The highlight of my semester in this course was having the speakers come in and talk to us about things they are doing and how they are using social media in their jobs. I would have to say one of my least favorite assignments was the 50 twitter posts. I totally understand why we needed to do it though and I think it should still be an assignment int he future. I just personally struggled with that assignment. One thing I would maybe change about it is having more times during the semester when there is a specific topic we are supposed to be tweeting about or an event. I found myself a couple times opening twitter and just closing it because I had nothing of consequence to talk about. The assignment I liked the most was the social media calendar. It wasn’t necessarily fun but I felt I really learned a lot from it. I also really enjoyed the social media policy. It gave me some really good ideas about the legal side of social media and posting on behalf of a company. Learning and researching that for myself was really eye opening for me. Like I stated above the 50 tweets was probably my least favorite assignment. I would say a good assignment to add would be to have students do a storify like Liana talked about when she came to speak. I really enjoyed doing that for the conference and can see why so many companies are starting to use that as a marketing tool. I know that I have learned so much about social media from this course. It mostly just gave me more experience with it so I was confident going into interviews because I felt I had learned enough to talk about it. One thing that really stuck with me is checking your hashtags before hand and making sure they are appropriate. That is one thing I am sure will help me in future jobs.
All posts by Emily.K.Hollis
Changes
Social media has changed many elements of how people do business but especially marketing and PR. In PR it has been a way for businesses to better understand and interact with customers and for customers to communicate their thoughts. Now when we want to create buzz about a product, event or company, we go straight to social media and use traditional media in ways geared more towards product marketing. I feel these changes are for the better since it helps companies to cut cost and understand the consumer market better. Personally I feel that social media was used as a young age groups every day tool for communicating with friends. It has only become a tool for businesses more recently. We can’t expect that everyone will have a background in public relations who is trying to use it for business. There are many people I know who own small businesses and utilize social media in the way it was intended. I do not feel you need to have a background in PR in order to use social media and maximize your business. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have a deeper understanding of how it works and how to use it to it’s full abilities, but the every day business person can still utilize it and build their brand. Not having a PR background doesn’t necessarily hurt them it maybe just means they could be using it in more ways the they are.
Social Media Pet Peeves
I am personally still learning how to really utilize social media. However I don’t feel my posts are annoying. Except maybe this one… One of the reasons I never was a huge fan before of social media was because I saw people posting really annoying things on there that had no real value to my life. It is because of this I am very careful to not make those same mistakes. I would have to say some of my biggest pet peeves now are regarding businesses. It really grates my nerves when I am on a social media site and I see an ad for a company pop up. First off if they are just posting an add, then I like them even less than if I had never seen it and am less likely to buy anything from them ever. If they won’t even put in the effort to create and original post and engage and build a following then they are likely not going to be successful anyway. It also really bothers me when businesses do not do the research of their audiences and the social media site they are using. I have learned through this semester there are very specific ways each medium should be used. When a business just has one post that they share in the exact same way on every medium it is doing more harm than good. The days of just throwing an add out there a million times and hoping it seeps into our brains are over. If you do this people will remember your brand but they will start to remember it in a negative way because its the business who always has the annoying ads that get in the way when I am trying to interact with other people on social media. There is a time, place and format for ads on social media and many companies are still not getting this idea.
Social Media Involvement
After giving it some thought I feel that people who do not use social media are missing out on a great tool. I know this because I used to be someone who did not use social media frequently. I felt it was just too overwhelming and I didn’t really understand it’s value. This may be because social media became popular during a time when my age group was not using it to it’s maximum usefulness. When I was in high school people would post pictures, status updates about their mood, relationship etc… It was being used for bullying other kids, and sharing embarrassing info that ruined their reputations for life. I just didn’t see the point and I didn’t want to be a part of it. Now that I am older and ready to conquer the job world I see that social media is a valuable tool for promoting your personal brand and your companies brand. I now see it as a digital community where you can have access to like minded people and share interesting content. This is what people are missing that do not use social media.
When I look at the graphics I would have to say I feel I am more of an observer. The only times I am creating and sharing content are when I have a specific purpose. Now I would not recommend this at all so don’t get me wrong. If you are going to use social media to market specific events or ideas you need to have a following beforehand in order for it to make a difference. I know that I am not going about it in the best way, but it is a daily struggle for me to post things about my day to day life. I always have the feeling of who cares? This is not the best mentality I have had to start forcing myself to become a producer in order to have any sort of following. Also my level of activity on social media really varies based on the medium. For example I post about eighteen times a day on pinterest but maybe post twice a week on twitter, and once a month on my facebook.
