Social Media Basics

There are many features within Facebook and Twitter that can be confusing. The options become even more cumbersome from a company point of view. One of the main starting points with any company page is to “LIKE” them on Facebook and “FOLLOW” them on Twitter. This allows users to keep up to date with a company's events and information. These two platforms, however, act very different.

For example, within Facebook, complicated algorithms dictate which posts will be seen by the public. Not all updates are pushed out to all the fans of a company page. Due to this, a company needs to utilize other tools to reach their audience. This comes from loyal followers as well as engaging content. 

So how can loyal followers help a company page thrive? There are three ways, Like, Comment and Share. When a company pushes out a post there are three options at the bottom of each post that allow for user interaction. By clicking the Like option, you are both notifying the company as well as Facebook that you found the content interesting. This ups the level of visibility of the post to the public by positively influencing the aforementioned algorithm. If you Comment on the post, it has a similar effect as a Like, but it holds more weight with Facebook as well as offers the company more information beyond a simple Like. The final, and most productive way, is to Share. This allows a company’s post to go beyond the people who are fans of the page. This allows everyone of the user’s friends to see the information as well. The goal is for the information to be engaging enough so that the friend will then Like the company’s main page. The more shares a post receives, the wider the influence a post will have.

Twitter also has three options, but they act very different from Facebook. A user can Favorite, Retweet and Reply. The first one, Favorite, is useful to the user and the company. A user can Favorite a tweet, which saves it as such in a separate tab in your profile. This serves as a bookmarking tool. By clicking Favorite, this also sends feedback to the company letting them know they like this type of post.  The other options are even more useful for a company. The goal is to get your tweet Retweeted by followers. Like Facebook’s Share, this allows the information to go beyond the people that only follow the company and extends to the users circle of friends. Reply is very similar in its range of influence, but it also allows for the user to offer more information to the company regarding the tweet.

When it comes to organic marketing, these techniques are vital in getting our information out. The first line of offense is the employees who work for the company as well as your own friends and loyal fans. By utilizing some of the above mentioned techniques, you can extend your reach to a much wider net that will only grow larger.

For more information on social media, check out our upcoming classes - http://goo.gl/0fJbM2.

Public Relations: Then & Now

I graduated from the Public Relations Skills certificate program in 2006. In eight years the basic fundamentals haven’t changed. You still need to know different writing styles -- from writing a news release to a flyer. Relationships and communication with the media remain critical and beneficial. The same basic principles still apply in ethics and crisis communications. However, the Internet and social media have changed how you do your work.

In the past when I distributed a news release it had to be faxed multiple times to different contacts. Now everything is emailed in one shot. Email and text messages are daily occurrences and part of the way of life at work. Plus, I don’t know how I ever worked with only one monitor!

Social media hardly merited a mention when I was in school; MySpace, Skype, YouTube, and Twitter were not mainstream mechanisms for getting your message out. Social media touches everything I do now, from event planning and eFlyers to writing/publishing a document. I also have accounts with all the major social media channels. At home I video chat at least twice a week, if not more.

In today’s public relations world, I find that most promotional materials, such as brochures, flyers, posters etc., are made with Adobe products. I have started taking InDesign and Photoshop classes as well. These classes are engaging public relations tools, enabling communicators to get their message across with a creative blend of content and design.

As I have followed the PR path, it’s been rewarding to see the field’s evolution and be involved with its integration with marketing and social media. If you’re interested in public relations, you may find it not only enhances your skills but also provides new creative energy.

Video Blogging Tips

I have a phone with a camera. That’s all I need to start a video blog, right? Technically, yes. But the answer goes deeper. Hopefully this simple overview can help you get started.

Before you star in your own online videos, first ask yourself, "Why am I blogging?" Is this a hobby or a job? What message do you hope to get across to an audience? Is it something that a large population would watch? Will it garner audience partnership and feedback?

You want to make sure you have a plan before simply hitting record on your phone. At the very least, you’ll want to find a topic about which you are passionate and one that will garner a large audience. It’s not easy to produce a regularly updated video blog ,if you are not passionate about the topic and/or you don’t receive validation from a growing audience.

A bit of forethought will ensure you record a crisp quality of video with really good audio. Professional equipment on a soundstage would be the best case scenario, but it is very true that most smartphones can record HD quality video that easily suits the needs of a video blog. Many video bloggers forget to account for audio though. Again, the camera phone is quite adept at recording clean audio, but you must take into account the environment and noise. If there is background noise where you are recording, it will be heard in the video. This can be extremely distracting and takes away from your message.

For editing, professional equipment like Apple’s Final Cut Studio or Adobe’s Creative Cloud are fantastic, but once again there are many options that can be much cheaper or even free. You can take a closer look at your smartphone; it can save the day as there are many app options for editing. If you have no other options, YouTube has updated its hosting services to offer simple trim tools for editing, slow motion effects, color correcting and even filters for image effects. They also offer a nice library of music to complement your video.

Now that you have your video uploaded and ready to go, you must market it to the max! Hosting on a website is always nice, but not necessary. Actively recruiting friends and family to promote your videos is key. Utilizing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is a must. And of course, remember to keep your topics and delivery entertaining. As you grow your audience, be sure to interact with your viewers. Ask questions to elicit answers. Remember to keep track of all comments posted to your video and make sure you answer as many as you can. Find networks with similarly-themed blogs and get involved by interacting with other videos as well as sharing your own.


To learn more about video blogging, social media and graphic design, check out our continuing education catalog - http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS AND TRENDS FOR BUSINESS

Many people see social media and feel intimidated by it or adopt the stance that it’s a childish medium that a 13-year-old can do. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn can build your brand awareness in ways that have never been possible. A company can focus on marketing, customer service, entertainment, and education all within one medium. This new form of online marketing certainly needs to be taken serious.

As you get ready remember the saying, “Keep it simple, stupid.” Break everything down to the basics and build from there. Select the social media platforms that suit your needs. Will you make videos? If not, there is no need to worry about YouTube. Are you looking for a lot of business-to-business integration? If not, you might want to hold off on focusing on LinkedIn. The largest population of users on social media can be found on Facebook and Twitter, so my suggestion is to start there. Once a week I hear, “but millions of people are leaving Facebook every day!” It’s a true statement, but is it wise to turn your back on the 1.23 billion monthly active users on the site or the 650 million users on Twitter? Of course not. Don’t jump to the newest outlet just because it’s fresh or cool. Focus on the largest amount of users that you can reach for your business.

The first steps in setting up a business page for both Facebook and Twitter are to fill out the company information clearly and fully. Ensure you have a graphic or logo that best represents your company and upload it for your avatar and page header. Enlist all your friends and employees to like the page for Facebook and follow you on Twitter. Depending on your business, post on your page multiple times a day or at the very least every other day with insightful, interesting, informational, and interactive articles. Ensure to mix up the post with links, pictures, videos, and questions to drive user reaction. Most importantly, check your page frequently to answer any questions or take care of any customer services issues that may arise.

To learn more about the basics of social media in a business environment, check out the Business & Finance section of our catalog - http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

Post by James Palmquist