.
In both Chapter 3 and 4 the author stated several “dos” and “don’ts” to follow when utilizing social media platforms. I’ve chosen to focus on one particular do and don’t for each social media outlet.
Facebook: Do- Consider the platform you are using. I believe this is tremendously important because companies should be using each platform in a unique way that promotes engagement. If they only promote one idea across all platforms it’s a very boring approach to luring their consumers. Don’t- Leave your page to fend for itself. This is one of the worst mistakes a company can make as it will leave a lasting impression on consumers and their decision to engage with the company. If they’re social media is slacking, what else in the company is sub-par?
Twitter: Do- Post an intriguing photo. It either needs to be cool, weird, gorgeous, or eye-catching in order for the consumer to stop scrolling and stop their page on a company’s ad. If a company is posting photos just similar to everyone else’s, consumers will be less than amused. Once again it puts the question of what else is the company is sub-par. Don’t- Use useless hashtags. This is an extremely important message for companies. They should all go through a thorough process of digging through relevant hashtags that will add value to their brand. Using one that is vague and can’t be used to describe the company in general is one of the worst moves a company can make. Whatever word choice/hashtag choice a company makes should be words that one would continuously describe the company with in an interview or sales pitch.
I think the most important Facebook don’t is don’t bombard your audience with strictly content about your brand. By engaging your customers in their interests, they are more likely to interact and accept future brand content.
I think the most import Facebook do is take advantage of Sponsored stories. It is a great way reach out and target more consumers, as well as cost effective.
I think the most important Twitter don’t is don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Vaynerchuk says, “Being cool has nothing to do with age; it has to do with how solid your identity is.”
I think the most important Twitter do is take advantage of hashtags. You never know when a trending hashtag could create expose your small business.
Some do's that stood out to me for Facebook were sponsored stories and creating effective jabs. Sponsored stories not only give a great deal to marketers but also allow them to reach a larger percentage of their target audience. Facebook puts marketers best interests at heart with their algorithm that only allows the content to reach people if it is effective and once it stops being effective, stops running it. I think another great do is creating effective jabs. Vaynerchuk uses his case studies as examples of brands using effective content and visuals that interact with users before selling them something. This can be seen in the Jeep, Selena Gomez and Mini Cooper examples.
Two don'ts for Facebook would be giving away too much too soon and just lacking enough engaging content. Giving away too much can be seen in the UNICEF case study where they told all about Katy Perry's experience and left nothing for users to view on their website.The Philippines airline study is a prime example of brands lacking engaging content. The photo presented their logo which looked more like a right hook instead of a jab to their audience. They also didn't use any visuals that pertained to the topic.
One do for Twitter would definitely have to be trendjacking. Brands should definitely capitalize on trending topics to engage with their audiences and stay relevant in pop culture. The same trending topic tool can be used to throw right hook, another do for a presence on Twitter.
One main don't for Twitter would have to be lacking punctuality in content. You only get 140 characters so sticking straight to the point and doing it fast enough to catch a users attention need to done for effective jabs. Brands should also stray away from providing empty links or links that don't lead straight to what they are advertising. Cluttered visuals are also a no no as they are sometimes worse and more confusing than too much content.
The recommendation that stood out to me the most of all the case studies on chapter 3 (Facebook) was the example of the Subaru ad, “Amateur Night”. Subaru’s photo choice for their ad is absolutely horrible. Just like Gary Vaynerchuck stated, “The Subaru is so far away, it is almost reduced to the same size as the little sailboats bobbing in the background”. The cement parking lot takes up almost the whole image. You can barley tell that the car is the focus on of that even though it is in the “center” of the image. This ad stood out to me because if it’s poor photo choice. DO: choose a more exciting photo that more closely portrays the product DON’T: forget the logo on the photo
From the chapter 4 case studies, the recommendations on the LaCoste advertisement stood out to me the most for the number 1 reason being the brand of my last name let me down. LaCoste went for the hook too early instead of jabbing a couple times. It is upsetting when the link of the advertisement goes directly to the company’s general website. People expect something more special when clicking on a link. I also have a personal opinion that the LaCoste logo stands out because of its green alligator. The company made a poor decision to leave the alligator in the ad black and white. DO: create a link so a special promotion or unique idea that the company offers DON’T: demand the customer to shop before “giving” a couple times
I believe that when it comes to Twitter the most important “don't” is not trying to falsely personify one’s brand. Creating a genuine brand personality is pivotal. It is most important to create a honest and believable brand image via Twitter. Vaynerchuk mentions that being cool has nothing to do with age; it has to do with how solid your identity is.
I think the most important "do" for Twitter is to strategically and effectively use hash tags. They can be a great tool and if you pay attention to what is trending or popular you can get lots of eyes on your brand. This is a great way to expose yourself via trending topics, which makes you relevant and accessible to consumers.
I think the most important "don't" for Facebook is not to "over jab" your audience. If your followers or audience feels over whelmed or cluttered by your brand content they may associate negative connotations with your brand or even worse, disassociate completely. Instead choose to engage and get involved in the conversation with your audience which will prompt them to hopefully interact and in return continue to follow and consume your content as you put it out.
The most important "do" that I took away in regards to Facebook is the use of Sponsored stories. Sponsored stories allow you to broaden and expand your reach and target more consumers that are relevant to your demographic. (It is also a fairly cost effective strategy.)
For Facebook, I believe that the most important “do”, which really applies for every social media platform, is to understand the platform that you are posting on. People have different motivations and intentions when they go to different social media sites so you need to tailor your message based on the context of your audience, and not have a uniform message for all platforms.
The most important “don’t” that was mentioned by Vaynerchuk to me was using too much text. The honest truth is that most people will not have the patience to read long paragraphs of text relating to a brand. I think the most effective way to grab your audiences attention is to have a one phrase that will captivate them and get them to read more.
For Twitter, I believe the most important “do”, which ties into my last point, is to use pictures in order to capture your audiences attention. An appealing photo or graphic will catch the eye of a person of any age group and is more stimulating and exciting than plain text, and will prompt the viewer to search deeper about the brand.
The most important “don’t” in my opinion is to use hashtags that don’t enhance the brands image in any way. Companies who use hashtags that are irrelevant to their brand or message are not adding any value to their brand. Using trending hashtags or adjectives that mirror the company’s brand image will reinforce their identity.
These two chapters gave great insight into how to make a campaign on social platforms like facebook or twitter more appealing to consumers. A facebook "Do" that I found was sponsored stories. These stories are cost effective because facebook actually calculates the content in the story and that is all you are paying for! Sponsored stories also help limit spam for your consumer. Although a brand would have to pay for this I believe that it is worth it because I believe that the idea of having a sponsor behind a brands story gives it integrity.
A "Don't" that I found important for facebook had to do with text. If the text or the copy is to long, or not proportionate to the advertisement then it does not draw the consumer in. Even though facebook gives brands an opportunity to write more about their product, shorter is definitely sweeter.Also when creating an advertisement making sure that the text is big and easy enough to read! Also depending on the photo the text may take away from the advertisement posted on facebook. For example, for the Mercedes case they had a gorgeous picture of the car but then had to much text. The consumer would not have stayed around to understand the brand's message.
Even though twitter is only 140 characters there are still "Do's" and "Dont's" so help brands get consumers interested in their products. A "Do" for twitter is using a good voice. I liked the case study about Chubbies Shorts. They used a hashtag no one else could because it was only relevant to their brand and they are also "distinct" enough to catch a consumers eye. There message on twitter was simple yet eye catching.
A "Don't" that I found for twitter was using clumsy hashtags. When picking or using a hashtag there should be research done towards what other people are using the hashtag for so it is cohesive. In the book Hollister hashtagged #guarding. This hashtag is used for security guards and people who play basketball, both of which have nothing to do with what Hollister wanted. The hashtag should bring more attention and clarity to the product so the consumers can learn more.
Through the case studies the most common trend I found for people to market on Facebook was by keeping the advertisements simple, with fewer words and bold engaging pictures. Too much text can detract the reader from the overall message the company is trying to get across. A lot of it can be cut down to a simple message that highlights a picture, not an extended explanation to make the picture make sense. The major don't that kept coming up revolved around making sure that hyper links actually went to the intended source, and was not just a dead link.
For twitter bing concise is a major focus. With a limited word count it is imperative to say what is important without truing to fit too much detail into it. Because of this pictures become extremely important, because not only do people enjoy looking at pictures more than reading little snippets, but most of the time a picture can do a better job of getting a companies point across than any number of text filled tweets. One of the major things that can cut down on this excessive word count is eliminating those useless hashtags, that have no importance to the overall goal of the tweet.
For Facebook, I think the most important “do” would be to really understand the platform that you are posting to. Messages should be tailored accordingly and know who your audience is. This is really important for all social media platforms but I also think it is extremely important for Facebook.
For Facebook, I think the most important “don’t” is to not make your posts very lengthy and wordy. I know people in my generation won’t take the time to read a long post and they definitely don’t have the attention span to do so. I think using short posts with buzzwords is the most effect way to grab your audience’s attention.
For Twitter, the most important “do” is to really capture your audience whether you use buzz words, links to videos or pictures. That way you will captivate your audience in a different way instead of just using words.
For twitter, the most important “don’t” would be to effectively use hashtags. If hashtags aren’t used effectively they basically serve no purpose. If they are used correctly they are a great tool to get your brand trending and this way a lot of different people will see it. It is a great way to get brand exposure when used correctly.
For twitter, a major do was to use appealing pictures. A lot of people, counting myself, are more likely to click on a tweet that has an enticing photo attached to it. And on Facebook, a do is the placement of your advertisements. It is proven that the best place to put advertisements is the center of the page because that is where people look first.
A twitter don’t is to hide your link in the middle of your tweet. It is best to have to link at the end of your text because once people see a bunch of words crammed together, they will most likely scroll right past it. And for Facebook, it is important to keep posts short and to the point. Most people aren’t going to read a whole paragraph - it is best to keep post simple.
