Answers to your burning digital media questions
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Hey all: thanks for a great start to this semester. Without further adieu, answers to some of your best questions from last week's blog post. As always, keep questions coming in the comments below and Ross will answer them next week!
Broadcast Media has had the power & influence for the last half century. Will Social Media become more influential than broadcast media?
Interesting question. I think we'll see the two converge more and more going forward. After all, are you following "broadcast media" when you interact with ABC News on Facebook – or following along with livetweets during a major broadcast like the Oscars? While we might not watch TV shows through over-the-air antennas or cable TV, I think we still will through online streaming services like Netflix. There's a great book worth checking out if you're interested in more on this topic: "Television is the New Television." It's a bit of a contrarian take, but is a very interesting look at the future of media and advertising.
The question that I want to know related to social media is should companies be expected to follow back their fans on different social media platforms?
I don't know if brands necessarily need to follow their fans back. For example, if I follow Oreo cookies on Twitter (one of the best brand Twitter accounts), do I really expect Oreo's social media team to read every one of my tweets? What is the benefit to their brand in doing so, and what is the cost in terms of staff time and resources? Odds are, there's not that great of a benefit. That said, I do think it is important for brands to respond to customer feedback online when required. If I tweet Delta Airlines about a flight issue, I don't expect them to follow all my tweets going forward, but I do expect them to answer my specific flight question or direct me to a place where I can get help. For some smaller businesses – especially "mom and pop" businesses that have close personal relationships with their customers – following back might make good business sense, but for large brands, I think it's not that important.
If a brand is frequently responding to customers tweets on Twitter, and the timeline of its followers is flooded with tweets by the brand, doesn't that get annoying, and almost counter productive?
Twitter only shows you replies from mutual followers. For instance, if Delta Airlines replies to a tweet of mine on Twitter, you'll only see it in your timeline if you follow both me and Delta. If you just follow Delta and NOT me, you won't see that tweet - unless you log in to Delta's Twitter profile on the web and specifically look for their interactions with followers. Because Twitter operates this way, it's possible for the largest brands to directly respond to individual tweets without driving everyone crazy.
That's also why you see some accounts on Twitter preface a reply with a period, like:
.@mehraban My section is better than yours!
The period before @mehraban's username "tricks" Twitter into showing this tweet to all of my followers, and not just people who follow both me and Derek Mehraban. You could use a letter or symbol other than a period too, and it will accomplish the same thing - the period is just the standard convention used for this.
My question on social media is about the future of social media. Are we destined for this "contet hub" of everything in one place? Or are even more social media platforms going to keep being produced? And what else can they possibly do?
At the turn of the 20th century, many people thought everything that could possibly be invented already existed. They were later proven wrong by everything from the computer to television to – you see where I'm going. I expect we'll always see new media platforms emerge, considering technology will continue to evolve and improve. Who knows what will be next? With virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift about to really reach the consumer market, I could see a new social network emerging around VR content (Facebook owns Oculus, so they clearly see potential here). With self-driving cars on the horizon, what opportunities does that present for new social networking? I'm excited for whatever is next, and hope you are too!
I understand the importantance of a strong social media presence for today's brands. But, I want to know, how can establish credibility through social media?
The same way you establish credibility in "real life": share smart takes on things. Come up with original thoughts and concepts. Be generally right when you predict things. Be nice to people. Et cetera. There's no quick way to build credibility – it takes time – but it's why it is so important to really think about what you post online. It takes years to build credibility, but it can be lost in an instant.
Keep the questions coming for next week!
Comments & Feedback
What reccomendations do you have for building a successful linkedin account?
Should companies make it a policy to resposd to all comments directly messaged to their brands? If not, should there be a specificly stated threshold for the boundaries for such comments, such as customer service influx.
I have a question that goes along with one posted here ("The question that I want to know related to social media is should companies be expected to follow back their fans on different social media platforms?"). Who are companies expected to follow on social media? Should they be following other companies, celebrities, etc?
