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Advantages of LinkedIn

EXERCISE 8.1

LinkedIn has over 300 million users is a work based social networking service and functions as an online directory of individual professionals and organisations and facilitates professional networking which is accessed by millions of people every day (Doyle, 2018; SELC Australia, 2018).

However, unlike many other social media sites, LinkedIn’s effectiveness doesn’t entirely lie in the platform itself, but rather in the way that it is managed as a networking tool, enabling companies, such as those in the business-to-business (B2B) to grow their customer base, build trust in their brand and gain valuable consumer feedback (Sisson, 2013; Zimmerman & Ng, 2017).

Linkedln also empowering their members to join professional groups of like‐minded people, to network within their respective niches both nationally and internationally and has been proven to be more beneficial for expanding connections than other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (IMS, 2016; Heinze, et al., 2017; Zimmerman & Ng, 2017).

Peers on Linkedln are able to endorse your skills through their recommendations, and in turn you can recipicate the endorcements. Linkedln members who are searching for networking connections or job applicants most often take these recommendations into consideration. For example Human Resources (HR) professionals are on LinkedIn and post employment positions among the extensive job listings. The HR personell who are hiring, look for your Linkedln profile and are speculative if you’re not on LinkedIn, why? as most businesses expected their professional employees to be on LinkedIn (SELC Australia, 2018; Zimmerman & Ng, 2017).

LinkedIn provides notifications of who’s viewing your profile, opening doors to conversing with new individuals and creating important connections. By instigating chats with those who have viewed your profile, create important business connections through acceptence of yours or their invitation. Choosing whom to connect with is important such as past employers, co-workers and even the Fortune 500 executives, adds credability to your profile. Incidently if you’re interested in working with a particular business, read their business profile on LinkedIn and connect employees whi are both on Linkedln and work for that business (Heinze, et al., 2017; Zimmerman & Ng, 2017).

Members continually updating their online profile resume’s which is easier than continuously updating a paper resume’s as Linkedln provides the online Edit button and the formatting is automatic to help promote yourself into the workforce and provide traffic to your blog posts (Heinze, et al., 2017; Zimmerman & Ng, 2017).

It’s being on LinkedIn, who you know, and creating a positive first impression to potential employers or customers.

References

SELC Australia, 2018. Linkedin: the benefits of having a professional profile. [Online] Available at: https://selceducation.com/australia/blog/linkedin-benefits-having-a-profile/ [Accessed 2 September 2018].

Australian Government, 2018. Manage customer relationships. [Online] Available at: https://www.business.gov.au/people/customers/manage-customer-relationships [Accessed 4 September 2018].

Doyle, A., 2018. The Most Effective Ways to use LinkedIn. [Online] Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-use-linkedin-2062597 [Accessed 8 September 2018].

Heinze, A., Fletcher, G. & Rashid, T., 2017. Digital and Social Media Marketing. NewYork: Routledge.

IMS, 2016. Importance of LinkedIn for your business. [Online] Available at: https://www.imsmarketing.ie/digital-marketing/importance-of-linkedin-for-your-business/ [Accessed 4 September 2018].

Sisson, C., 2013. Four Advantages of Using LinkedIn. [Online] Available at: http://www.walsworth.com/blog/four-advantages-using-linkedin [Accessed 4 Spetember 2018].

Zimmerman, J. & Ng, D., 2017. The Benefits of Using LinkedIn. [Online] Available at: https://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/social-media-marketing/the-benefits-of-using-linkedin/ [Accessed 8 September 2018].

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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EXERCISE 7.2

There is no denying that social media has completely transformed the way businesses reach out to their audiences by harnessing the power of the digital social sphere. Unlike old-style marketing platforms, social media provides brands a chance to interact directly and immediately with their customers (Gleeson, 2012; Menon, 2017).

However, in the increasing bid to align consumers with the brand by engaging them continuously with unique content, one tactic that often brands might be lost is the importance of using social media channels to build trust with their current and potential brand advocates (Gleeson, 2012; Menon, 2017).

Trust and credibility are two of the most essential mechanisms of any successful relationship. Trust is a concept everyone likes to use and can be defined as a matter of credibility, both on an individual and organisational level which can take years to build and only minutes to destroy. Trust and credibility are an individual’s and company’s reputation (Khan, 2014; Lipschultz, 2017).

