Last week we discussed (yet again) the ever-growing popularity of all that is social media. First it was the presidential candidates wanting to get in on the action – they’ve seen what a frenzy teenagers with access to internet phones can cause. (Examples Rebecca Black, Angry Birds, and #BreakingDawn.) Why not politics as well, they thought. But, it seems as though it wasn’t just the Oval Office hopefuls that have seen the potential that social media can bring. In just a few weeks, the United Nations will join the list of government entities to join the social media trend.
Tagged: social media
Nov 07
Using Twitter as a Press Release Outlet
Earlier this year, after logging into my Twitter account, I learned that Bin Laden had been killed. It was the highest-trending topic of the week. Just days ago I learned, yet again through Twitter, that Kim Kardashian was getting divorced. (Another No. 1 trend.) Both pieces of information were taking with a grain of salt, but they got my attention – enough so that I did some internet research for proof. And as any Washington, D.C. citizen would say, both were true facts. Twitter has outgrown its initial purpose of “What are you doing?” and grown into a much larger pair of shoes: acting as the future of the press release.
Have strangers’ hasty tweets also lead me to question whether or not Justin Bieber was starring in the debut season of Teen Dad? Or whether or not Katy Perry’s account was ran by an anti-marketing communist? Absolutely; it comes with the nature of the site. It’s not only news breaking nuggets that have been made via twitter, it’s in-the-moment statements as well. It’s also why Twitter has more than 175 million users. (How many of those users would sign up for a press release-only site? I’m guessing not many.) But despite any alleged content, Twitter has the ability to release and spread information faster than any other market.
Last week on Halloween, Jessica Simpson told the world she is expecting by tweeting a picture of herself as a very pregnant mummy. Of course, the internet isn’t the only way to spread the news. There’s still the old fashioned interview, whether it be on a talk show, in a magazine, or over the air waves – Jenna Fischer announced she was having a baby boy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And if you’re Beyonce, you announce a pregnancy by showing up to the VMAs while clutching your baby-filled belly for the cameras.
Will the future be press release-less?
For those of you in the sharing information field, you know what a watching-water-boil process receiving a press release can be. Press releases are meant to spread info on a wide basis. And because it comes from the source the news is about, you only hear what they want you to hear and when they want you to hear it. In my days as a college paper’s news editor, I would spend hours checking email for any new messages. There may have been a robbery on campus, or a wreck 20 feet away from the building I was working in, but until there was a press release, I couldn’t share a word. Police officers and dispatchers alike are trained to give the same “You’ll have to wait for the sergeant’s statement.”
However, with the ease of information sharing, it’s only a matter of time before celebrities aren’t the only one using Twitter for their press release needs; the rest of the world will be doing it as well. Whether hard-hitting or mundane, the use of online announcements allow for more internet hits, traffic, and user interaction. And because Twitter is one of the only social media sites to verify high-profile accounts, as far as the internet goes, it just may be the most reliable source of instant information.
This photo courtesy of Flickr.
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Nov 03
How to Tweak Your Internet Marketing Efforts for the Holidays
By Kelsey Jones
In Wal-Mart yesterday, they were already playing Christmas music. While I personally oppose Christmas music playing outside of November 25th-January 1, this is a great example of how merchants and businesses are already gearing up for the bustling Holiday season. Many started setting out their Christmas-themed merchandise in the beginning of October. This may be a little excessive, but any business should at least begin entertaining the thought of holiday marketing strategy starting in September or October (or even earlier, if you need to get items like custom gift cards printed or produced). The following are some of the ways that businesses can begin tweaking their existing marketing and advertising to promote their holiday offers and products without going overboard.
Squeeze Pages
Squeeze pages are basically miniature websites that specifically promote one campaign or product. They usually tie into a postal or electronic mailing campaign. However, they could also be used to specifically promote a temporary holiday campaign. Squeeze pages that are sub domains of a business’ main website may be able to help the website with its overall SEO. Squeeze pages can have a unique domain that simply automatically re-directs to a subdomain. They are an easy way to promote a specific holiday, product, or sale without putting it all over the main website. This makes it much easier to take down after the sale is over.
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Oct 31
The Most Spooky Source of Information Yet: The Internet
by Bethaney Wallace
In honor of Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to focus on the spooky, the quirky, and possibly even the mad: people’s social media accounts. Whether revealing or off the wall, a person’s social media accounts are a reflection of their personality, and more importantly, their ability to filter their thoughts. However, even Halloween, a day of complete identity relief can’t make up for a certain category of social media sharing, where users post their thoughts and feelings every day, all day.
