SOCIAL MEDIA: FROM GOALS TO RESULTS JENNIFER THOMÉ ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA MSU DENVER

SOCIAL MEDIA: EASIER SAID THAN DONE Social media is designed to be intuitive, fun and engaging, but oftentimes people think that because it’s such a “fun” medium that creating effective social media campaigns is an easy job. It’s not! That’s why many companies hire full-time professionals and pay their social media managers between $40-80,000 a year.

SOCIAL MEDIA: SCIENCE + ART While there is no exact science behind the perfect social media, planning, executing, tracking and refining social media is a scientific and time-consuming process. Not only that, but there is a lot of psychology and neuroscience that goes into engaging an audience.  Did you know?  Items with arrows are clicked on more? Tweets with #’s are 50% more likely to be retweeted Colorful and emotionally intense images are more likely to garner likes and be forwarded Authoritative users have a higher following than others Negative comments are statistically related to lesser followers

SOCIAL MEDIA: EVERYONE IS ON IT 72% of all internet users are now active on social media 89% of year-olds are regular social media users Americans spend 16 minutes per every hour spent online on social media. 23 percent of people log on 5 times per day There are more than 1 BILLION users on social media. That’s more than 3 times the entire population of the US. YouTube reaches more U.S. adults aged than any cable network

WHICH LEAVES US WITH ONE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION… Why isn’t anyone following me?

BUT FIRST: A LITTLE ABOUT ME The product of two psychologists decades of media experience + CIA-trained intelligence researcher, specializing in social media in the US and China + A systems and growth devotee who trained with Verne Harnish, founder of EO + Mentor for young professionals launching global, online brands = Someone who thinks about social media A LOT

SO WHY AREN’T PEOPLE COMING TO YOUR PAGE? You’re not that interesting or useful They haven’t found you You send mixed messages or don’t post regular content No one “likes” your stuff, so the web algorithms don’t work in your favor

BUILDING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND

STEP # 1 CREATE A CLEAR, CONSISTENT BRAND We live in a cluttered world in which our viewers are always looking for new and interesting tidbits, but appreciate nothing more than having a regular source of relevant and useful information from a trusted source. Being a brand is very much like being a friend: it helps people develop trust in your, and look forward to the things you have to offer. If you’re too inconsistent or never post, people will quickly lose interest in you.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF Who am I? What do I do? *Why am I doing this? Who is my audience? What service do I provide? OR What problem do I solve for my audience? What kinds of content do I provide? Does it solve their problem? What format does my audience like their content in? (choose no more than 3-5 main categories: News, Blog Links, Announcements, Promotions, Memes, Forwards, Advice, Photos)

STEP # 2 DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE (AND TAKE REALLY GOOD CARE OF THEM) Don’t think of your audience as your customers, even if they are. Think of them as your friends and partners. Spend some time investigating what they like, who they follow and where they are spending their time, and then provide them with content in a format that they appreciate.

STEP # 3 DETERMINE YOUR CONTENT (AND PUT IT OUT THERE REGULARLY) Audiences appreciate predictable yet interesting content. Stick to no more than 3 types of content, and be sure to post on a regular basis. Posting too infrequently works against you psychologically, and also in the social media algorithms. Monitor the results and adapt as you go along. Pay particular attention to what people like, and when they are liking it. Remember, vibrant, positive and “call-to-action” posts are the most popular, though the occasional scandal can also pique people’s interest.

STEP # 4 PROMOTE YOUR BRAND (BUT MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT TALKING TO YOURSELF) People aren’t going to find you just because you’re amazing—there are simply too many amazing things on the internet already. Reach out to peers and other organizations and create a mutually beneficial sharing relationship Find out where your audience is now, and target them there (both digital and physical locations Consider targeted advertising, which is as little as $5 a day on facebook, but can help get you over the initial hump of getting in touch with people

STEP # 5 - MONITOR YOUR GOALS AND EVOLVE YOUR BRAND (ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE) When you set clear goals and monitor them, you go from “this isn’t working” to “we’re not meeting our goals. How can we do better?” Set SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Related Keep an Excel spreadsheet with your goals and keep track of them. Pay close attention to what people are responding to, and when. In most cases, members of your target audience will exhibit the same patterns. Remember to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and they didn’t have to compete with the rest of the internet.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? PRESENTATION REQUESTS? Jennifer Thomé Assistant Director of Student Media Metropolitan State University of Denver