I'm very curious about this question as well. I have found that companies follow people and businesses that are relevant to what they are trying to achieve. Therefore, politicians will follow other politicians, and businesses will follow other businesses that coinside with their goals.
How important is keeping up with your own social media presence? Obviously, it is important to be knowledgable about social media to be able to use it for a company, but how much does a company care if you use it often yourself?
How important is having a creative resume? I know that many creative advertisers/ graphic designers etc. have non traditional resumes with colors and unique fonts and formats. I am an Advertising major, PR minor. Is it necessary to have a cretive resume? or should I stick with traditional? I don't want to have a resume that is not fitting with my major, but I also don't want to be the only one without something jaw droppingly creative.
How do you think programmatic buying will change how advertisers communicated with customers through social media? With that being said do you think consumers will become frusturated with their privacy being "violated"?
A few video streaming site(Netflix or HBOgo) don't stream ads or commericals. Do you think that consumers are more inclinded to use those sites than to watch TV? Or do you think services like that will start showing ads?
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are so popular today, people like to communicate to each other and share things by social media. Nowadays, we can see people look at their phones all the time at any place. Do you think social media influence our lives and do you think social media will stiil be popular in the future?
I highly think social media influences our daily life. As we live in a world that highly focuses on new platformas and online communication, our lives revolve aroeund social media platforms. We make our decision based on things that are shared in social media. Also, I think social media will be popular in the future, I think it will be itegrated in a way that will track our habits and virtual experience. Due to all the new technological advances, each year social media will me more tailored to the consumer in a way that it will be our "best friends".
most of the brand need to advertise their brand to the public, let more and more people know their brand, my question is advertising is a very huge expenditure, do they have enough money to do the advertise? i don't think they can earn money if they pay a lot at advertisement.
I've noticed name brand products more in movies and TV shows. Do these large companies (Ex: Jeep) pay high dollar to have their products used in film? Are commericials less effective because of applications that don't require them like Netflix and TV show recording?
I have a question about these social media paltforms. For example, on Facebook, if you have friends, the facebook will recommand your friends' friends to you. Is this really follow the online privacy police? Because it seems like the platforms knowing too many private things, and now it is showing other people's information to you.
How often do you think brands should reach out to celebrities or individuals that are popular on social media, such as Instagram or YouTube to promote their products? Sometimes when I see a celebrity promote a product I am skeptical that it is not geniune and that they are just being paid to promote the product.
As a business trying to turn social media marketing into sales, it is a clear answer that Facebook is the most universal, professional, and measureable platform there is. But how will platforms like Instagram, which is still a great platform for a business to market itself via social media, rise to the level that Facebook has achieved and provide more than just a social experience for businesses?
After recently making my LinkedIn account, I have requested and received many connections from people I know. There has been some people/companies that request me that I don't know. Is it bad to accept their connection if you don't know them? In job interviews will they ask me how I know that person?
I find that I get a positive feeling towards a brand when I see them respond back to followers. I appreciate it when I have a problem with a brand and they answer back whether it was on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. You pointed out that you think new media platforms will emerge as time goes on, but do you think this will effect other social media platforms that exist today?
The other day, I had to put my personal Twitter account on an application of some sort. I don't believe that I have tweeted anything bad but how often to jobs actually look at your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook?
Whether for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn, the frequency of comments posting on social media is the factor results in the brand impact for viewers. As I go though the multiple social media of Priceline.com, the posting on twitter is pretty often and almost everyday, but the posting on Instagram is 3-4 times a week. So, I really want to know for the same brand, the distinct frequency of posting is based on what factors?
Will social media someday completely take over traditional broadcast media?
My company is GoPro. When working through this week's lesson I found that not only did GoPro's website have very little written content about its products, but that when searching different keywords, like "HD quality video camera" or "best camera for extreme sports", the search results that actually directed me to something GoPro related was slim to none. Could this because, as the readings stated, not enough written content (in a <p> tag) can lead to less effective search engine optimization? I just found it coincidental that their website had little written content about their products, and at the same time it was hard for me to find GoPro products without directly using the keyword "GoPro".