Research conducted by the National Opinion Research Centre suggested finding of measurable declining levels of public trust across a broad number of institutions for decades (Lipschultz, 2017). With that steady decline of trust, has come the increased importance of social credibility (Fuell, 2014).

One way for a brand to lose credibility with a social media audience is to simply spam them with “opportunities” to purchase a product without providing any value rather than demonstrating their expertise in their industry building on dialogue that leads to consumer engagement and a trusting relationship. (Gleeson, 2012; Jade, 2018).

In today’s digital world, transparency is an intrinsic reality, as people will be talking about issues associated with your brand through online forums. The best way is to align personal and professional brands around common values. Thus, when brands are encouraging their audience to interact with them and in turn are openly engaged in social media, it ensures accountability for providing great products, services, and customer service (Fuell, 2014; Gleeson, 2012).

It is imperative for companies to effectively manage digital presence, as that very presence is not only a means for sharing information, but to build credibility through trust, engagement and brand loyalty, all of which can be achieved by influencing behaviour and attitudes (Heinze, et al., 2017).

References

Dent, J., 2017. The Importance of Content, Authenticity, and Credibility. [Online] Available at: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2017/03/importance-content-authenticity-credibility/ [Accessed 29 August 2018].

Fuell, T., 2014. Social credibility: What is it and why you need it. [Online] Available at: https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/social-media/social-credibility-need/ [Accessed 29 August 2018].

Gleeson, B., 2012. 6 Ways Brands Build Trust Through Social Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2012/10/31/6-ways-brands-build-trust-through-social-media/#10642245867d [Accessed 14 August 2018].

Jade, Z., 2018. 10 Ways to Build Your Credibility on Social Media. [Online] Available at: https://hireinfluence.com/blog/10-ways-to-build-your-credibility-on-social-media/ [Accessed 16 August 2018].

Khan, J., 2014. How to Build Trust With Your Potential Customers Through Social Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-build-trust-your-potential-customers-through-social-media [Accessed 15 August 2018].

Lipschultz, J. H., 2017. Social Media Trust, Credibility and Reputation Management. [Online] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-harris-lipschultz/social-media-trust-credib_b_3858017.html [Accessed 29 August 2018].

Menon, A., 2017. Impact of Social Media on Business Communication. [Online] Available at: https://www.techfunnel.com/martech/impact-social-media-business-communication/ [Accessed 29 August 2018].

Search & Social, 2017. Social credibility: what it is and why it’s important. [Online] Available at: http://searchandsocialsydney.com.au/2017/04/03/social-credibility-what-it-is-and-why-its-important/ [Accessed 29 August 2018].

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Digital Analytics For Beginners

EXERCISE 7.1

This week required each student to successfully complete the “Digital Analytics for Beginners” course at the Google Academy and post a copy of our digital certificate to our blogs. A copy of my certificate can be found here.

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Common Roles & Tasks

EXERCISE 6.1

This week required me to undertake research using Seek and LinkedIn to gather information regarding the roles and tasks that are associated with position descriptions pertinent to digital communications management. By analysing several job listings related to digital communication, I was able to develop a short list of roles and tasks;

Utilise analytical ability to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels

Analyse and report on engagement measures and standard social media metrics

Utilise established platforms to engage new audiences

Identify trends and insights and optimise spend and performance-based insights

Manage a content creation strategy for all channels

Tailor clear and accessible content for a variety of target audiences

Develop, evaluate and oversee the implementation of testing protocols and procedures

Develop strategies for success in the rapidly changing digital and social media communications landscape

Apply the latest tools, channels and platforms for maximum strategic impact

Create programs that resonate with audiences and build engagement and online communities

These roles and tasks are consistent with the elements of a digital communications management strategy discussed in module 6 “Digital Communications Strategies”.

· Define objectives,

· Carefully select digital communications channels

· Understand the needs of the target audience

· Develop content that is clear, intuitive and accessible

· Streamline platforms

· Implementation of ethical digital communications principles and;

· Ensuring consistency and credibility

This strategy is drawn from a communication plan, which is an imperative element of any campaign, business, organisation or sole trading professional (REF MOD 6).