In regard to Facebook, I am finding and already believed that too much text is not beneficial to a brand’s social media presence. A great example found in chapter 3 is the UNICEF post that describes how Katy Perry has gotten involved with the organization, including a wonderfully heartwarming and eye-catching image of her jumping rope with two teenage girls in Madagascar. As it is explained upon that page, the posting should have simply included the line,
“Want to know what Katy Perry has been up to?”
If the post would have been as concise as that, it would have intrigued the viewer to know the answer to that question, rather than being forced to read further on. Let’s face it, we are all lazy and do not want to be overwhelmed with a ton of text. This post is better for a blog format, where lengthy text is appropriate and fitting. Additionally, the former point directs itself to another do, in which a company must be aware of what format they are posting upon and comprehend the proper use of each.
It is overall, important to capitalize on attention-grabbing images that ignite a consumer or viewer’s interest in the brand, not a lengthy amount of text. A brand must consider and properly implement the correct platform in which they are posting upon.
Twitter includes some similar dos, which I, as a Twitter user, fully agree with. Prior to reading these case studies, I subconsciously favored and was drawn toward tweets that have an image, of some sort. Tweets that are pure text, depending on my attention span, are things I will often scroll through until my eyes stop on a catchy image. Take the Adidas example found in the chapter; it is a perfect image that without even noticing the text in the tweet, we are drawn to. It is a cool image that is vibrant in color and clean in its presentation.
As for hashtags…these are things that need to be gracefully and delicately treated. I, for one, cannot stand when brands or even personal friends tweet with an abundance of hashtags that most of the time are irrelevant and pointless. It is important to include them, like how the Fleurty Girl brand needed to add in some hashtags for ignite emotions. But, there is a fine line between “igniting emotions” and “igniting unfollows.”
Facebook and Twitter are great tools for social media marketers. They both provide a platform capable of reaching a wide range of people and the chance to be creative. Now, there are ways to get this wrong.
Twitter: Do: Use Pictures. This will capture an audience. The less to read the better. Don't: Use a hash tag with little or no meaning. You want your hash tag to be engaging and memorable. A lot of companies engage in research when creating a hash tag. I know in another class we needed to create social media plan. We were focusing on Cheerwine, and chose the #BoldEnough. This tied into the overall marketing plan as well as the soda's bold flavor.
Facebook: Do: Timing is everything. You want to make sure you're posting at appropriate times with the correct link (if there is one) Don't: Use filler text. Many of these social media sites are used on the go. Especially on a Facebook mobile App. You want to keep your message as succinct as possible, so page viewers don't lose interest.
Facebook is starting to get big on advertising so it is important that it is done right. One of the major do’s for Facebook is as simple as making sure the link you post works. If a link is broken or goes somewhere else, a customer could lose faith in the competence of the company and might start looking somewhere else or could just become annoyed and lose interest in the company. A big don’t for Facebook is using over stimulating ads or too much text in a single post. If someone is scrolling through their newsfeed, they aren’t going to stop to read a page long ad. They would rather take a look at a picture or read a simple message. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. In regards to Twitter, a big do is to be consistent and have a personality along with trend-jacking. A Twitter profile should definitely have a personality because it makes it easier to connect with and feel that the brand is approachable, and trend-jacking really helps do this. When a company grabs a trend and uses it, it makes them seem like they have a personality, especially when it’s humorous. A don’t for Twitter is to use pointless hash tags or unrelated hash tags. We saw the Digiorno twitter post that had a controversial meaning, so making sure that the has tag has the correct meaning is imperative to using them. And using a meaningful hash tag is also super important, because hash tagging random and unrelated words can bring attention away from the main point and be distracting, causing the true message to be missed.
I thought it was really helpful to read about tips as to when posting on social media, and ways to get the most viewers or attention from your viewers. On Facebook, I thought one really good "do" was to make sure you have appropriate timing when posting something, which goes along with using your logo. It's important to use your logo to get your message across and to have the post associated with the brand, but it is also important to use your logo at the appropriate time. If it is a rough time for many people after a big incident, then using the logo while claiming the company is expressing sorrow isn't the right time to be rubbing your brand in other people's faces. It's extremely important to check the timing before posting something on social media, and associating it with your brand to get the association into the audience's minds. A "don't" for Facebook is that you shouldn't use too much text in your posts, since many viewers will just be scrolling through their news feed and will not necessarily stop to take the time to read something that looks rather lengthy. The message wasn't successful if the viewer doesn't even stop to look at it. As for Twitter, I thought it an important "do" was to use pictures, in order to get more attention from your post. It makes perfect sense, since people are drawn to pictures immediately and don't have to stop scrolling to read text. If the picture captures their eye, then they will stop and look at it. It's more interesting to look at pictures than wait for videos or text. A "don't" for twitter is don't use irrelevant hashtags, because the meaning could be lost amongst other things with the same hashtag. Hashtagging random words bring the post further away from delivering the appropriate message and ends up connecting it to anything with those other words.
I think some of the examples used in these kind of sections were very interesting and kind of summarized what Gary V was talking about in their respective chapters. For Facebook, I liked his example of Air Canada of how a good idea can still be executed poorly. Too much text, a boring photo, and missing links can really screw up a post. Subaru was a great example for a horrible photo. Philippine Airlines wins the contest for the worst overall post on my list: "Whats the most exotic food you've ever tried, and in which country?" but the body copy is just the worst. I think a great example is the post for Twix of whether you can hear a Twix snapping in the forest if no one is around... playing off the common funny riddle. This post proves to be very clever and effective with a beautiful bright photo to accompany the text. Shows the great advantage of pop culture. For Twitter, i think the most important lesson was to keep it short, and use short jabs, not big right hooks to sell to twitter followers. I think the funniest way to violate that rule was Lacoste with: "If you could do one thing today, what would it be? (SHOP!)" I couldn't stop laughing because the post literally got ruined by one word right at the end by answering their own question and alienating followers. Another piece of great advice was to make use of trendjacking, which Taco Bell used to its advantage with: "#ThoughtsInBed Taco Bell, I need you." So funny, time relevant, and intriguing.
I thought these two sections gave you good examples on how to utilize each social media platform. For Facebook I thought the best tip was to target your jabs. Facebook lets you target a certain audience for posts to make the best impact with your jabs. I also liked the insight about sponsored stories on Facebook and learning how things exactly work behind the scene with Facebook. This section focused more on do's than don't but one thing that was pointed out was that it is best not to place ads right at the top of a page where the viewer is trying to read. It points out that some marketers think this is the solution for people who view Facebook on their phones but we all know that those ads that are in the way when you are trying to see something on your phone is aggravating. Twitter is all about information and with Twitter it is important to separate your content from everyone else's. If you want your content to stand out then it has to be unique and with Twitter you are talking to a very large audience. A great way to get peoples attention on twitter is by using trends or popular wording. A don't for Twitter is do not just throw a bunch of hashtags in your tweets; be intentional.
It was really interesting and really helpful to read about some of the "do's" and "don'ts" of Facebook and Twitter.
Twitter: A major "do" is to use pictures that are going to be appealing to your audience. Posting pictures captures an audience and people are more likely to click on your tweet when they see a picture is involved. A big "don't" on Twitter is using stupid, pointless hashtags. You want to have a creative hashtag with the intent that people are going to remember it. Companies should figure out a good hashtag for their brand and stick with it so it becomes associated with their company, that way when people see the hashtag, they will think of the brand.
Facebook: A "do" is to make sure if you are posting a link, that the link works. There is nothing more embarrassing then if you make this big important post and the link does not work. I know there have been times on Facebook when I see this interesting advertisement or post and I go to click on the link - whether it's a video or an article and it doesn't work. It's disappointing to the reader and kind of like a turn off, especially if it's a brand/company you have "liked" on Facebook. It just makes them look bad and makes it look like they have no idea what they are going. A Facebook "don't" would be don't have too much text and don't have a ridiculously long lengthy post. Try to include pictures into your post if you know your post is going to be kind of long with lots of text. Posting pictures attracts an audience and intrigues people to want to stop and read your post. I know for me, when I see some long, wordy post, I just scroll right past it. When I see people are posting pictures, I am more likely to stop and check out what they have to say. Pictures are much more interesting to look at instead of reading some long post. Even though Facebook gives brands and companies the opportunity to write more about their product, shorter is definitely better.
Both of these chapters were very intriguing and taught me more about Facebook and twitter than I would have thought. As for Facebook, the thing that stood out for me most was the way they make sure that people paying for advertisements will be able to get "great bang for your buck," as the book states. They make sure that if your advertisement gets a lot of views, they will be sure to show that advertisement and that content to as many people as possible. The main don't that I think many other people would agree with is not posting lengthy, wordy posts. People are more inclined to read a post if there are more visual images for them to look at and less for them to read. Twitter has a different approach to reach out to people. They are more focused on news and information while Facebook is more friend oriented. A great way to stand out on twitter and be recognized is to be original. Stray from the path of the norm and don't be afraid to actually speak your mind. As for a don't, and once again I'm sure many others would agree, do not overdose on the hashtags. Nobody wants to read 15 blue words that really don't have much to do with the original tweet.
During the chapter on Facebook, one of the things that stood out to me the most, was the part about links. It is crucial to put the correct link on your page. The link must actually be a working link. So many times, I have been on Facebook and tried to click on a link and it takes me somewhere completely different. This makes me very annoyed with the company that posted it. I would call this a “DO”.
A “DON’T’’ for Facebook that I found interesting was that you don’t need to overwhelm your audience. If this is the case, often times, you will leave them with a negative image about your company. This is definitely something that you don’t want. You want people to associate happiness with your company.
For Twitter, a “DO” that I found interesting was that your company needs to take the time and respond to as many people as they can. Try to relate to the people, and this will give them a positive image of your company.
The “DON’T” for twitter that I found interesting was about using hashtags. Normally I do not use too many hashtags on twitter. I tend to struggle when it comes to making up a hashtag. When it comes to a company using a hashtag, it needs to relate to your product and also make sense with it.
