#just to give myself a little boost in the algorithm before spacing out posts

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Igneous is such a cool dude honestly, I don’t see enough content of him anywhere :’)

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Social Media 101

Social 101: Mistakes that many companies, as well as everyday people, make on social media... and why they’re hurting you or your business. 

S O C I A L  M E D I A: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Periscope, Tumblr... the list goes on and on. Everyone does it... but not everyone does it RIGHT.

I’ve been active on social media since middle school. I do consider AIM and Myspace to be social media. You’re interacting, right?! Long gone are the days of away messages, LiveJournal, and the passive aggressive demotion of your friends on your Myspace Top 8. 

Social media is the yellow pages of the new millennium: You can find friends, catch up with former classmates, and if you’re a business: You can find new clients. After specializing in social media for the past few years with the companies that I’ve worked for, as well as earning my masters degree in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Southern California, here are a few social media mistakes that we all make-and why they are hurting you in the long run.

1.) An overwhelming amount of content on one platform:

I have learned this the hard way in my personal life. Taking selfies are fun and easy to do, and it’s tempting to post numerous photos to see which ones get the best reactions. But guess what? You could be the most beautiful woman in the world (Selena Gomez, in my opinion) or you could have the best product ever invented (Pizza Hut, Domino's, I love you)... But if it always centers back to YOU, people will tire of it really quickly. There’s a term called diversification of content. It means posting relevant material on social media without it being a picture of your face... ‘Cause you know... even school pictures back in the day had like twelve wallet-sized photos.

2.) Posting on numerous platforms because you feel that you have to:

Certain social media platforms are beneficial for specific types of businesses.

 For example, Instagram has a demographic consisting of younger people who are visually inclined. Instagram is great for sharing photos... but in reality, that’s all that Instagram can really do. Unlike other social media outlets, Instagram does not allow a direct link to an outside website via a photograph. That’s great for Instagram! If somebody is on Instagram, they really have no option but to stay there. However, I see this time and time again, and have certainly made this mistake myself. Instagram is quickly turning into quality over quantity. So many companies post on Instagram because they “hear” it’s popular. But if they have blurry photos, or are trying to take customers to their website... What are they doing on Instagram? Heads up: Pinterest is an excellent avenue for e-commerce and fashion brands. Pinterest can send users directly from a pin to an actual website. Do you want an increase in sales? PINTEREST. Do you have excellent photos? INSTAGRAM.

3.) Generally posting too often:

Ask yourself what your favorite brand is. Who your favorite movie star is. I would say that one of my favorite brands is... ironically... Facebook. It’s a website I can freely visit without feeling overwhelmed by ads (even though Facebook DOES have ads if you are careful enough to spot them).

And that’s magical! The brilliant thing that Facebook does SO WELL is that I don’t even realize that I’m on Facebook! So many companies use these generously nonchalant and laid back platforms, and try to reach people in the wrong way.

It’s similar to when you walk in a store and a salesperson immediately hunts you down. You want space to just check out what the store has to offer before you make any sort of big decision. In other words, you can be the salesperson at Victoria’s Secret on Facebook who posts five times a day. “Can I help you with something?” “Just to let you know, sweatshirts are 50% off!” “Can I start you a fitting room?”

 No. You can start by giving me space. If you truly believe in yourself, or your product, a little nudge in the right direction is good. But trust that somebody who is the half bit interested knows where to go to find you, if you have made yourself visible. An overwhelming amount of content is a no-no in Social Media 101.

4.) The misuse of hashtags:

I’ll tell you. People or companies who don’t understand the appropriate use of hashtags are really putting themselves at a disadvantage. 

Ever since the word “hashtag” was introduced via Twitter, people think that they should hashtag everything... on every social media outlet. This function was created on Twitter, and allows people to easily follow topics they are interested in. Instagram is also a great platform for hashtags. The more related hashtags you use for a photograph, the higher likelihood of visibility. However, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people misuse hashtags.

Dozens of hashtags on Facebook really irk me. It shows that a person or a company have no idea how hashtags work.  As of 2017, Facebook is the mother of all social media platforms. It has the most users (over 1 billion) and their sophistication with demographic research (as well as the recent addition of boosted posts and boosted likes) shows that they are far and away the best platform for individuals AND businesses... if it’s used CORRECTLY.

First and foremost, hashtags are of no use on Facebook. 

Facebook determines it’s algorithms in a much more complex way... by using at minimum a method called “re-targeting.” Ever noticed that you Google “Pizza Hut” and then all of the sudden you see an ad for pizza on Facebook? That’s NOT a coincidence. Facebook is starting to know people better than they know themselves. And by hash tagging anything on Facebook, you’re not hurting anyone... but you’re basically saying that as far as Facebook is concerned, you’re #clueless. 

Social media is continuing to grow in terms of options. But strategically, it’s more important now than EVER to use it correctly. What we say about ourselves or our brands online not only speaks in our absence, it shows the world WHO WE ARE. Not only is it vital to not post idiotic content online... 

It’s important to represent the person that we want the world to see. 

Tune in for new tips next week.

To the social (media) conscious

<3,

Alaina 

(I can post ONE selfie) :)