One of the things we learned when beginning this course was the value of customer communication and seeming authentic toward the customer on social media, replying to tweets, Facebook comments, etc. The business I am auditing is Volvo, a multinational corporation that does not seem to engage in much interpersonal communication with the customer. Is it bad for huge corporations such as Volvo to engage in customer communication on social media? Should they protect the customer's online identity?
What was the app mentioned in the first class session that distinguishes tweeting for a brand and tweeting on a personal account?
This was a very nice read. Great job! Keep up the good work :)
My brand's website is very easy to use, has quality content and good navigation queries. I am curious why they don't have more audio, so that those with disabilities that aren't able to see very well or read the information are able to listen and access the same content.
Do you think that social media in it's current form will expand from it's current physical platforms in the years to come? (Computers, smartphones, watches) Obviously this will be expected to change as more objects in everyday life become connected to the internet, but it could open up a whole new world of brand awareness for digital marketers.
My brand, Sam's Club, does not utilize social very well (in my humbly great opinion that is). There accounts all have identical posts about the same promotions. Do you think this could hurt them because of their lack of creativity or do you think this is a good tactic that just focuses on their target market?
I see what you mean about larger companies not needing to follow back every customer that follows them. That does seem like a waste of time an resources. But what about a brand or company that's a lot smaller or just starting off? Could this help make the company-customer connection more personal and in turn grow their business?
I truly believe that social media will become the most influential form of information, passing others such as broadcasting. Everything is mobile these days and people can find the answers and information they're searching for quicker and from almost anywhere. That's what everyone wants in today's day and age - rapid results. There are so many different social medias that people can now make accounts for and as long as you take your time and look into the details, you can find where to get the most accurate news you're looking for on numerous accounts. My question is: Should companies start to create their websites in new, sleek, and improved designs to tailor the next generation or keep the same layout? Because the website might be working just fine for your audience but what if you start to fall behind in the market? Do you follow society with their social norms and trends or stick to your roots?
I enjoyed reading all those, My question is pretty simple and straight forward. I feel like the search engine and internet is pretty advanced. So in the near future (next 5-10 years) what more could be done with it, I ask this question geared more toward searching on google or yahoo etc. I just was curious to see what you think could be done to advance all these things even further.
I know online media is easier to track than on TV or print in terms of how many people see it and interact with it versus just seeing it, but do you think there are better ways to track success of online marketing? For example, another "measurment" or different questions to ask?
My brand's website, while overall very impressive and easy to use, is extremely difficult to find unless googling for somewhat specific phrases which makes it easier for those already loyal to this brand but extremely difficult for new consumers to find their site. This is especially true for those looking to switch from other brands, so my question is how dangerous is to make your SEO this specific? The brand somewhat relies on it's other forms of advertising so they may just believe they are popular enough to be recognized and then googled. Besides loss of business is there any other ramifications this may have?
My question this weeks has to do with all of the different social media sites out there. With technology always improving and new ideas coming up, there seem to be a consistant 5-7 main social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Tumblr, etc). How do the top social media sites stay on top? Do you think the main ones will always be ontop or will they get kicked out eventually?
I think it is extremely important for people to keep their eyes on the future. There seems to be a reform of teaching curriculums going on around the nation as well, do you think it would be possible for VR to break into the education sector, along with a potential social media network?
You know, all this Search Engine stuff is only 18 years old, that's ancient in tech-years! What's the future hold for Search? Will it still be around in another 18? Is there a better way to sift through all the data to find exactly what we're looking for when we're looking for it?
I understand why it is important for companies to use social media. I have seen companies do really fun things with social media for example Oreo has a great social media campaign. My question is if it is possible for any company to have a fun social media like Oreo or Taco bell? Because the company I am researching is CarMax and I just do not see them being able to have fun post like how every holiday Oreo put out cute picture and recipes. Is there anyway non-exciting company can have an exciting social media?