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Quick Response Codes

EXERCISE 5.2

QR or “quick response” codes are a natural extension of the conventional bar code. However, QR codes have the capability of storing unlimited amounts of data that can then be used for a range of differing functions. While there are many uses for these codes, the primary function is to link digital content, for example, a QR code can be used to link to a website (The Whole Brain Group, 2012; O'Neill, 2015).

I used “Code Generator” which can be found by clicking the link to https://www.qr-code-generator.com/ a free service which can be accessed to generate a quick response code.

References

O'Neill, M. (2015, May 3). What is a QR code and how does it work? Retrieved August 22, 2018, from Small Business Trends: https://smallbiztrends.com/2015/05/what-is-a-qr-code.html

The Whole Brain Group. (2012, August 9). Decoding QR Codes. Retrieved August 22, 2018, from The Whole Brain Group: https://blog.thewholebraingroup.com/qr-codes-internet-marketing

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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HTML Embed Code- Infographic

Image compliments of Best Computer Science Degrees

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Similarities and Differences

EXERCISE TASK 4.1

Whether your interest is in video sharing, photo sharing or social networking, there are an assortment of platforms available to access, but which is best suited to your needs?

Facebook, VKontakte and Reddit are similar in that they are all social networking sites that allow users to add friends, gain followers, post photos and share news and other content with one another. Profiles on Facebook and VKontakte are created by entering a full name, date of birth and contact details, in contrast, Reddit enables users to hide in a sense, behind a username, where a user creates a persona which is detached from their reality (Etienne, 2017; Kirk, 2017).

Pinterest and Instagram are referred to as visual sharing social network platforms, which places them in a different category to Reddit, Facebook and VKontakte. In comparison to each other, they are different in that, Instagram is the sharing of one’s own photos, whereas Pinterest is about curating visual content that has been found elsewhere on the internet (Zimmerman, 2015).

The differences between Flickr and DeviantArt in comparison to those previously mentioned are distinguished by the purpose of the platform. While both Flickr and DeviantArt are similar in purpose and functionality, in that they are mostly creative social networks, they also differ from one another (Ford, 2011). Flickr is ranked one of the best photo management and sharing platform in the world, a platform that users can utilise to share their photography and also organise photos and videos (Flickr, n.d.). DeviantArt, conversely, is a platform which encourages its members to upload artwork of all genres (Ford, 2011).

While the basic functions of YouTube and Vimeo are mostly the same, in that both platforms are essential video sharing networks consisting of substancial archives of videos that are free to view, the differences between the two can be found in the finer details (Angela, 2017). Apart from the obvious difference in user numbers, further differences are found in the video quality options, with Youtube offering higher quality video, edits are unable to be made to videos that are uploaded to YouTube without losing statistics unlike Vimeo. Furthermore, Youtube is firmer with copyright in regard to audio and images and copyrighted content will be deleted almost immediately, whereas Vimeo will not disable the uploaded content.

Brass Child by Mrs Brown available at https://pixabay.com/en/image-statue-brass-child-art-1465348/ Under Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

References

Angela, 2017. The difference between YouTube and Vimeo. [Online] Available at: https://blog.online-convert.com/the-difference-between-youtube-and-vimeo-infographic/ [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Etienne, 2017. Reddit Vs Facebook and other social media. [Online] Available at: http://www.aodmarketing.com/reddit-marketing-reddit-facebook-other-social-media/ [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Flickr, n.d. About Flickr. [Online] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/about [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Ford, R., 2011. What's Better Flicker or DeviantArt?. [Online] Available at: https://www.quora.com/Whats-better-Flickr-or-deviantART [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Kirk, K., 2017. What is VK and why should you care?. [Online] Available at: https://www.echosec.net/what-is-vk-and-why-should-you-care/ [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Simon, J., 2018. YouTube Vs Vimeo: Whats the difference?. [Online] Available at: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/youtube-vs-vimeo-whats-the-difference/ [Accessed 21 August 2018].

Zimmerman, S., 2015. Should you go on Pinterest or Instagram for your business. [Online] Available at: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/pinterest-or-instagram-for-business [Accessed 21 August 2018].

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Website Building Services

Website builders are designed to allow users, whether beginners or experienced designers, to create an entire website without any coding knowledge or experience, providing users with endless design choices (Muchmore, 2018). WordPress, Wix, Weebly and Tumblr are some of the most popular wesbite builders, however they operate significantly different from one another in the aspects of flexibility, ease of use, support and incurred costs (WpBeginner, 2018).