When using Twitter there are sever things to do: Using trends if very important. As we discussed in class brands need to enter the conversation and Twitter is a place to do it. When entering the conversation it is a good idea to use a picture instead of words. People scrolling through social media are far more likely to take interest in a picture with a few words than words alone. My favorite example of this is on Budweiser’s Twitter and they is a picture of a puppy that looks like he is crying and it says “I’m not crying…I just get emotional about chicken wings.” Perfect because it goes with their existing marketing strategy and is funny in general. One of the do nots I saw was not to use unrelated hashtags which just makes sense honestly. If a brand decides to use a hash tag they need to think how it will affect their brand imagine and if it positively adds to the conversation.
For Facebook it is important to target your audience. You need to know who buys your product and focus your ads around them. Being concise is helpful because just like Twitter, people do not stop in one place often. Brands need to post their ads at the peak hours that their target market uses social media.
There are many do's and don'ts that are associated with these chapters. Facebook and Twitter are prime social media accounts that demonstrate these aspects of communication. Some of the Do's that I encountered include posting pictures. Pictures are a wonderful way to grab the attention of the viewer. People tend to immediately notice a picture, and it's message, rather than words, or paragraphs. Another Do is to use accurate links. Some companies make the detrimental mistake of not including the correct links, which leads us to an inconvenience in our social media endeavors. A don't for twitter would include someone including irrelevant hashtags, or information that is not important to what the reader or viewer is interested in seeing on the page. A don't for Facebook would be the habit of being too wordy, or including too much in one post. This distracts the viewer, and takes away from the message you are trying to get across. These are all great concepts and tips that we should utilized and eliminated in order to maximize success on these social media sites.
A big “do” that I think is important for any marketing strategy is to target the message or in this case the “jabs” and “right hooks” This concept is the central thing that every marketing strategy books talks about, however I appreciate how this book tailored it to fit Facebook specifically. A big “don’t” that I think should be obvious, is that you should never post a wrong link. This just makes your business look really bad.
Do: The biggest facebook do that stood out to me, was to make sure that you portray authenticity. With an increasing number of ads being promoted on social media platforms, especially facebook, it is more important than ever to make sure your posts look legit. This will make them less likely to be skipped over.
Don't: One facebook don't that stood out to me was to not include a faulty link in your posts. The reason that this stood out is because I would have thought that this goes without saying, and whoever runs a brand's social media accounts should always make sure that a link is a good one.
Twitter:
Do: One twitter do that stood out to me was the recommendation to use appealing pictures in tweets. I know that I am more likely to click on a tweet when there is a picture that looks interesting. This is why twitter accounts that are about "cute animals" or something similar are so popular.
Don't: I think that the most important twitter don't would be using poor or clumsy hashtags. When using a hashtag, especially as a brand, it is important to carefully evaluate how effective a hashtag will be. If you are creating a specific hashtag for your brand, make it a memorable one. If you are using a preexisting hashtag that is popular, make sure that the meaning behind this hashtag is appropriate for the post.
I thought the recommendations from chapters 3 and 4 were very clear. The biggest "do" that stuck out from me with Facebook was the use of sponsored stories. It seems like the best way to balance cost while reaching the target audience. A "don't" that stuck out to me for Facebook was don't you too much text. This seems simple, but brands often take away from their message by having paragraphs of text. A "do" for twitter that stuck out to me was to use an eye-catching graphic in order to capture that attention of the consumer. This seems like something everyone would know, but I see brands often try to stick to the 140 character limit without being overly creative. One obvious "don't" was the is the use of unnecessary hashtags. Hashtags can be extremely useful, but using meaningless ones simple clutters the message.
Since I am an avid Facebook and twitter user, I really appreciated learning about some "do" and "don't".
FACEBOOK: DO: Make sure your advertisement is reaching the right people and being productive. Facebook has a great way to tell you the statistics of your advertisement and how well it is doing.
DON'T: Beat around the bush. Get to the point of your message because people's attention spans are very short. You don't want to lose your customers interest.
TWITTER DO: Use graphics in your tweets! Whether is be an image, or a gif, or an infographic, people love a good visual aid.
DON'T: Be lazy about the material you are tweeting. You only have so many characters to get your message across while being creative and keeping interest. Utilize every character!
The case study that stood out the most to me was Selena Gomez, Microsoft and Twix. I think these ads are fun and consumers would really enjoy them. Through Facebook and Twitter they are both great ways to market to consumers. Relating to these ads some do’s are to really have fun with the ad. Like Twix they used a philosophical riddle, “if a TWIX snaps in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still sound delicious?” I thought this was so clever. Another do is when Microsoft promoted Fresh Paint by announcing a sequel to Finding Nemo and using appropriate colors. So this really showed quality, value and authenticity. It also seemed Microsoft was genially excited about both. I liked to follow celebrities on social media and I liked to see how Selena is into the same trends and fads as other people. I think a major do was the post was short, fun and many consumers could relate to it. Some don’ts of these are to not make the post too long. Don’t leave out the logo of the brand, one can only do this if consumers can easily identify the brand. Don’t have the voice of the ad too corporate because the consumer needs to feel a sense of genuineness. Twitter is also a great platform, for me personally it isn’t my favorite but the ad that stood out the most was Surf Tacos. I actually used to go there all the time and I liked seeing how they are promoting their brand. A major do was to use Instagram through Twitter to promote traffic to both. Another do was to use a natural looking picture and not a more professional one, since it gives it a more authentic and real vibe to it. Lastly, a major do was using hashtags to earn a greater visibility, though they could have used more. A don’t to not expect a lot out of this technique because it can only do so much but an easy thing to do to promote business. Don’t post a picture that is extremely poor quality or that is not visually pleasing.
One of the "Do's" that I found to be one of the most important would be to make sure you're placing your advertisements correctly. In the book, Vaynerchuk shows how the placement of your advertisements is everything. It is also very important to make sure the right people are seeing them. The most viewed area of Facebook is the center of the page, (and also the most expensive spot to get advertisements). This is because a lot of people use their mobile devices now for Facebook, and the ads that are on the side don't even show up anymore.
An extremely important "Don't" on Facebook is definitely length of text. I personally get very annoyed when people post very lengthy things because there is pretty much no chance of anyone reading that post. This can be solved by shortening the post, and maybe adding a photo to catch peoples attention.
For Twitter, I think a major "Do" is to catch the consumers attention using a very specific hashtag. It's hard to come up with clever tweets that are under 140 characters long. The case study for Chubbies Shorts used a specific hashtag that only related to their company, and a lot of people ended up playing along and using it as well!
On the contrary to the "Do", a HUGE "Don't" is do not use unnecessary hashtags! If you only have 140 characters already to say what you need to say, it should not be important to fill the space using hashtags of things that may be in the picture that you're showing. For instance, say you're advertising Chubbies Shorts and there is a male model with a girl in the picture. They should use their clever hashtag that only promotes their specific brand. There shouldn't be hashtags explaining the picture as well, like #girl #shorts #model. Big "Don't".
Do: Victoria’s Secret is a fantastic example of what to do on Facebook when posting content. The three points the book stressed about their ad was that it was: -a dramatic photo -good use of copy -had its appropriate links The main purpose of this advertisement is to encourage customers to apply to become an ‘Angel Credit Cardholder’. This post on Facebook was successful because it let the customer know exactly where to apply for their card. The dramatic photo allowed both females and males to stop when they saw this advertisement on their feeds because this appeals to men in the sense that they like what they’re seeing and with females, they admire what she looks like and wish they looked like that too. The size of the photo is big and bold so the consumer can miss it. Additionally, the black and white background contrast with the pink writing making the content pop. Secondly, they made it convenient for the viewer to just click to apply to obtain their card. The most important part about the link is making sure it worked. If this link wouldn’t have worked they would have lost many potential customer because it would be inconvenient to have to search where to find the link to the page that was meant to be there.
Don’t: Air Canada was a great example of what not to do on Facebook. The three point the book stressed were: -post wasn’t visually compelling -too much text -it was a link rather than a picture post The point of this post was to pay a tribute to their first flight attendant, Lucile Garner Grant. This could have been a post that would cause interactions between their 494,738 fans but these three key points made it unsuccessful. In order to make this visually compelling, they could have used a picture post with Lucile Garner Grant’s headshot to grab the attention of the viewer. Personally, If a picture looks interesting, I’m going to read the text along with it to find out more information about it and even click the attached link to engage further. Gary V. also mention that this post was surrounded by too much text. By using a larger picture, the text doesn’t seem as dense because the size of the picture dilutes the text. The preview of the article adds more text to the post making it too busy with text and not enough visuals to go along with all that content.
Twitter
Do: Taco Bell is a great example of trendjacking. The hashtag #thoughtsinbed was trending when Taco Bell delivered this clever tweet. They receive 12,661 retweets and 3,554 favorites on a tweet that read “#thoughtsinbed Taco Bell, I need you.” Personally, I think they took this hashtag and used it to its full advantage while making me laugh. They used the same voice as the consumer making it relatable so the consumer would in turn retweet it, favorite it, or both. Don’t: Burgari US’s tweet regarding their #bulgarijewels dinner event. Gary V. said it himself, live tweeting during an event can get super annoying, and this tweet does just that. The quality of the picture is just horrible, they didn’t even bother to use flash in a low lit room. The only thing you can really decipher are the flowers which you would have to zoom in to really decipher what they are. You should be able to tell what they picture is of with just a quick glance, you shouldn’t have to guess what is going on in the picture. This picture doesn’t give any value to the brand or the consumer. One thing they did right was mentioning the catering company. This luxury brand acknowledges their caterer, shining them in the light of their followers.
The book lays out a lot of really useful do's and don'ts for Twitter and Facebook, which are helpful no matter who you are or what your business is. Twitter and Facebook allow for reach to almost anyone with an Internet connection although getting these interactions right is still just as important. There's no use in reaching these people with your message if you're just going to end up doing it wrong.