For websites that don't sell anything and exist mainly just to stay relevant, are there any other important KPI's other than traffic measurement that the brand could use in order to determine the success of the website/brand?
My Question is: Obviously social media has become a huge part of a comapany's promotional agenda. Do you think it has become the most important aspect of the agenda, even more important than any type of brodcast media or guerillia marketing forms. I was also wondering if you think certain advertising forms like print media, will eventually become extinct with the take overof social media.
Facebook is by far the easiest, most effective and measurable ways to market VIA social media. How will platforms like twitter, instagram, pintrest, and linkedIn incorporate effective marketing to generate more revenue?
Atfer interning at a local nonprofit, I found it was difficult for them to grasp the importance of social media and which channels were petinent for improving their brand image. 1) What recommendations do you have for small businesses and/or nonprofits when determining a social media strategy? 2) Which social media outlets are the most effective, if a business has to prioritize which outlets receive the most attention?
I never really paid attention to details that websites have. I usually have a mission for why I'm visiting a company's site, and then leave once I figure out what I needed to know. Exploring Starbucks' site this week was really fun for me because there was a whole side to it that I didn't know about! This change was quite recent, seeing that I visit their site more frequently than I want to amit. Is it a powerful move to constantlly change up a company's website design or is it more effective to keep it the same for a long time?
I would like to know which social media platform do tou think is the most effective, facebook, twitter, pintrest, instagram, snapchat or youtube? my main question is is snapchat really relevent for compnaies to use?
The question about whether social media will beome more influential than broadcast media is interesting. I agree that both will become more interwined the more they continue to co-exist. You could argue that social media has already become more influential than broadcast media just because of how quickly false information can be spread through social media and how quickly people will believe a social media post without even researching it (ex: presidential campaign topics). While broadcast media is often easier to question and develop more thoughts on.
What have companies done to increase online traffic without having to pay for placement? (Placement, meaning the order in which your website shows on each search engine.)
I would have to agree for the large bguisnes at least but for the companies that are trying to grow there business following or liking/tweeting back at people who follow them will only help them. I do no think that doing that kind of stuff will hurt them in anyway. I understand that they get nothing out of it really but then who are they following or liking things of, other brands like them? If they do not follow, then I definitely think it would be good for them to respond to questions or fans saying good things about a brand.
I think it would be silly for a social media account owned by a brand to not promote themselves or show current sales in their posts, but where do you draw the line between sales pitches and information that is enjoyble to see on a timeline? For example, if I constantly see ads for weekly specials tweeted out by pizza companies, overtime I am probably going to learn to see who tweeted and then move on because there is no change. A great example of a pizza place in East Lansing that does use twitter very well is Cottage Inn and the owner, George.
Social Media has become a great influence on not only many individuals, but many groups and companies as a whole. What started out as a way to communicate to your friends and peers, has turned into a way for companies not only to advertise, but to be able to communicate with he consumers. With technology growing at a fast pace, and social media changing as often as it does, do you believe there eventually will be a universal social platform for everyone to use, rather than multiple social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.?
I completely agree with the answer to the question of whether or not companies should follow their followers back. I think a large corporation like Oreo following every single one of its followers is unneccessary. It would be honestly be a time consuming burden to sit and follow someone each time they followed you and wouldn't be relevant to the company. Definitely responding to posts directed at a company's twitter is smart and engaging with the consumers is important. I really closely followed a Wendy's vs. Burger King twitter feud just this past month and it was hilarious to me. I favorited Wendy's tweets but absolutely did not expect them to respond or follow me back. I don't think a "follow back" from large companies should ever be expected.
How many media channels should a company take advantage of to be successful but not waste time/resources?
MSU New Media Drivers License Copyright 2017
Yes, I am interetsing abuot how to build an successful Linkedln account too? Do you have any reccomendation of how can let more people looked at my Linkedln?