Weebly, Wix and Tumblr all have limited flexibility and customizability, however, all features and functions on offer to its users are controlled, monitored and tested to ensure they function correctly. Alternatively, WordPress is extremely customizable, however, without the ability to modify codes, the website builders ease of use lessens (Jeremy, 2018). Wheras, Wix and Tumblr are designed specifically for non developers, without the requirment to know how to code, as is Weebly, which incorporates the drag and drop function.

Furthermore, there are also differences regarding support offered by these website builders, Wix, Weebly and WordPress all have substantial support services. Wix offers organised tutorials as well as a support team that can help via telephone and email 24 hours a day with Weebly also offering 24/7 support. In contrast, while WordPress hosts a large community forum, it is not well organised, and responses are inconsistent (Jeremy, 2018).

In conclusion, while website builders are useful for temporary sites or for creating sites for assessments while at school or university, if a professional site is required, which is searchable through google with no limits on the number of pages and custom designed, it is best to hire a designer to build and launch your website (Escalona, 2017)

References

Escalona, A., 2017. The pros and cons of using a website builder. [Online] Available at: https://www.templatemonster.com/blog/pros-cons-using-website-builders/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Jeremy, 2018. Weebly Vs WordPress. [Online] Available at: https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/weebly-vs-wordpress-comparison-chart/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Muchmore, M., 2018. The best website builders of 2018. [Online] Available at: https://au.pcmag.com/web-site-hosting-services-products/30863/guide/the-best-website-builders-of-2018 [Accessed 30 July 2018].

WpBeginner, 2018. How to choose the best blogging platform in 2018. [Online] Available at: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-choose-the-best-blogging-platform/ [Accessed 21 August 2018].

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samanthahughescqu-blog · 7 years ago

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Popular Social Networks

EXERCISE 1:

Increased connectivity has resulted in the digital society no longer being a hypothetical concept. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Instagram have enabled billions of people to be connected worldwide and with this social revolution, it is a wonder if it is possible to spend more time documenting our lives than living them (Walton, 2015) (REF MODULE 1). To create brand awareness, it is essential to incorporate a social media presence into the marketing mix and all above-mentioned social media platforms allow customization features for brands (Heinze, Fletcher, & Rashid, Digital and Social Media Marketing, 2017)

Facebook, the icon that transcends borders, nationalities, and cultures with its meaning, is a service that is used to connect with others. While in the beginning Facebook was no more than a social network, it has transitioned into much more (Erickson, 2016). It has incorporated social marketing, services and advertising, defining it as both a product and a service to its users, which effectively includes everyone who can be engaged through digital channels (Heinze, Fletcher, & Rashid, 2017).. Recent statistics show that approximately 1 billion people use Facebook daily, resulting in global reach (Erickson, 2016). While Facebook is unquestionably cut down physical boundaries and has benefits for personal and business purposes, the risk of hackers obtaining personal information, links and images containing harmful viruses and bulk spamming which slows computer systems are some of the disadvantages of the worlds most popular social media platform (Soffar, 2015)

LinkedIn is a business orientated platform designed to help people network professionally (Mind Tools, n.d.). The online service has been considered one of the most effective networking tool and resource for individuals and organizations wanting to get connected, build trust in a brand, promote a brand as an authority and to gather valuable feedback (Sisson, 2013). While many people use LinkedIn for job searches and recruitment, the site is mainly designed to get in touch with potential clients, past colleagues and to expand a professional network (Mind Tools, n.d.). In conjunction with time investment and costs associated with LinkedIn, one major concern is the privacy risk connected with the use of the platform. This risk comes from users having to disclose information such as past and present employers in conjunction with current contact information (Dontigney, n.d.).

Twitter has become one of the largest social networks available on the internet and has had a positive impact on businesses and individuals being able to expand their business or websites audience (Laverty, 2018). The microblogging website allows its users to keep up with events in real-time while charging advertisers to promote their targeted messages (Walton, 2015). Statistics revealed that out of Twitters 271 million users, 95 million of those were between the ages of 18 and 29, popular among the more affluent than other platforms (Walton, 2015). While Twitter has a large audience potential, is widely accesible and is an effective way to handle customer service and advertising; from a marketing perspective, with the plethora of tweets created everyday, individual user tweets can bury quickly and remain unseen from the desired audience (Cornell, n.d.).