Twitter Do: Use pictures. This was a major do that doesn’t really require a lot of effort. We live in a very visual world therefore it makes sense that pictures on twitter would attract the attention of potential customers.
Don’t: Use hashtags incorrectly or ineffectively. If a hashtag is used wrong or just in the wrong context than they basically are useless and shouldn’t even be there. A hashtag is a great way to make a topic or brand trend – therefore getting more people talking. When used effectively a hashtag is a great way to spread your brand and get you more exposure.
Facebook Do: Make sure you are embedding the correct link in your post. Links are a great way to give your customers or followers more information but if you are placing the wrong link in your post you might as well have not posted it. Links are great but if they are wrong they can lead to a dead end or serve to confuse your follower, which would only upset and confuse them (two feelings you don’t want your followers to feel when they visit your page).
Don’t: Use too much text. It’s not secret that we have shorter and shorter attention spans nowadays. Your Facebook post should be able to catch the attention of your followers without boring them and therefore making them want to stop reading. I found this tip extremely helpful because even as someone who has liked companies on Facebook, the last thing I ever want to see is too much text. Whenever I see that I personally tune out and keep scrolling.
Chapter’s 3 and 4 gave a lot of really good recommendations/things to ignore dealing with both Twitter and Facebook. All of the information that these chapters provided were really helpful. These two social media platforms are used a lot in everyday life and are becoming well known for businesses to use, also. I took a lot away from these chapters and the Do’s and Don’ts they provided us with stuck out the most.
Facebook Do: Make sure you URL you are using works. This is an issue that has happened to me many times in the past. It is a mistake that is easy to miss, but it can also really hurt your company. Not only does it not allow people to further invest your business if they cannot navigate to the URL, but it can also make you look very unprofessional. That is why it is important to make sure everything technology related works.
Facebook Don’t: Do not use too much text. When people just continue to ad text, they tend to ramble. This causes the message to get lost and then may cause people to not even be able to determine what the post is about. It causes you to fail when relaying the message and this is not good for businesses. Try to be short and get to the point.
Twitter Do: It is very important to use pictures. Do not use a boring photo; remember to make the picture interesting. This will grab the audience’s attention right off the bat, which is very important to do. I know that when I am looking at posts and I see a photo, there is a greater chance that I stop to see what the photo says and I look more into the post. Posts without photos I tend to scroll over.
Twitter Don’t: Do not use useless hashtags. Hashtags do make things more interesting, but when the hashtag is use less it just ruins the message you are trying to get across. Do not make the hashtag vague. Make it something that can be used to describe the company in many situations. A hastag is something that sticks with the company so make it something useful, not useless. Also, make sure it makes sense. Do not use a hashtag just to use a hashtag.
MEV Studios is a full digital agency based in Miami providing strategy, marketing, design, and creative services to SMEs and Fortune 100 companies. Digital agency. Design. Marketing. Creative. Technolog Miami digital agency, Miami online marketing, social media marketing miami, Miami, content creation services Miami, Creative digital agency Miami.
The case studies that stood out to me most were the ones on celebrity postings (Reggie Bush, Selena Gomez and Lil' Wayne). I have never really considered celebrities to be "brands" that had to market themselves, but in reality they do! They need to maintain interest and a fan base to keep their high status and sell products, tickets, CDs, etc. I think that celebrities have an easier time posting native content because people actually want to know about their lives. That is the hardest thing I have trouble with when I post for the company I work for, but for celebrities it is so easy. I was surprise to see how horribly maintained Lil' Wayne's Facebook page was. He could easily have someone, either him or his PR person that knows his language, comment on what he is doing that day with pictures to engage fans.
ReplyDeleteOne "do" that Gary V mentioned several times, and often brands overlooked, was putting your logo on the photo you post! It is an easy fix, but something so small that they may forget.
One "don't" that Gary V talked about was not posting a link, and instead posting a photo with a link in the caption. When posting a link on Facebook, the picture along with it gets too small (thumbnail size) and too much text accompanies it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe case study from Round 3 that stood out to me the most was the Regal Cinemas ad. It posed the question, "Who would you rather have as your college roommate?" and showcased photos of hilariously obnoxious, popular movie characters. The visual is very good and would instantly draw a millennial's eye to Will Ferrell. Vaynerchuck especially recommended that the status update should not just repeat the copy in the artwork. I think that's a great, yet basic, suggestion that not a lot of marketers would necessarily think about.
ReplyDeleteThis "do" contrasts with the "don't" of the Subaru ad that stood out to me. The photo was eye catching in the sense that (as I was searching for a striking visual) is was so extraordinarily uninteresting. The "don't" of this marketing mistake was more like 3 "don't"'s: don't post boring photos, don't post boring text, don't forget a logo. There was absolutely no branding in this ad, and it was so easy to overlook.
For Round 4, the Twitter recommendations that stood out to me were to be simple, and not to be emotionless in your messages. Netflix took a very striking and very recognizable image and used it to convey a short and sweet message. This is what gets results. On the other hand, Twitter itself was criticized for not using Twitter effectively. That was really interesting to me. Vaynerchuck emphasized that Twitter pushed too hard to sell its platform, rather than presenting any kind of emotional stimuli or personal engagement. There were some great tips and examples in these chapter examples.
There were a lot of recommendations throughout the case studies in chapters 3 and 4. I read through the case studies and compiled a list of the recommendations that I thought were the most helpful based on each social media tool.
ReplyDeleteFacebook
DO:
use your logo
use a clear or dramatic picture
center your text well
consider the platform
double check the URL works
use proper timing
DO NOT:
use too much text
forget to consider mobile viewers
create multiple call to actions
let your page go (keep up the management)
use irrelevant hashtags
Twitter
DO:
spin your story
use a cool picture
DO NOT:
use pointless links
use pointless hashtags
In Chapter three, I thought that the Victoria's Secret ad highlighted all of the 'do's' that Gary V was mentioned in the book. The picture was focused on the product, and they had the words on the photo in a good place.
ReplyDeleteOne of the 'don't's' that stood out to me in the Facbook section was the Land Rover ad. Has I not been reading the case study that told me what the company was, I would have had no idea what company the ad was for. The description of the photo is also not very descriptive.
In chapter 4, the 'do' that stood out to me was using a cool picture as the focal point of the tweet. Another 'do' that I liked was too have a hashtag that piggybacked onto another hashtag like Netflix did.
The twitter 'don't's' that stood out to me were AMC's tweet that had text mixed in between with the link. Your eye is drawn to the link, and then skims over whatever text is in the middle.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor Facebook I found one of the majors do’s in the chapter was to make sure that the links works, it is embarrassing if you post a huge important post with a link that does not even work. It causes you to fail to get your point across and make it seem like you don’t really know what you are doing. While there were main others I thought that was one of the most important.
ReplyDeleteFor twitter I think the major do was to use pictures, based off my own experience. If I see a picture that catches my attention I am more likely read the tweet rather than tweets that are just text. Also when Netflix used hash-tags was another important example feature to use when tweeting.
For don’ts I would say the placements of the links in tweet is very important so avoid placing in the middle of the text otherwise it distracts the reading, like the land rover advertisement. The placement of the link needs to be very strategic and not distract for the other text in the tweet.
For Facebook I would say don’t use unimportant information or have to much text that is unnecessary otherwise people will be unsure of the important selling point of the product. You want your post to be clear and too the point otherwise the reader will lose interest.
I felt chapter 3 and 4 did a good job of pointing out the do’s and don’ts of social media. They gave good recommendations of what to avoid and watch out for.
One of the major do's that I found for Facebook was to make sure that you are placing your advertisements in the right place. The book illustrates how placement is everything in the world of Facebook and advertisement. The best place for marketers to put their ads is in the center of the page. This is because, as we learned, there is a high percentage of people that only use the mobile app for Facebook. This means that if marketers choose to advertise on the right of the news feed a lot of viewer will never see it.
ReplyDeleteAlso for Facebook a don't is to make sure that you don't over stimulate your viewer and make sure that instead of all print or logo's in ads there should be more pictures so that as people scroll through the news feed they will notice the picture and stop to see the advertisement.
For Twitter a Do is to be consistent and show a personality. These Do's are important because they will keep followers coming back for more information on specific products. Showing personality also makes people pay attention to what your company is selling and they will continuously check the feed to see if there is something witty or entertaining being posted.
Some twitter Don'ts are to not use hashtags that may mean something else on twitter or be pointless. Hashtags should be created with the intent to trend worldwide, if marketers create insignificant hashtags then there will be a lot of people who may consider the product/ company inferior to others.
In chapter three, I thought the Victoria's Secret ad was a perfect example of a well executed ad. One 'do' for Facebook is definitely to use a dramatic photo. A dramatic photo captures an audience's attention and makes them want to 'screech to a halt mid scroll.' The image is extremely large and the black and white effect adds a lot of drama. With such an eye catching photo, they did everything they could to make sure no one would miss this photo if it were to pop up on their News Feed.
ReplyDeleteOne major "don't" on Facebook is a go-nowhere link. I find this to be incredibly frustrating. I always find it hard to believe that a major corporation (in this case, Land Rover) can't even put enough effort into their post to make sure the link works. If a link doesn't work, it portrays the brand in a negative light and makes people think the company really doesn't care.
In chapter four, I thought Hollister's busy visuals were a good example of a "don't" on Twitter. When images are too small or cluttered, there are way too many things competing for your eye. I agree with the book that Hollister should have used a "single up-close picture of a pair of pretty boys' faces with hashtag beneath.' The ad looks unprofessional, unappealing and cluttered.
One "do" on Twitter is skillful use of trendjacking. For example, when Taco Bell saw that #ThoughtsInBed was trending, they jumped in and tweeted "#ThoughtsInBed Taco Bell, I need you." Taco Bell obviously hit a home run with this tweet, receiving 13,000 retweets. Why did this tweet work so well? "Because Taco Bell respected the platform (Twitter) and talked in the same voice as their consumer." Taco Bell definitely used twitter to their advantage and people recognized.