Personal Brand
When I google myself on my own computer I see all my social media profiles. There is another person who has my same name which is unbelievable to me. They seem to have very good things said about them and they were the director at a company called guardian angels. After reading the information about her it is very obvious that it is not me and I don’t think people will get us confused easily. When I found this other person their search results were about four pages in so all my results are higher than hers. When people think of me i want them to think of a person who is joyful, vibrant and full of life. Most of all I want potential employers to see that I am passionate about the career path I have chosen and that I have and will work very hard to do well in it. I believe I have shown that in my social media profiles by posting abut the various things I am involved in and talking about them in a very positive way. I also am showing it by practicing what I preach. I always tell people younger than me that they need to get involved and that college is what you put into it. I have upheld this idea by immersing myself in the knowledge of the people around me and by being involved in various projects in my field. I believe my social media platforms are a good depiction of who I am. I use appropriate pictures and post about things that are interesting to me and others in Public Relations. People often find that I am easy to trust . I have been told that I am very warm and friendly towards people and that they trust my opinions and judgement. I know this is absolutely terrible to say but I hate when people ask me what makes me stand out because I think to myself, “everything.” I don’t ever know the best way to answer that question. I think I have a very interesting combination of gifts in leadership, communication skills, and personal motivation. I would say the biggest thing about myself that makes me stand out is my ability to adapt my communication tactics based on the situation. I have an innate ability to read people and situations in such a way that makes them feel comfortable with me. This is a skill that seems lie it should be common sense but not everyone has it. I will admit when it comes to social media I have not done a good job so far of cross promoting myself. I definitely need to start linking all my social media sites to each other. I also have not been consistent in my pictures across all platforms but I will from here on out.
Celebrities
I personally follow Steve Carel on social media. I started following him because I just love his type of humor and he makes me laugh on a daily basis. Even when he is saying something serious I still think he is being funny. He also is a great Dad and just a person who shares many of my same ideas. I think he really just reminds me of my Dad cause my Dad loves him. I also used to follow Kevin Heart because again, I love to laugh. When I flip through Twitter I want something that will grab my attention and he always does. I did however stop following him because he had a few comments I did not agree with. They were vulgar and offensive and I did not want his opinions being related with my personal brand. Kevin Heart did do a very good job of using social media to continue the connection with his fan base. In some ways he continues with stories he has told in his comedy routines making the audience feel like they are friends because they share an inside joke or something. I would give Kevin Heart a B in his rating for social media interaction with his fans. Steve on the other hand just kinda says whatever he feel like or whatever comes to mind. He doesn’t have the focus on fan connection like Kevin does so I give Steve a D. Just because his random comments work for me doesn’t mean they work for everyone else.
I really love seeing when celebrities use their fame to help others and get donations for organizations in need. I have always told myself if I become a famous superstar one day I will use my powers for good. I think it is awesome that Will Ferrell did that. Not only is he funny but he has a big heart as well. To my knowledge neither of the celebrities I follow are directly involved in charity work but I believe both of them would see a great response if they did so. As far as what I would do for a celebrity who is not active on social media I would have to say Cameron Diaz. She has so many fans out there and even though she hasn’t done very many movies lately she still has a huge following. I would absolutely love to see her on social media more. I’m sure she would have some interesting things to say.
Spring Break
I will be in Statesboro working and catching up on school. Before you feel bad, getting my work done will make me truly happy. I could not go on Spring Break knowing I had so much to do when I got back. I personally cannot have fun when I have responsibilities that are not taken care of. The last Saturday of Spring Break I am driving down to a friends wedding so that will be my little day of vacation to visit with friends.
If money were not an object I would be in Italy. I have family who owns a hotel chain over there who I would love to visit. I have always wanted to go and meet them and sit drinking wine and talking about our family history. Silly but that is my idea of a good time. I would also love to see where my great great gandfather owned a bakery there. I heard the building is still there and that it is in a quaint part of town. It just sounds perfect. I would also love to learn more about my heritage and the history of my family and Italy. Whenever I travel to a new place the first thing I want to do is make friends with locals of all ages. The older people tell you the good stories about the history and the young ones show you where to make new stories.
Dove Campaign
I think this is a wonderful idea. The issue of body image and self esteem in women is a topic that has always been relevant and is being talked about more and more. I feel this campaign has been moderately successful. There have been many participants and I feel it is due to the fact that they linked it with the Oscar’s twitter activity. That was really a great idea for getting some major attention for the topic and the campaign. When looking at the progression of Doves campaigns they started out with younger people in their Love Your Selfie campaign which targeted young girls and their mothers. It showed mothers that how they see themselves and that how they define beauty rubs off on their daughters. It seemed like that one was aimed at preventing the mindset that beauty is one the outside. This most recent campaign was targeted more at and older crowd of women. Which to me says they are trying to reverse the stereotypes that have been ingrained in us for years and get women to start building each other up instead of tearing them down. One thing I would say that could be improved about this campaign is possibly by adding some influential people to promote it. It does seem as though they are trying to keep it on the level of the everyday woman and I can see why they maybe haven’t done this already. I feel if they did it the right way and had some interviews of people we all see as beautiful, being vulnerable and talking about their experiences with beauty stereotypes and self esteem issues it could really show young women that everyone is on the same page.
I personally did not watch the oscars but I have seen ads from some of Doves past campaigns and every time I feel a sense of inspiration. I grew up in a home where beauty on the inside was the most important thing and looks were never emphasized. Since I have been in college the influence of society on how I see myself has declined. Every time I see these ads I am reminded of essential messages from my upbringing and instilled with a new sense of power and beauty.
