social media marketing

"Look Who’s Talking and Setting a New Goal (20 points)"  Please respond to the following:

• Use the Internet to find a post of your interest regarding a social media marketing campaign for a consumer product. Next, determine the type of personas (e.g., creator, conversationalist, critic, collector, etc. [refer to pages 53-54 of the text]) regarding the social technographics profile of the poster and the intended goal of the post. Note: Include the source of your chosen post in your discussion post.    
• Imagine that you are the marketing manager for the company from the post in Part I of this discussion. In order to support your social media marketing strategy, it is your job to stimulate the conversation to a new line. Propose a strategy to take the current conversation and turn it into a new conversation in order to introduce your company’s new products and services to the post followers. Support your proposal.

Here is some great information that goes into detail on the demographics of some of the most common social media site and where some opportunities are at for each.  Each social media platform has a unique identity based on who uses the network and how they're engaging on the site. As network usage develops, each lends itself differently to brands, depending on who their target audience is, and what they're trying to achieve. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we break down the demographics of each major social media platform and what sets each one apart in terms of audience makeup and usage patterns. Being able to identify the demographics of social media audiences at a granular level is the basis for all targeted marketing and messaging. The report also spotlights the opportunities that lie ahead for each social network, and how social media usage compares between the U.S. and international markets (Smith, 2013).

Here are where some of the biggest opportunities lie on the major networks:

• Facebook's users skew younger, and that means brands that advertise luxury goods and services are still finding more success advertising in magazines than on social media. Other types of brands — such as fast-moving consumer goods — do perform well on Facebook. And Facebook users show high ad engagement overall, accounting for half of all retargeted clicks on the Web (Smith, 2013).
• People tend to use Twitter for news consumption. In 2012, 83% of users reported seeing news on Twitter. Additionally, a bulk of users are located in urban areas. For brands, the best time to post on Twitter is Monday through Thursday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The worst time is after 3 p.m. on a Friday (Smith, 2013).
• LinkedIn has the advantage of being the place for white-collar professionals to network, meaning its population is highly desirable since it is a high-income and highly educated user base. The best time to post on LinkedIn is Tuesday through Thursday, when professionals are either beginning or finishing their workday (Smith, 2013).
• Pinterest is riding the wave of mobile. It's really the breakout tablet-first social network. Pinterest users already account for 48.2% of all social media sharing on iPads. They're primarily sharing food and drink-related content  and family and parenting-related items. Pinterest is poised to become one of the big four top social networks (Smith, 2013).
• Over 90% of people who use Instagram are under the age of 35, which makes it an attractive platform for the many apparel, entertainment, and media brands focused on the 18- to 34-year-old age bracket (Smith, 2013).
• Tumblr is strong with teens and young adults interested in self-expression. What's more, the teens who do use Tumblr, use it a lot — 61% of 13- to 18-year-olds said they used the service several hours a week or more, according to a study conducted by Y Combinator Partner Gerry Tan (Smith, 2013).

According to Perry (2015),  below are five ways to change the conversation on social media, that may help you to responding to the second bullet:

1. Have a conversation, don’t give a speech

Technology has dramatically changed the way consumers get information. Breaking news is distributed first on Twitter, often conversationally by eyewitnesses. It is important to use this same conversational style with your followers so that your organization is accessible, transparent and easy to engage with. The more conversations your organization can have on Twitter, the more reach and engagement you will receive and the more visible you become (Perry, 2015).

2. Share other’s information

Stories are shared, tweeted, liked and reposted thousands, sometimes millions of times a day. More than 60 percent of Americans receive their news online and social media has emerged as a powerful news tool. To be relevant in this environment, it is important to look beyond your organization. What are your followers interested in? What would they find fascinating? What news are your partners sharing? If you can engage in bigger conversations, you can reach a bigger audience (Perry, 2015).

3. Build new relationships

Instead of shying away from the hard questions, this new media environment should empower organizations to build a new kind of relationship with reporters, partners, members and customers on social media. Today’s consumers often go to Twitter first to file a complaint, ask a question or ensure that an organization is credible or reliable. Many reporters use Twitter as a way to monitor and engage with communities, track the conversation and reaction to certain topics, locate sources and even find new story leads. By finding and conversing with these reporters, consumers and partners you can build a network of ambassadors that will speak positively about your organization and help shape your reputation (Perry, 2015).

4. Craft a personality

It’s important to find your voice and personality on social media. That personality can incorporate humor, expert opinions, accessibility, a quick response time, etc. Overall it should be conversational and true to your organization’s overall mission and identity. How would your CEO talk to a reporter or a consumer? Find that voice and use it consistently across all social media platforms (Perry, 2015).

5. Stick to your message

Social media plays a major role in message consistency, accessibility and shaping the overall reputation of an industry. Because of this, a strong, consistent and active presence on social media could benefit many organizations’ public image (Perry, 2015).

No matter the size or nature of your business, social media messaging and engagement is an essential part of any communications program (Perry, 2015).

References

Perry, K. (2015, March 31). Five Ways to Change the Conversation on Social Media. Retrieved from Perry Communication Groups: http://perrycom.com/five-ways-to-change-the-conversation-on-social-media

Smith, C. (2013, December 16). The Demographics Of Social Media Audiences, And The Unique Opportunities Offered By Each Network . Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/demographic-data-and-social-media-2013-11