Vaynerchuk made some really awesome points in chapter 3 about telling your story on Facebook. My favorite point was when he asks: “Are we asking too much of the person consuming the content?” Brands have to remember that we get on Facebook for an outlet, an act of procrastination and for mere pleasure; therefore, I found it just as amusing as he did when companies were complaining about having to pay for their ads to reach a larger audience. As a result, brands don’t want to make the same mistake as Air Canada, in which, the celebration of life of their first flight attendant was overpowered simply because they got a bit ‘wordy’ and put too many words on the post. Enlarge the picture of this awesome 102 year old and let that speak for itself! For Facebook: DO gear towards picture posts and DON”T burden the audience with too much text.
ReplyDeleteVaynerchuck says a lot of the same stuff for Twitter users of what to do and what not to do in terms of treating the audience like they are surely capable of analyzing what a brand is trying to get across. The first example in his book was of Lacoste’s mistake of engaging + interrupting fans. DO engage your fans with questions, but DON”T treat them like idiots by answering the questions for them! Taco Bell on the other hand, does a great job of respecting the Twitter platform by hoping on the hashtag #ThoughtsInBed and finishing with ‘Taco Bell, I need you.’ Short, simple and hilarious! This post is completely relatable because who doesn’t think of food in bed?! IN short: DO take advantage of trendjacking (skillfully) and DON’T talk in any other voice than that of your consumer.
A major “do” on Facebook is to portray authenticity. Marketers must be creative in their posts on Facebook to gain consumers’ attention, yet still remain true to their brand. Show consumers the brand and its employees are people just like us and are relatable and share similar interests. In responding to feedback, whether it be positive or negative, brands must display genuineness to remind their loyal customers why they are a strong brand.
ReplyDeleteOne major “don’t” on Facebook is a terrible photo! This may sound like an obvious “don’t” yet many marketers are still making this mistake. After analyzing the Subaru ad, it didn’t encourage me to purchase a Subaru. The photo had way too much “white space” and was not focused on the car. While consumers are scrolling through Facebook, an eye-catching photo is a must if marketers want them to stop and look at their product. This ad surely won’t attract consumers to stop and check out their Facebook post.
Simplicity is a major “do” on Twitter. With only 140 characters for marketers to promote their brand and products, they must get creative with simpler word choices and phrases. In the Netflix example, I thought it was so creative that they incorporated a popular line from the TV series - automatically catching consumers’ attention - and then using a hashtag for an unofficial holiday. As Gary V. mentioned, every day seems to be an unofficial holiday and marketers can use this to their advantage and gain consumers’ attention in a simple way. Consumers are more likely to stop and glance at a short and sweet text from a brand versus a wordy advertisement about a product.
One major “don’t” on Twitter is using a clumsy hashtag. In the Hollister example, you can see their choice of hashtags were not the strongest. Brands are not able to hashtag any word they want in a tweet, marketers must ensure it is used in appropriate context. We’ve mentioned in class how brands have attempted to be active in real-time marketing by using a trending hashtag and relate it to their brand but many times that has ended in embarrassment to the brand. Marketers must do their research before publishing a tweet with any hashtag. To avoid making this mistake, marketers can create an authentic hashtag, only used by their brand to generate appropriate and useful feedback.
In the Facebook studies chapter of the text, there were several great points. I found the Unicef case particularly interesting. They used a great spokesperson/representative (Katy Perry) and they led with a great question: “Want to know what Katy Perry has been up to?” As the text points out, these are two great aspects of the post. The relevant singer’s presence in the post caught the eyes of many Facebook users (DO), and the question presented created a sense of intrigue (DO). However, Unicef answered the question in the same post. Instead of hooking the viewers and linking them to the Unicef website, they simply kept them reading the same post (DON’T). It has potential for so much more publicity.
ReplyDeleteIn the Twitter studies chapter of the text, I found the Hollister example interesting. While the company had a great idea to mimic the popular teen trend of planking, essentially employing current events to market their products (DO), they executed it poorly. They chose a broad hashtag like #guarding to promote these photos. Think about how many other photographs could have that same hashtag, but for a different reason. They should have make their hashtag more specific that they did (DON’T).
I found all of the case studies to be very interesting. I enjoyed seeing examples about what was done correctly and incorrectly on specific advertisements. Using real examples is very helpful when learning how to use social media correctly for marketing purposes.
ReplyDeleteIn the Facebook case studies in chapter 3 I found the Amtrak case to be especially interesting. I liked that they used a lackluster photo, that related to their brand, and made it exciting and memorable. They also asked people to tag their friends, which inspired people to get involved with their brand. This will make Amtrak stand out in their minds next time a consumer needs to travel. One Do that I thought stuck out throughout all of the case studies was that people kept not putting their brands in the pictures they were posting. It seems obvious that when you post a picture it should include your brand or symbol. One Don't that stuck out was to not use faulty links. Before posting, you should make sure the link works and check that it takes the user to where you want them to go. You also shouldn't just post the link to your homepage. This gets boring for customers and makes them less likely to click your link again.
In the Twitter case studies in chapter 4 I was drawn to the Adidas ad. It used a bright, eye-catching picture and interesting text that really targeted their audience. A good Do on Twitter is to keep the message short, sweet, and to the point, just like Adidas did in their ad. Also, if you can make a distinct, catchy hashtag it will help your brand to stand out among your competitors. However, if you do try this, you must make sure that it isn't already being used for another topic. One Don't on Twitter is to not retweet nice customer comments made about your company. This seems appealing because it is easy and shows people who like your product; however, to most customers it comes off as your company is bragging.
For Facebook the do that stood out to me the most was having the correct link. So many times I have tried to click on photos or links and have been annoyed and disappointed when it goes nowhere. Also connect the link to a specific area or product on the website do not thing consumers will take the time to go through the website. If you advertise a certain clothing bring them to that page and make it easy.
ReplyDeleteFor Facebook the don’t that stood out to me was the Lil Wayne case. You cannot have poor management of the Facebook page. If the star or the brand is not doing the postings themselves, then the people who are posting need to have the developed “voice”.
For Twitter the do that stood out to me was taking the opportunity to connect with the public. Make the tweets something that will relate and engage friends. Also take the time to answer tweets and build a relationship with a single person.
For Twitter the don’t that stood out to me is don’t use irrelevant hashtags. Make sure you check what tweets use the hashtag that you will use. You want the hashtag to make sense to your product and/or company.
In both Chapter 3 and 4 the author stated several “dos” and “don’ts” to follow when utilizing social media platforms. I’ve chosen to focus on one particular do and don’t for each social media outlet.
ReplyDeleteFacebook:
Do- Consider the platform you are using. I believe this is tremendously important because companies should be using each platform in a unique way that promotes engagement. If they only promote one idea across all platforms it’s a very boring approach to luring their consumers.
Don’t- Leave your page to fend for itself. This is one of the worst mistakes a company can make as it will leave a lasting impression on consumers and their decision to engage with the company. If they’re social media is slacking, what else in the company is sub-par?
Twitter:
Do- Post an intriguing photo. It either needs to be cool, weird, gorgeous, or eye-catching in order for the consumer to stop scrolling and stop their page on a company’s ad. If a company is posting photos just similar to everyone else’s, consumers will be less than amused. Once again it puts the question of what else is the company is sub-par.
Don’t- Use useless hashtags. This is an extremely important message for companies. They should all go through a thorough process of digging through relevant hashtags that will add value to their brand. Using one that is vague and can’t be used to describe the company in general is one of the worst moves a company can make. Whatever word choice/hashtag choice a company makes should be words that one would continuously describe the company with in an interview or sales pitch.
I think the most important Facebook don’t is don’t bombard your audience with strictly content about your brand. By engaging your customers in their interests, they are more likely to interact and accept future brand content.
ReplyDeleteI think the most import Facebook do is take advantage of Sponsored stories. It is a great way reach out and target more consumers, as well as cost effective.
I think the most important Twitter don’t is don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Vaynerchuk says, “Being cool has nothing to do with age; it has to do with how solid your identity is.”
I think the most important Twitter do is take advantage of hashtags. You never know when a trending hashtag could create expose your small business.
Some do's that stood out to me for Facebook were sponsored stories and creating effective jabs. Sponsored stories not only give a great deal to marketers but also allow them to reach a larger percentage of their target audience. Facebook puts marketers best interests at heart with their algorithm that only allows the content to reach people if it is effective and once it stops being effective, stops running it. I think another great do is creating effective jabs. Vaynerchuk uses his case studies as examples of brands using effective content and visuals that interact with users before selling them something. This can be seen in the Jeep, Selena Gomez and Mini Cooper examples.
ReplyDeleteTwo don'ts for Facebook would be giving away too much too soon and just lacking enough engaging content. Giving away too much can be seen in the UNICEF case study where they told all about Katy Perry's experience and left nothing for users to view on their website.The Philippines airline study is a prime example of brands lacking engaging content. The photo presented their logo which looked more like a right hook instead of a jab to their audience. They also didn't use any visuals that pertained to the topic.
One do for Twitter would definitely have to be trendjacking. Brands should definitely capitalize on trending topics to engage with their audiences and stay relevant in pop culture. The same trending topic tool can be used to throw right hook, another do for a presence on Twitter.
One main don't for Twitter would have to be lacking punctuality in content. You only get 140 characters so sticking straight to the point and doing it fast enough to catch a users attention need to done for effective jabs. Brands should also stray away from providing empty links or links that don't lead straight to what they are advertising. Cluttered visuals are also a no no as they are sometimes worse and more confusing than too much content.
The recommendation that stood out to me the most of all the case studies on chapter 3 (Facebook) was the example of the Subaru ad, “Amateur Night”. Subaru’s photo choice for their ad is absolutely horrible. Just like Gary Vaynerchuck stated, “The Subaru is so far away, it is almost reduced to the same size as the little sailboats bobbing in the background”. The cement parking lot takes up almost the whole image. You can barley tell that the car is the focus on of that even though it is in the “center” of the image. This ad stood out to me because if it’s poor photo choice.