Anyone who has ever gotten bombarded with Facebook notifications knows the type of people I’m referring to. Their statuses tell just what they’re doing and when they’re going to do it – as if they are providing their stalker with a Staples easy button. They send you constant invites to play any-type-of-noun-ville and upload pictures on a hourly basis. And for these over-sharers, one social media site simply isn’t enough; Twitter, MySpace, YouTube all get constant attention as well. It is for this same reason I have de-friended many on my own accounts; it’s not that I don’t want to be their “friend” it’s that the constant updates are more than I can check, hiding any truly important updates. (I’ll use the word “important” here loosely since we’re talking about Facebook statuses.)
However, with the popularity of celebrity Twitter accounts, the terrifying ability to share has grown to a larger level. It’s no longer high school girls posting angry tweets about their lives, it’s adults. Many a celebrity has been found posting heated information, then receiving a whirlwind of backlash once their thoughts were spread via the internet. In recent months, Roger Ebert, Chris Rock, and Katy Perry have all posted controversial tweets, which were later either recanted or at the very least, clarified.
So what can be learned from all of these haste-induced tweets? Should celebrities be more careful about what they post to the internet? Absolutely. After all, what can be recanted can never be erased. But, the public should also realize their posts are just as permanent. When it comes to social media, nothing offers a quicker, easier way to spread information, but with this ability also comes the ability to overshare and spread false words.
Do you have a social media account who cried “Wolf”?
There are websites and social media profiles dedicated entirely to providing sarcastic and false information. (A few of my favorites are The Onion and @FakeAPStylebook.) But for the rest of us, especially celebrities, we don’t have the luxury of sharing without consequence. Are you constantly posting about being angry? Your online friends will soon question your authenticity. Even overly happy posts won’t be taken seriously after time. One too many this-is-the-best-day-ever tweets and followers will roll their eyes and question the tweeter’s motives.
So the next time you login, remember that with internet access comes power. The power to say what’s exactly on your mind, or the power to act like an adult. Sharing every single rant may make you feel better in the moments just after you were served an overcooked burger or snubbed by a department store employee, but constant sharing, or schedule posting will only alienate your followers. Put your metaphorical social media filter on “high” and don’t post anything you won’t want permanently posted to your social media history.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
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Oct 21
Technology Growing Pains
by Bethaney Wallace
Way back when Facebook first started, it was an elitist club. Only those enrolled in a university – a university with @ their domain email address – could join. And they meant it too. Before I transferred up into the Big XII, I went to a tiny college that didn’t believe in distributing its own email addresses. I wasn’t allowed to have a Facebook account. In fact, a fellow classmate of mine hacked a university email address from a man in Kentucky, and received a personal message from Mr. Zuckerberg himself, stating his disappointment. In just a few years, Facebook has gone from personally apprehending those attempting to make a profile, to servicing more than 800 million active users, regardless of education status.
Anymore, it’s no surprise to see a grandmother or great uncle add you as a Facebook friend. High school drop outs, stay-at-home moms, Facebook is now accessible to anyone with a computer and the ability to lie about being over 14. Thanks to Facebook’s ability to see what a future they had ahead of them, they were able to make the necessary changes and become a multi billion dollar company – a reality the “you can’t have an account” version of Zuckerberg would have never seen come true.
When it comes to running a business, there are adaptations and changes that every company must fight through in order to become (or stay) successful. (In an example of what not to do, we can all turn to the latest moves Netflix has made.) But just as every business has had to morph into something new, so have their customers. For many technology gurus, this has been no big deal. Facebook takes away the “post” button? Who cares? Twitter links are shortened? Of course, why didn’t we think of that?! But for others, those who grew up before the computer age, are having a harder time adjusting. For the parents and grandparents of the social media world, it’s enough to just have a profile. From my grandpa who “likes” everything, “because it’s the only thing he knows how to do,” to my grandmother whose profession is listed “grandmother,” which I suppose is true (once you hit double digits it becomes a full time job), the pre-electronic generation is just trying to stay in the game.
But, when they’re struggling to work their profiles, or to successfully stalk their friends, why do they keep their accounts up and running? I asked a number of my technology-challenged family members and they all gave different answers. Some to run their business, some to keep track of family, and some because they just like doing it. Even if they have to call or text their grandchildren unreadable messages asking for help, it makes them feel connected.
Despite Facebook’s changes and upgrades which may alienate some users, they have still managed to mark themselves as the world’s most successful social media site. This only goes to show that, with the right marketing moves and business changes, no matter your company’s past, an incredible demand can be created.
Image courtesy of Flickr.
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Blogging, Social Media, and Content Writing by Kelsey Jones and Bethaney Wallace
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