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Social media has come to play an essential role in the way we exchange and consume information. The term encompasses a wide-range of web-based platforms (see <\/span>Platforms<\/span><\/i> section below for specific examples) designed to allow users to share information efficiently, in real-time, and in a constantly-expanding range of formats (i.e: text, photos, videos etc.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While social media is used by individuals to communicate with friends and family, it is also a powerful marketing tool. Whether it be global brands, small businesses, non-profit organizations or politicians, having a strong social media presence is essential in engaging one\u2019s target audience in today\u2019s media landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n When building social media content for a business or organization, you should have a strategy in place. Your content should be clear and consistent – thematically, visually and tonally. You should have a clear audience and goals. This plan should be clearly outlined before you start posting content. Here are some tips for embarking on a social media campaign:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before we look at the different social media networks and their specific attributes, let\u2019s review some basic terms and concepts.<\/span><\/p>\n Algorithm:\u00a0<\/b>An algorithm is a set of instructions created for a computer to perform a specific action. In social media, developers are constantly creating and editing algorithms to define all the interactions users can have on a platform: what appears on a feed, the type of content that can be added, how interactions between pages and users are managed etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Avatar:\u00a0<\/b>An avatar is an image and\/or username that represents a person or company.<\/span><\/p>\n Bitly: <\/b><\/a>Bitly is a free URL shortening service that is often used to share links on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n Crowdsourcing:\u00a0<\/b>Crowdsourcing is the act of soliciting ideas or content from a group of people. This technique can be effectively used on social media to engage followers. Here\u2019s an article with <\/span>examples of successful crowdsourced campaigns<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Direct Message:\u00a0<\/b>Direct messages – also referred to as “DMs” – are private conversations within a social media platform. Both parties must be following one another to send a DM.<\/span><\/p>\n Handle:\u00a0<\/b>A handle consists of a username preceded by the @ sign (@beyonce). It is used to call out someone on a social media post.<\/span><\/p>\n Hashtag:\u00a0<\/b>A hashtag is a keyword preceded by a hash\/pound sign (#). It allows your content to appear in user searches. You can refer to existing hashtags or create new ones. Hashtags should generally be brief and easy to remember. They can include numbers but no symbols, spaces or punctuation. They can be placed at the beginning, middle or end of a social media post or comment. Some platforms have limits on how many hashtags you can use per post (i.e: 30 on Instagram). On Facebook and Twitter limiting your hashtags to 2 or 3 per post tends to yield better engagement. It\u2019s not unusual to use a lot more on Instagram posts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Influencer:<\/strong> Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followings of enthusiastic, engaged people who pay close attention to their views.\u00a0Brands love social media influencers because they can create trends and encourage their followers to buy products they promote. (from: https:\/\/influencermarketinghub.com\/what-is-an-influencer\/)<\/em><\/p>\n Like:\u00a0<\/b>A like is a means for social media users to quickly respond positively to a post without having to write a full comment. The ubiquity of likes <\/span>has recently been the object of much scrutiny and criticism<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Live Streams:\u00a0<\/b>Most platforms now include a live stream option which allows users to share videos in real time with their followers. <\/span>Users are notified if accounts they follow start livestreaming. What happens to the video after the broadcast depends on the platform. For example, on Facebook the video is saved on the creator\u2019s profile (until he\/she decides to remove it), while on Instagram the video disappears immediately after the broadcast ends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lurker: <\/b><\/a>A lurker is a person who passively reads discussions on social media but rarely or never participates.<\/span><\/p>\n Meme:\u00a0<\/b>A meme is an idea (often humorous in nature) that’s widely shared. It is typically an image or GIF with text above and below it, but can also take the form of a video or link. Here is <\/span>a list of famous memes<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Mention:\u00a0<\/b>A mention is an instance in which a user refers to someone else’s handle (see <\/span>Handle<\/span><\/i>) in their post.