ReplyDeleteDO: choose a more exciting photo that more closely portrays the product
DON’T: forget the logo on the photo
From the chapter 4 case studies, the recommendations on the LaCoste advertisement stood out to me the most for the number 1 reason being the brand of my last name let me down. LaCoste went for the hook too early instead of jabbing a couple times. It is upsetting when the link of the advertisement goes directly to the company’s general website. People expect something more special when clicking on a link. I also have a personal opinion that the LaCoste logo stands out because of its green alligator. The company made a poor decision to leave the alligator in the ad black and white.
DO: create a link so a special promotion or unique idea that the company offers
DON’T: demand the customer to shop before “giving” a couple times
I believe that when it comes to Twitter the most important “don't” is not trying to falsely personify one’s brand. Creating a genuine brand personality is pivotal. It is most important to create a honest and believable brand image via Twitter. Vaynerchuk mentions that being cool has nothing to do with age; it has to do with how solid your identity is.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important "do" for Twitter is to strategically and effectively use hash tags. They can be a great tool and if you pay attention to what is trending or popular you can get lots of eyes on your brand. This is a great way to expose yourself via trending topics, which makes you relevant and accessible to consumers.
I think the most important "don't" for Facebook is not to "over jab" your audience. If your followers or audience feels over whelmed or cluttered by your brand content they may associate negative connotations with your brand or even worse, disassociate completely. Instead choose to engage and get involved in the conversation with your audience which will prompt them to hopefully interact and in return continue to follow and consume your content as you put it out.
The most important "do" that I took away in regards to Facebook is the use of Sponsored stories. Sponsored stories allow you to broaden and expand your reach and target more consumers that are relevant to your demographic. (It is also a fairly cost effective strategy.)
For Facebook, I believe that the most important “do”, which really applies for every social media platform, is to understand the platform that you are posting on. People have different motivations and intentions when they go to different social media sites so you need to tailor your message based on the context of your audience, and not have a uniform message for all platforms.
ReplyDeleteThe most important “don’t” that was mentioned by Vaynerchuk to me was using too much text. The honest truth is that most people will not have the patience to read long paragraphs of text relating to a brand. I think the most effective way to grab your audiences attention is to have a one phrase that will captivate them and get them to read more.
For Twitter, I believe the most important “do”, which ties into my last point, is to use pictures in order to capture your audiences attention. An appealing photo or graphic will catch the eye of a person of any age group and is more stimulating and exciting than plain text, and will prompt the viewer to search deeper about the brand.
The most important “don’t” in my opinion is to use hashtags that don’t enhance the brands image in any way. Companies who use hashtags that are irrelevant to their brand or message are not adding any value to their brand. Using trending hashtags or adjectives that mirror the company’s brand image will reinforce their identity.
These two chapters gave great insight into how to make a campaign on social platforms like facebook or twitter more appealing to consumers. A facebook "Do" that I found was sponsored stories. These stories are cost effective because facebook actually calculates the content in the story and that is all you are paying for! Sponsored stories also help limit spam for your consumer. Although a brand would have to pay for this I believe that it is worth it because I believe that the idea of having a sponsor behind a brands story gives it integrity.
ReplyDeleteA "Don't" that I found important for facebook had to do with text. If the text or the copy is to long, or not proportionate to the advertisement then it does not draw the consumer in. Even though facebook gives brands an opportunity to write more about their product, shorter is definitely sweeter.Also when creating an advertisement making sure that the text is big and easy enough to read! Also depending on the photo the text may take away from the advertisement posted on facebook. For example, for the Mercedes case they had a gorgeous picture of the car but then had to much text. The consumer would not have stayed around to understand the brand's message.
Even though twitter is only 140 characters there are still "Do's" and "Dont's" so help brands get consumers interested in their products. A "Do" for twitter is using a good voice. I liked the case study about Chubbies Shorts. They used a hashtag no one else could because it was only relevant to their brand and they are also "distinct" enough to catch a consumers eye. There message on twitter was simple yet eye catching.
A "Don't" that I found for twitter was using clumsy hashtags. When picking or using a hashtag there should be research done towards what other people are using the hashtag for so it is cohesive. In the book Hollister hashtagged #guarding. This hashtag is used for security guards and people who play basketball, both of which have nothing to do with what Hollister wanted. The hashtag should bring more attention and clarity to the product so the consumers can learn more.
Through the case studies the most common trend I found for people to market on Facebook was by keeping the advertisements simple, with fewer words and bold engaging pictures. Too much text can detract the reader from the overall message the company is trying to get across. A lot of it can be cut down to a simple message that highlights a picture, not an extended explanation to make the picture make sense. The major don't that kept coming up revolved around making sure that hyper links actually went to the intended source, and was not just a dead link.
ReplyDeleteFor twitter bing concise is a major focus. With a limited word count it is imperative to say what is important without truing to fit too much detail into it. Because of this pictures become extremely important, because not only do people enjoy looking at pictures more than reading little snippets, but most of the time a picture can do a better job of getting a companies point across than any number of text filled tweets. One of the major things that can cut down on this excessive word count is eliminating those useless hashtags, that have no importance to the overall goal of the tweet.
For Facebook, I think the most important “do” would be to really understand the platform that you are posting to. Messages should be tailored accordingly and know who your audience is. This is really important for all social media platforms but I also think it is extremely important for Facebook.
ReplyDeleteFor Facebook, I think the most important “don’t” is to not make your posts very lengthy and wordy. I know people in my generation won’t take the time to read a long post and they definitely don’t have the attention span to do so. I think using short posts with buzzwords is the most effect way to grab your audience’s attention.
For Twitter, the most important “do” is to really capture your audience whether you use buzz words, links to videos or pictures. That way you will captivate your audience in a different way instead of just using words.
For twitter, the most important “don’t” would be to effectively use hashtags. If hashtags aren’t used effectively they basically serve no purpose. If they are used correctly they are a great tool to get your brand trending and this way a lot of different people will see it. It is a great way to get brand exposure when used correctly.
ReplyDeleteFor twitter, a major do was to use appealing pictures. A lot of people, counting myself, are more likely to click on a tweet that has an enticing photo attached to it. And on Facebook, a do is the placement of your advertisements. It is proven that the best place to put advertisements is the center of the page because that is where people look first.
A twitter don’t is to hide your link in the middle of your tweet. It is best to have to link at the end of your text because once people see a bunch of words crammed together, they will most likely scroll right past it. And for Facebook, it is important to keep posts short and to the point. Most people aren’t going to read a whole paragraph - it is best to keep post simple.
In regard to Facebook, I am finding and already believed that too much text is not beneficial to a brand’s social media presence. A great example found in chapter 3 is the UNICEF post that describes how Katy Perry has gotten involved with the organization, including a wonderfully heartwarming and eye-catching image of her jumping rope with two teenage girls in Madagascar. As it is explained upon that page, the posting should have simply included the line,
ReplyDelete“Want to know what Katy Perry has been up to?”
If the post would have been as concise as that, it would have intrigued the viewer to know the answer to that question, rather than being forced to read further on. Let’s face it, we are all lazy and do not want to be overwhelmed with a ton of text. This post is better for a blog format, where lengthy text is appropriate and fitting. Additionally, the former point directs itself to another do, in which a company must be aware of what format they are posting upon and comprehend the proper use of each.
It is overall, important to capitalize on attention-grabbing images that ignite a consumer or viewer’s interest in the brand, not a lengthy amount of text. A brand must consider and properly implement the correct platform in which they are posting upon.
Twitter includes some similar dos, which I, as a Twitter user, fully agree with. Prior to reading these case studies, I subconsciously favored and was drawn toward tweets that have an image, of some sort. Tweets that are pure text, depending on my attention span, are things I will often scroll through until my eyes stop on a catchy image. Take the Adidas example found in the chapter; it is a perfect image that without even noticing the text in the tweet, we are drawn to. It is a cool image that is vibrant in color and clean in its presentation.
As for hashtags…these are things that need to be gracefully and delicately treated. I, for one, cannot stand when brands or even personal friends tweet with an abundance of hashtags that most of the time are irrelevant and pointless. It is important to include them, like how the Fleurty Girl brand needed to add in some hashtags for ignite emotions. But, there is a fine line between “igniting emotions” and “igniting unfollows.”
Facebook and Twitter are great tools for social media marketers. They both provide a platform capable of reaching a wide range of people and the chance to be creative. Now, there are ways to get this wrong.
ReplyDeleteTwitter:
Do: Use Pictures. This will capture an audience. The less to read the better.
Don't: Use a hash tag with little or no meaning. You want your hash tag to be engaging and memorable. A lot of companies engage in research when creating a hash tag. I know in another class we needed to create social media plan. We were focusing on Cheerwine, and chose the #BoldEnough. This tied into the overall marketing plan as well as the soda's bold flavor.
Facebook:
Do: Timing is everything. You want to make sure you're posting at appropriate times with the correct link (if there is one)
Don't: Use filler text. Many of these social media sites are used on the go. Especially on a Facebook mobile App. You want to keep your message as succinct as possible, so page viewers don't lose interest.
Facebook is starting to get big on advertising so it is important that it is done right. One of the major do’s for Facebook is as simple as making sure the link you post works. If a link is broken or goes somewhere else, a customer could lose faith in the competence of the company and might start looking somewhere else or could just become annoyed and lose interest in the company.
ReplyDeleteA big don’t for Facebook is using over stimulating ads or too much text in a single post. If someone is scrolling through their newsfeed, they aren’t going to stop to read a page long ad. They would rather take a look at a picture or read a simple message. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
In regards to Twitter, a big do is to be consistent and have a personality along with trend-jacking. A Twitter profile should definitely have a personality because it makes it easier to connect with and feel that the brand is approachable, and trend-jacking really helps do this. When a company grabs a trend and uses it, it makes them seem like they have a personality, especially when it’s humorous.