Above is a link to a broken down description of Vera Bradley’s Social media campaign called “Show Us How You Vera Bradley.” This competition was launched on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Vine. The goal was to get young women who travel to show the world how they use their Vera Bradley products. People would post pictures and videos of them using the products in cool places. The winner from each medium would get some free Vera Bradley merchandise. I love this because it lets people share their cool experiences with other Vera Bradley lovers. It also makes it so that Vera Bradley does not have to create the ideal women who travels the world and shows off her fashion sense by using Vera Bradley products. They are allowing the ideal woman to be and everyday woman who is tangible and attainable for everyone and better yet she markets herself.
#Needswork
My assigned client Vera Bradley does not use hastags frequently. The only one I have seen them using withing the past few weeks is #Vbos15 which is the hashtag for their upcomming outlet mall sales. Apparently you have to sign up and get a ticket to attend. Many people are getting excited and promoting the event. Vera Bradley is also using it to connect people to the registration page and for more information. I think they are using it appropriately and it is connected to their brand. Williams- Sonoma uses hashtags much more frequently and in more variety. Not all of the hashtags directly link to their brand but they are still serving a purpose. For example they had a member of the USA olympic team come and speak and used the hashtag #TeamUSA. Like I said it doesn’t really connect to their brand but it is serving a function in the moment. They used one a while back that just made no sense to me it was #VFOscarParty. I personally could not find any connection of why they were using this hashtag. It made me question whether they were somehow involved with the party or if they attended or made food? I just didn’t see the purpose.
I would have to say that Vera Bradley is focusing more on the moment because everything they are doing is linked to promoting the sales event. The hashtags is being used as a tool like it should be. Williams-Sonoma tends to have some hashtags that seem unrelated so I would have to say they are focusing on the hashtag.
From the article I absolutely agree with their point about sparking the audiences creativity. That really makes sense that it would engage people and make things more fun. I liked the idea of playing along as a company with other trending hashtags. Personally that gives me a sense that the company is really just trying to interact and enjoy social media, rather than trying to advertise and sell AT me. It creates a little more trust between people and the brand while aslo doing a number of other positive things. Now I am no expert and I am really learning about hashtags as I go but the concept of bring them back for more is good but in small doses. I get that they don’t want people to loose touch with a brand or a show, but posting every day when the show isn’t airing for another couple of months is maybe too much. I Love Game of Thrones, but if I was getting countdowns of death every single day I would be so sick of the show by the time it came back around. All that time hearing about it and talking about with without the new exciting content of the show driving it. To me I just feel the excitement would fizzle out and I would be over it by the time the new season hit. Part of the fun of having shows come and go is that you can forget about it for a while and then when it comes back you remember how much you loved it and how much you had been anticipating it’s return. It feeds on our societies ADD nature. It works and I think it should stay that way.
I have found that I do not use the hashtags posted on tv shows. First off it usually takes me about halfway through the show to realize I could be posting about this. When I watch tv I just. I am engaged with the content right in front of me all day. When it comes to sitting in front of the tv I want to shut the world out and enjoy my little escape. Tweeting about it just brings me back to the outside world and I never feel relaxed after. The second reason I don’t use the shows hashtags is because often times the shows I enjoy watching do not have them. It cracks me up that Pretty Little Liars has so many hashtags when I have no intention in interacting or becoming emotionally invested. Then I watch my favorite nightly talkshows and news shows and there is a lack of hashtag. The news shows are the ones that actually matter to my life, that I have to be emotionally invested in because it is the real world. That’s the world I want to be able to have conversations about.
Youtube
I do not visit youtube as much as I used to. Now when I actually type in the search engine to go to youtube I am looking for a how to video. I actually just searched how to transfer my phones files on to a new SD card. If I am searching for something it is always how to do something. I do however visit youtube many times through a link on facebook. To be honest that is more than half of what I spend my time doing on facebook now. It is nice to have a bunch of links to things I am interested in right there on my feed.
My assigned client Vera Bradley does have a youtube channel which they normally post ads or behind the scenes videos on. Vera Bradley’s last post was a month ago and was a behind the scenes look at the filming of their commercial. My selected client is Williams-Sonoma and they post more frequently. Their last post was a couple weeks ago.
In total I could not find the numbers of how many videos each had but Williams-Sonoma has more. Vera Bradley has 5,231 subscribers and 2,681,180 views total. Their most viewed video was Vera Bradley Baby and was viewed 82,000 times. I feel this was viewed the most is because they were coming out with and entirely new line and advertised it on many other platforms with a link to the video. Also women love to dress up their babies in matching things and the line offered many different products. The video is about a year old so it has had more times to collect views. Williams-Sonoma has 28,889 subscribers and 15,906,956 views. Their most popular video is “How to make couscous with chef Mourad Lahlou.” This video got around 95,000 views. All of their most popular videos start with how to and usually are hosted by a famous chef. I feel that youtube now is mostly used for how to. I even found that on Pinterest the DIY section had more pins than any other. The people who are using these mediums want to learn how to do things they could never do before. Youtubes whole purpose has shifted from entertainment to a mix of entertainment and information.
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