It's official... I'm a social media-er!

Pardon me for not even getting three weeks into my blogging before falling off the face of the earth this last week. I've been hit with the whirlwind called Life,visiting family in NYC and moving into a new place across town. Nevertheless, here I am with a quick post of good news!

I recently accepted a position with UF/IFAS Communications as their new Social Media Communications Manager! As such, I'll be their main communication specialist managing the main UF/IFAS social media presence and helping oversee the more than 300 UF/IFAS social media accounts across the state of Florida. Some of my responsibilities will include strategy, content, analytics and measurement, site approvals and training.

I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to apply my curriculum and new skill set to the position. In preparation, I've been reading up on all kinds of blogs to ease my anxieties (I know more than I'm willing to admit TBH!) I can't wait to learn the realities and practicalities of all things social media!

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Identifying Emotional Distress on Social Media

Maybe it was hearing news of the late Robin Williams' passing, or the countless photos I saw on my Instagram feed in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day last Wednesday, but the topic of emotional distress weighs heavily upon me. I have not personally experienced the loss of a loved one by suicide, but I have witnessed the pain and debilitating effects of such a loss. And as a social media user and marketer I feel a social responsibility in doing all that I can to identify emotional distress on social networks.

The Social Media Monthly posted an article today about Facebook and Instagram's significant roll-out aimed to help users recognize signs that a friend may be in need of help and how to connect them with available resources and assistance. So many times we (myself included) scroll upon troubling posts online and think nothing of them or that these individuals are being "melodramatic." But this is a perfect opportunity to recognize when potentially life saving action could and SHOULD be taken.

I appreciate and wholeheartedly support these networks' efforts to raise awareness and educate their users about mental health, and preventing suicide not only among college and university students, but any at-risk individual. The more resources made available to help family and friends identify when someone is distressed and determine the appropriate course of action could mean saving a life. No one is exempt, and I'd do anything to help someone I love.

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Colors Connect with Consumers

Without thinking twice you can tell me what color is used for the Target logo or McDonald's infamous arches. These are just two examples of companies/brands that strategically use color to appeal to customers.

Colors influence how consumers view the "personality" of a brand. According to a study called Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone. Take a look at the Emotion Guide to the right  and the overall feeling associated with each color.

The psychology behind colors in branding is based on things like color coordination, stark visual contrasts, and on color preferences by gender. My favorite example for this is the ruggedness associated with the Harley-Davidson brand. It obviously wouldn't attract the same audience if the logo had pink and glittery! There's a reason for that - men prefer bight colors and for Harley-Davidson, men make up a larger percentage of their ideal buyers.

I especially enjoyed Marketo's True Colors Infographic as it detailed consumer reactions to different colors and for which industry those colors were most popular. There isn't an easy, clear-cut set of guidelines for choosing your brand's colors, but the colors used in your logo, website landing pages, and product are definitely worth your consideration.

Can you think of another brand or product where color helped it achieve its biggest impact? Leave a comment below!

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Hootsuite takes control of your social business

So, it's been a while since I've posted...sorry about that! I took a hiatus once classes ended, enjoyed sleeping in and playing with my pup, Tobias. But now that fall is here (Happy belated Labor Day, btw!) I'm getting back into the swing of things.

I thought you should know that I'm not taking classes this semester either, but it won't stop me from posting diligently at least once a week. *Fingers crossed*

These last few weeks, I've been getting calls, emails, and presenting at work about different facets of social media and various platforms. And I'll admit, it's been a great experience applying my newly acquired knowledge IRL and providing my (albeit, limited) two-cents on content curation and engagement.

I recently just finished a webinar on Hootsuite, and thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about a few highlights that I've gathered on the online social media management tool.

Its original form dates back to 2008, when it was known as BrightKit, a dashboard for all things Twitter-related. It was renamed in 2009 and quickly expanded with new features, including the integration of other social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I found it especially important because of the following three features:

1. Listening - Only using Hootsuite to get the word out to followers? Sorry, but you're doing it wrong. You've got to listen, too! Listening to targeted conversations is often one of the underutilized methods of the management tool. You can listen to (almost) everything anyone is saying about you (or your company) by setting up streams for your platform. Take Twitter for example: you can follow Tweets Retweeted; Mentions; Keyword Search (domain name, a hashtag, alternate spelling); Sent Tweets; Your Retweets ; Direct Message (Inbox); Direct Message (Outbox); and Home Feed. This is especially great for engagement and user-generated content!
2. Insights - A social media strategy means nothing without analyzing your efforts. Luckily, Hootsuite allows users to measure ROI with real-time social analysis in brand sentiment, tracking a social profile's brand growth over time, and visualizing audience social demographics like gender and geography. You can pinpoint your reach down to the city-level. Whoa.
3. App Directory -  Hootsuite offers a collection of extensions and apps that users can add to their dashboard to create a customized experience. This goes way beyond the typical Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. You can add Instagram, EverNote, SlideShare, Reddit, DailyMotion... seriously, the list goes on and on. Users can manage, share, search, monitor, engage, optimize and explore streams of content that matter to them.

 

Hootsuite is great for its time saving capabilities. It allows users to manage social media sites from one place, no longer having to log in to four or more accounts separately. More than that, it's a crucial resource for a social strategy. Its scheduling and listening features are useful for content management and can help managers with creating additional timely/relevant posts. It's time to take control of your social business so social business can't take control of your time.

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