A don’t for Twitter is to use pointless hash tags or unrelated hash tags. We saw the Digiorno twitter post that had a controversial meaning, so making sure that the has tag has the correct meaning is imperative to using them. And using a meaningful hash tag is also super important, because hash tagging random and unrelated words can bring attention away from the main point and be distracting, causing the true message to be missed.
I thought it was really helpful to read about tips as to when posting on social media, and ways to get the most viewers or attention from your viewers. On Facebook, I thought one really good "do" was to make sure you have appropriate timing when posting something, which goes along with using your logo. It's important to use your logo to get your message across and to have the post associated with the brand, but it is also important to use your logo at the appropriate time. If it is a rough time for many people after a big incident, then using the logo while claiming the company is expressing sorrow isn't the right time to be rubbing your brand in other people's faces. It's extremely important to check the timing before posting something on social media, and associating it with your brand to get the association into the audience's minds. A "don't" for Facebook is that you shouldn't use too much text in your posts, since many viewers will just be scrolling through their news feed and will not necessarily stop to take the time to read something that looks rather lengthy. The message wasn't successful if the viewer doesn't even stop to look at it. As for Twitter, I thought it an important "do" was to use pictures, in order to get more attention from your post. It makes perfect sense, since people are drawn to pictures immediately and don't have to stop scrolling to read text. If the picture captures their eye, then they will stop and look at it. It's more interesting to look at pictures than wait for videos or text. A "don't" for twitter is don't use irrelevant hashtags, because the meaning could be lost amongst other things with the same hashtag. Hashtagging random words bring the post further away from delivering the appropriate message and ends up connecting it to anything with those other words.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the examples used in these kind of sections were very interesting and kind of summarized what Gary V was talking about in their respective chapters.
ReplyDeleteFor Facebook, I liked his example of Air Canada of how a good idea can still be executed poorly. Too much text, a boring photo, and missing links can really screw up a post. Subaru was a great example for a horrible photo. Philippine Airlines wins the contest for the worst overall post on my list: "Whats the most exotic food you've ever tried, and in which country?" but the body copy is just the worst. I think a great example is the post for Twix of whether you can hear a Twix snapping in the forest if no one is around... playing off the common funny riddle. This post proves to be very clever and effective with a beautiful bright photo to accompany the text. Shows the great advantage of pop culture.
For Twitter, i think the most important lesson was to keep it short, and use short jabs, not big right hooks to sell to twitter followers. I think the funniest way to violate that rule was Lacoste with: "If you could do one thing today, what would it be? (SHOP!)" I couldn't stop laughing because the post literally got ruined by one word right at the end by answering their own question and alienating followers.
Another piece of great advice was to make use of trendjacking, which Taco Bell used to its advantage with: "#ThoughtsInBed Taco Bell, I need you." So funny, time relevant, and intriguing.
I thought these two sections gave you good examples on how to utilize each social media platform. For Facebook I thought the best tip was to target your jabs. Facebook lets you target a certain audience for posts to make the best impact with your jabs. I also liked the insight about sponsored stories on Facebook and learning how things exactly work behind the scene with Facebook. This section focused more on do's than don't but one thing that was pointed out was that it is best not to place ads right at the top of a page where the viewer is trying to read. It points out that some marketers think this is the solution for people who view Facebook on their phones but we all know that those ads that are in the way when you are trying to see something on your phone is aggravating.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is all about information and with Twitter it is important to separate your content from everyone else's. If you want your content to stand out then it has to be unique and with Twitter you are talking to a very large audience. A great way to get peoples attention on twitter is by using trends or popular wording. A don't for Twitter is do not just throw a bunch of hashtags in your tweets; be intentional.
It was really interesting and really helpful to read about some of the "do's" and "don'ts" of Facebook and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteTwitter:
A major "do" is to use pictures that are going to be appealing to your audience. Posting pictures captures an audience and people are more likely to click on your tweet when they see a picture is involved.
A big "don't" on Twitter is using stupid, pointless hashtags. You want to have a creative hashtag with the intent that people are going to remember it. Companies should figure out a good hashtag for their brand and stick with it so it becomes associated with their company, that way when people see the hashtag, they will think of the brand.
Facebook:
A "do" is to make sure if you are posting a link, that the link works. There is nothing more embarrassing then if you make this big important post and the link does not work. I know there have been times on Facebook when I see this interesting advertisement or post and I go to click on the link - whether it's a video or an article and it doesn't work. It's disappointing to the reader and kind of like a turn off, especially if it's a brand/company you have "liked" on Facebook. It just makes them look bad and makes it look like they have no idea what they are going.
A Facebook "don't" would be don't have too much text and don't have a ridiculously long lengthy post. Try to include pictures into your post if you know your post is going to be kind of long with lots of text. Posting pictures attracts an audience and intrigues people to want to stop and read your post. I know for me, when I see some long, wordy post, I just scroll right past it. When I see people are posting pictures, I am more likely to stop and check out what they have to say. Pictures are much more interesting to look at instead of reading some long post. Even though Facebook gives brands and companies the opportunity to write more about their product, shorter is definitely better.
Both of these chapters were very intriguing and taught me more about Facebook and twitter than I would have thought.
ReplyDeleteAs for Facebook, the thing that stood out for me most was the way they make sure that people paying for advertisements will be able to get "great bang for your buck," as the book states. They make sure that if your advertisement gets a lot of views, they will be sure to show that advertisement and that content to as many people as possible. The main don't that I think many other people would agree with is not posting lengthy, wordy posts. People are more inclined to read a post if there are more visual images for them to look at and less for them to read.
Twitter has a different approach to reach out to people. They are more focused on news and information while Facebook is more friend oriented. A great way to stand out on twitter and be recognized is to be original. Stray from the path of the norm and don't be afraid to actually speak your mind. As for a don't, and once again I'm sure many others would agree, do not overdose on the hashtags. Nobody wants to read 15 blue words that really don't have much to do with the original tweet.
During the chapter on Facebook, one of the things that stood out to me the most, was the part about links. It is crucial to put the correct link on your page. The link must actually be a working link. So many times, I have been on Facebook and tried to click on a link and it takes me somewhere completely different. This makes me very annoyed with the company that posted it. I would call this a “DO”.
ReplyDeleteA “DON’T’’ for Facebook that I found interesting was that you don’t need to overwhelm your audience. If this is the case, often times, you will leave them with a negative image about your company. This is definitely something that you don’t want. You want people to associate happiness with your company.
For Twitter, a “DO” that I found interesting was that your company needs to take the time and respond to as many people as they can. Try to relate to the people, and this will give them a positive image of your company.
The “DON’T” for twitter that I found interesting was about using hashtags. Normally I do not use too many hashtags on twitter. I tend to struggle when it comes to making up a hashtag. When it comes to a company using a hashtag, it needs to relate to your product and also make sense with it.
When using Twitter there are sever things to do: Using trends if very important. As we discussed in class brands need to enter the conversation and Twitter is a place to do it. When entering the conversation it is a good idea to use a picture instead of words. People scrolling through social media are far more likely to take interest in a picture with a few words than words alone. My favorite example of this is on Budweiser’s Twitter and they is a picture of a puppy that looks like he is crying and it says “I’m not crying…I just get emotional about chicken wings.” Perfect because it goes with their existing marketing strategy and is funny in general. One of the do nots I saw was not to use unrelated hashtags which just makes sense honestly. If a brand decides to use a hash tag they need to think how it will affect their brand imagine and if it positively adds to the conversation.
ReplyDeleteFor Facebook it is important to target your audience. You need to know who buys your product and focus your ads around them. Being concise is helpful because just like Twitter, people do not stop in one place often. Brands need to post their ads at the peak hours that their target market uses social media.
There are many do's and don'ts that are associated with these chapters. Facebook and Twitter are prime social media accounts that demonstrate these aspects of communication. Some of the Do's that I encountered include posting pictures. Pictures are a wonderful way to grab the attention of the viewer. People tend to immediately notice a picture, and it's message, rather than words, or paragraphs. Another Do is to use accurate links. Some companies make the detrimental mistake of not including the correct links, which leads us to an inconvenience in our social media endeavors. A don't for twitter would include someone including irrelevant hashtags, or information that is not important to what the reader or viewer is interested in seeing on the page. A don't for Facebook would be the habit of being too wordy, or including too much in one post. This distracts the viewer, and takes away from the message you are trying to get across. These are all great concepts and tips that we should utilized and eliminated in order to maximize success on these social media sites.
ReplyDeleteA big “do” that I think is important for any marketing strategy is to target the message or in this case the “jabs” and “right hooks” This concept is the central thing that every marketing strategy books talks about, however I appreciate how this book tailored it to fit Facebook specifically. A big “don’t” that I think should be obvious, is that you should never post a wrong link. This just makes your business look really bad.
ReplyDeleteFacebook:
ReplyDeleteDo: The biggest facebook do that stood out to me, was to make sure that you portray authenticity. With an increasing number of ads being promoted on social media platforms, especially facebook, it is more important than ever to make sure your posts look legit. This will make them less likely to be skipped over.
Don't: One facebook don't that stood out to me was to not include a faulty link in your posts. The reason that this stood out is because I would have thought that this goes without saying, and whoever runs a brand's social media accounts should always make sure that a link is a good one.
Twitter:
Do: One twitter do that stood out to me was the recommendation to use appealing pictures in tweets. I know that I am more likely to click on a tweet when there is a picture that looks interesting. This is why twitter accounts that are about "cute animals" or something similar are so popular.
Don't: I think that the most important twitter don't would be using poor or clumsy hashtags. When using a hashtag, especially as a brand, it is important to carefully evaluate how effective a hashtag will be. If you are creating a specific hashtag for your brand, make it a memorable one. If you are using a preexisting hashtag that is popular, make sure that the meaning behind this hashtag is appropriate for the post.
I thought the recommendations from chapters 3 and 4 were very clear. The biggest "do" that stuck out from me with Facebook was the use of sponsored stories. It seems like the best way to balance cost while reaching the target audience. A "don't" that stuck out to me for Facebook was don't you too much text. This seems simple, but brands often take away from their message by having paragraphs of text.