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Native Advertising:\u00a0<\/b>Native advertising refers to ads which have been formatted to look like regular posts to make them feel like \u201cauthentic\u201d pieces of content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n News Feed:\u00a0<\/b>A news feed (often referred to simply as \u201cfeed\u201d) is the stream of latest updates from accounts a user follows. The organization and prioritization of a news feed is dictated by a platform\u2019s algorithm (see <\/span>Algorithm<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n Paid Advertising:\u00a0<\/b>A company can pay a social media platform to feature an ad on its users\u2019 feeds. The cost depends on several factors including the breadth of the outreach, the type of content,\u00a0 and the amount of clicks generated (also referred to as a Pay-Per-Click\/PPC model)<\/span><\/p>\n Real-Time Search:\u00a0<\/b>Real-time search is the method of indexing content being published online into search engine results instantly and continuously. Some companies offering real-time search services help companies keep track of their mentions and marketing goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Retargeting:\u00a0<\/b>Retargeting is an online marketing and advertising technique that allows companies to display ads to people who have visited their website, social network page or who are part of their contacts database.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Selfie:\u00a0<\/b>A selfie is a self-portrait that is typically taken using the reverse camera screen on a smartphone or by using a selfie stick (a pole that attaches to your camera). Selfies are commonly shared on social media networks with the hashtag #selfie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Social Proof:\u00a0<\/b>Social proof refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people base their decision making on the behavior and opinions of others. In social media, social proof could be gathered by the popularity of a piece of content, or the number of followers you have. Of course, <\/span>popularity on social media is unreliable<\/span><\/a>, as this article exposed.<\/span><\/p>\n Stories:\u00a0<\/b>Stories consist of a series of visual vignettes. They are usually less polished than other content. If used effectively, they can help a brand, company or organization feel more \u201cauthentic\u201d. <\/span>New stories are generally highlighted at the top of users\u2019 feed and signaled by a colorful ring around the profile picture of the account with new content. Stories have a few unique attributes: Unlike regular posts, there are no likes or public comments. <\/span>They disappear after 24hrs. They are read by flipping left-to-right (vs. scrolling down). The photos and videos used in stories are primarily vertical (the intuitive shooting mode on mobile phones). Stories are displayed full screen and thus do not have captions. However, you can still overlay text, locations, hashtags, emojis, filters, and even polls over your story\u2019s videos and images. Chronological narration (with a clear beginning, middle and end) is essential to telling a successful story. This article features <\/span>\u00a05 examples of brands successfully using stories<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Tag:\u00a0<\/b>Tagging is a social media functionality that allows users to create a link back to the profile of the person shown in the picture or targeted by the update. Handles and hashtags (see <\/span>Hashtags<\/span><\/i>) can be used in tagging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trending Topic:\u00a0<\/b>Trending topics refer to the most talked about topics and\/or hashtags on a social media network. They are often featured on a platform\u2019s home page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Troll:\u00a0<\/b>A troll refers to a person who is known for creating controversy in an online setting. Their primary goal is to disrupt the conversation by expressing and provoking outrage.<\/span><\/p>\n User-Generated Content:\u00a0<\/b>User-generated content is media — blogs, videos, photos, quotes, etc. — that is created by consumers. This content can be crowdsourced by companies to support a campaign (see <\/span>Crowdsourcing<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n Viral:\u00a0<\/b>A piece of viral content is one that spreads rapidly online. Spreading information is at the core of social media. Almost all social media platforms are designed to facilitate virality (i.e: Facebook\u2019s like button,\u00a0 Twitter\u2019s retweet button, Pinterest\u2019s pin or Tumblr\u2019s reblog option).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Vlogging<\/b>\u00a0:\u00a0<\/span>Vlogging or a vlog is a piece of content that employs video to tell a story or report on information.<\/span><\/p>\n The social media landscape is in constant flux: new platforms are created, some are acquired, others are shut down etc. You should stay abreast of changes in popularity and usage. This information is readily available online (i.e: https:\/\/www.socialbakers.com\/blog\/21-data-points-for-2021<\/a><\/span>). Always make sure you are looking at current data by checking the date of the article\/page you are viewing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This section focuses on the platforms that seem the most relevant to this course, but there are many more (i.e: <\/span>Pinterest<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Reddit<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Viber<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Medium<\/span><\/a> etc.). Feel free to explore them and use them in your project if you find that they are a good fit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Facebook<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n YouTube<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Instagram<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Tumblr<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp460-s2022\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2019\/07\/notepad-300x300.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPlanning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nTerms & concepts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nPlatforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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