In its infancy, Instagram was perceived as somewhat basic, however, it has fleshed out, introducing an immersive shopping experience, direct messaging, live video and the option of publishing stories to each users followers (Walton, 2015). The elegence, simplicity and scalability that Instagram offers has given it the viral dynamics that set it apart from its competitors. Of its 200 million users, statistics revealed that 53% of those users were ages between 18-29 years of age who access the platform on a daily basis, and with 90% of the worlds most popular and successful businesses utilising Instagram to promote their brands (Dogtiev, 2018; Brandi, 2018). From a marketing perspective, one of the disadvatages of Instagram is that it excludes mobile users who have a windows mobile, Blackberry or Linux, which means many consumers will not be reached when Instagram is used in promoting a business (Soffar, 2015).

Google plus is somewhat the black sheep of the social media world, a platform which Google has classified as the social layer of the services they offer to their users, which has expanded their services such as the Play Store and Gmail (Wagoner, 2014). Google Plus enables its users to connect with people around the globe who share the same interests and passions and is built off an existing google account, with users able to create “circles” or “communities” which separate each interest from the other, as well as providing another resource for brands to find their audience as well as establish a stronger relationship with consumers (Wagoner, 2014; Sysomos, 2011). The disadvantage of Google Plus is the fact that it still has low reach, which results in a smaller market reach than Facebook, therefore many prospective customers will be unreachable (Steeves, n.d.)

References

Brandi, 2018. Top 10 benefits of Instagram for businesses. [Online] Available at: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/benefits-instagram/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Cornell, S., n.d. The disadvantages of Twitter. [Online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-twitter-54112.html [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Dogtiev, A., 2018. Instagram revenue and usage statistics. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessofapps.com/data/instagram-statistics/ [Accessed 18 July 2018].

Dontigney, E., n.d. Disadvantages of Linkedin. [Online] Available at: https://www.techwalla.com/articles/disadvantages-of-linkedin [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Erickson, B., 2016. Is Facebook a Brand or a Product. [Online] Available at: http://www.cardwellbeach.com/facebook-a-brand-or-a-product/ [Accessed 17 July 2018].

Heinze, A., Fletcher, G. & Rashid, T., 2017. Digital and Social Media Marketing. New York: Routledge.

Laverty, S., 2018. Advantages and disadvantages of Twiter. [Online] Available at: https://www.techwalla.com/articles/advantages-disadvantages-of-twitter [Accessed 30 July 2018].

LinkedIn, 2018. Marketing Solutions. [Online] Available at: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/content-marketing/achieve-your-goals-from-awareness-to-engagement?trk=bl-po-20161003-Platform&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=LMS_EML_20160505_NarrativeLaunch-P_NAMER

Mind Tools, n.d. Using LinkedIn Effectively. [Online] Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/linkedin.htm

O'Neill, S., n.d. What is YouTube?. [Online] Available at: https://www.digitalunite.com/guides/tv-video/what-youtube [Accessed 18 July 2018].

Sisson, C., 2013. Four advantages of using Linkedin. [Online] Available at: http://www.walsworth.com/blog/four-advantages-using-linkedin [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Soffar, H., 2015. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. [Online] Available at: https://www.online-sciences.com/technology/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-facebook-2/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Soffar, H., 2015. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Instagram. [Online] Available at: https://www.online-sciences.com/technology/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using-instagram/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Steeves, N., n.d. Pro's and Con's of Google Plus for small businesses. [Online] Available at: https://corp.wishpond.com/google-plus-marketing-resources/pros-and-cons-of-google-plus-for-small-businesses/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Sysomos, 2011. The advantages and disadvantages of Google Plus Pages. [Online] Available at: https://sysomos.com/2011/11/11/google-launches-new-feature-to-combat-facebook/ [Accessed 30 July 2018].

Wagoner, A., 2014. What is Google+?. [Online] Available at: https://www.androidcentral.com/what-google-and-why-should-i-use-it [Accessed 18 July 2018].

Walton, J., 2015. Twitter vs Facebook vs Instagram: Who is the target audience?. [Online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/100215/twitter-vs-facebook-vs-instagram-who-target-audience.asp [Accessed 17 July 2018].

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