ReplyDeleteA "do" for twitter that stuck out to me was to use an eye-catching graphic in order to capture that attention of the consumer. This seems like something everyone would know, but I see brands often try to stick to the 140 character limit without being overly creative. One obvious "don't" was the is the use of unnecessary hashtags. Hashtags can be extremely useful, but using meaningless ones simple clutters the message.
Since I am an avid Facebook and twitter user, I really appreciated learning about some "do" and "don't".
ReplyDeleteFACEBOOK:
DO: Make sure your advertisement is reaching the right people and being productive. Facebook has a great way to tell you the statistics of your advertisement and how well it is doing.
DON'T: Beat around the bush. Get to the point of your message because people's attention spans are very short. You don't want to lose your customers interest.
TWITTER
DO: Use graphics in your tweets! Whether is be an image, or a gif, or an infographic, people love a good visual aid.
DON'T: Be lazy about the material you are tweeting. You only have so many characters to get your message across while being creative and keeping interest. Utilize every character!
The case study that stood out the most to me was Selena Gomez, Microsoft and Twix. I think these ads are fun and consumers would really enjoy them. Through Facebook and Twitter they are both great ways to market to consumers. Relating to these ads some do’s are to really have fun with the ad. Like Twix they used a philosophical riddle, “if a TWIX snaps in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still sound delicious?” I thought this was so clever. Another do is when Microsoft promoted Fresh Paint by announcing a sequel to Finding Nemo and using appropriate colors. So this really showed quality, value and authenticity. It also seemed Microsoft was genially excited about both. I liked to follow celebrities on social media and I liked to see how Selena is into the same trends and fads as other people. I think a major do was the post was short, fun and many consumers could relate to it. Some don’ts of these are to not make the post too long. Don’t leave out the logo of the brand, one can only do this if consumers can easily identify the brand. Don’t have the voice of the ad too corporate because the consumer needs to feel a sense of genuineness.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is also a great platform, for me personally it isn’t my favorite but the ad that stood out the most was Surf Tacos. I actually used to go there all the time and I liked seeing how they are promoting their brand. A major do was to use Instagram through Twitter to promote traffic to both. Another do was to use a natural looking picture and not a more professional one, since it gives it a more authentic and real vibe to it. Lastly, a major do was using hashtags to earn a greater visibility, though they could have used more. A don’t to not expect a lot out of this technique because it can only do so much but an easy thing to do to promote business. Don’t post a picture that is extremely poor quality or that is not visually pleasing.
One of the "Do's" that I found to be one of the most important would be to make sure you're placing your advertisements correctly. In the book, Vaynerchuk shows how the placement of your advertisements is everything. It is also very important to make sure the right people are seeing them. The most viewed area of Facebook is the center of the page, (and also the most expensive spot to get advertisements). This is because a lot of people use their mobile devices now for Facebook, and the ads that are on the side don't even show up anymore.
ReplyDeleteAn extremely important "Don't" on Facebook is definitely length of text. I personally get very annoyed when people post very lengthy things because there is pretty much no chance of anyone reading that post. This can be solved by shortening the post, and maybe adding a photo to catch peoples attention.
For Twitter, I think a major "Do" is to catch the consumers attention using a very specific hashtag. It's hard to come up with clever tweets that are under 140 characters long. The case study for Chubbies Shorts used a specific hashtag that only related to their company, and a lot of people ended up playing along and using it as well!
On the contrary to the "Do", a HUGE "Don't" is do not use unnecessary hashtags! If you only have 140 characters already to say what you need to say, it should not be important to fill the space using hashtags of things that may be in the picture that you're showing. For instance, say you're advertising Chubbies Shorts and there is a male model with a girl in the picture. They should use their clever hashtag that only promotes their specific brand. There shouldn't be hashtags explaining the picture as well, like #girl #shorts #model. Big "Don't".
Facebook
ReplyDeleteDo: Victoria’s Secret is a fantastic example of what to do on Facebook when posting content. The three points the book stressed about their ad was that it was:
-a dramatic photo
-good use of copy
-had its appropriate links
The main purpose of this advertisement is to encourage customers to apply to become an ‘Angel Credit Cardholder’. This post on Facebook was successful because it let the customer know exactly where to apply for their card. The dramatic photo allowed both females and males to stop when they saw this advertisement on their feeds because this appeals to men in the sense that they like what they’re seeing and with females, they admire what she looks like and wish they looked like that too. The size of the photo is big and bold so the consumer can miss it. Additionally, the black and white background contrast with the pink writing making the content pop. Secondly, they made it convenient for the viewer to just click to apply to obtain their card. The most important part about the link is making sure it worked. If this link wouldn’t have worked they would have lost many potential customer because it would be inconvenient to have to search where to find the link to the page that was meant to be there.
Don’t: Air Canada was a great example of what not to do on Facebook. The three point the book stressed were:
-post wasn’t visually compelling
-too much text
-it was a link rather than a picture post
The point of this post was to pay a tribute to their first flight attendant, Lucile Garner Grant. This could have been a post that would cause interactions between their 494,738 fans but these three key points made it unsuccessful. In order to make this visually compelling, they could have used a picture post with Lucile Garner Grant’s headshot to grab the attention of the viewer. Personally, If a picture looks interesting, I’m going to read the text along with it to find out more information about it and even click the attached link to engage further. Gary V. also mention that this post was surrounded by too much text. By using a larger picture, the text doesn’t seem as dense because the size of the picture dilutes the text. The preview of the article adds more text to the post making it too busy with text and not enough visuals to go along with all that content.
Twitter
Do: Taco Bell is a great example of trendjacking. The hashtag #thoughtsinbed was trending when Taco Bell delivered this clever tweet. They receive 12,661 retweets and 3,554 favorites on a tweet that read “#thoughtsinbed Taco Bell, I need you.” Personally, I think they took this hashtag and used it to its full advantage while making me laugh. They used the same voice as the consumer making it relatable so the consumer would in turn retweet it, favorite it, or both.
Don’t: Burgari US’s tweet regarding their #bulgarijewels dinner event. Gary V. said it himself, live tweeting during an event can get super annoying, and this tweet does just that. The quality of the picture is just horrible, they didn’t even bother to use flash in a low lit room. The only thing you can really decipher are the flowers which you would have to zoom in to really decipher what they are. You should be able to tell what they picture is of with just a quick glance, you shouldn’t have to guess what is going on in the picture. This picture doesn’t give any value to the brand or the consumer. One thing they did right was mentioning the catering company. This luxury brand acknowledges their caterer, shining them in the light of their followers.
The book lays out a lot of really useful do's and don'ts for Twitter and Facebook, which are helpful no matter who you are or what your business is. Twitter and Facebook allow for reach to almost anyone with an Internet connection although getting these interactions right is still just as important. There's no use in reaching these people with your message if you're just going to end up doing it wrong.
ReplyDeleteTwitter
Do: Use pictures. This was a major do that doesn’t really require a lot of effort. We live in a very visual world therefore it makes sense that pictures on twitter would attract the attention of potential customers.
Don’t: Use hashtags incorrectly or ineffectively. If a hashtag is used wrong or just in the wrong context than they basically are useless and shouldn’t even be there. A hashtag is a great way to make a topic or brand trend – therefore getting more people talking. When used effectively a hashtag is a great way to spread your brand and get you more exposure.
Facebook
Do: Make sure you are embedding the correct link in your post. Links are a great way to give your customers or followers more information but if you are placing the wrong link in your post you might as well have not posted it. Links are great but if they are wrong they can lead to a dead end or serve to confuse your follower, which would only upset and confuse them (two feelings you don’t want your followers to feel when they visit your page).
Don’t: Use too much text. It’s not secret that we have shorter and shorter attention spans nowadays. Your Facebook post should be able to catch the attention of your followers without boring them and therefore making them want to stop reading. I found this tip extremely helpful because even as someone who has liked companies on Facebook, the last thing I ever want to see is too much text. Whenever I see that I personally tune out and keep scrolling.
Chapter’s 3 and 4 gave a lot of really good recommendations/things to ignore dealing with both Twitter and Facebook. All of the information that these chapters provided were really helpful. These two social media platforms are used a lot in everyday life and are becoming well known for businesses to use, also. I took a lot away from these chapters and the Do’s and Don’ts they provided us with stuck out the most.
ReplyDeleteFacebook Do:
Make sure you URL you are using works. This is an issue that has happened to me many times in the past. It is a mistake that is easy to miss, but it can also really hurt your company. Not only does it not allow people to further invest your business if they cannot navigate to the URL, but it can also make you look very unprofessional. That is why it is important to make sure everything technology related works.
Facebook Don’t:
Do not use too much text. When people just continue to ad text, they tend to ramble. This causes the message to get lost and then may cause people to not even be able to determine what the post is about. It causes you to fail when relaying the message and this is not good for businesses. Try to be short and get to the point.
Twitter Do:
It is very important to use pictures. Do not use a boring photo; remember to make the picture interesting. This will grab the audience’s attention right off the bat, which is very important to do. I know that when I am looking at posts and I see a photo, there is a greater chance that I stop to see what the photo says and I look more into the post. Posts without photos I tend to scroll over.
Twitter Don’t:
Do not use useless hashtags. Hashtags do make things more interesting, but when the hashtag is use less it just ruins the message you are trying to get across. Do not make the hashtag vague. Make it something that can be used to describe the company in many situations. A hastag is something that sticks with the company so make it something useful, not useless. Also, make sure it makes sense. Do not use a hashtag just to use a hashtag.
MEV Studios is a full digital agency based in Miami providing strategy, marketing, design, and creative services to SMEs and Fortune 100 companies. Digital agency. Design. Marketing. Creative. Technolog Miami digital agency, Miami online marketing, social media marketing miami, Miami, content creation services Miami, Creative digital agency Miami.
ReplyDelete