1. Business Communication Skills for Managers
Module 10: Social Media

2. Common Social Media Platforms

3. Facebook
Facebook primarily serves to connect people, which makes social media ideal places for companies to connect with their customers in a way that feels personal
How can I start a Facebook
Marketing campaign?
Watch video by Amy Landino
to see how!
Benefits of Facebook:
ability to share posts from other social media sites: you can share YouTube videos, you can set up your Instagram account so your posts are automatically cross-posted to Facebook, and you can link to any other site on the internet
Disadvantages of Facebook:
younger individuals tend to skew away from Facebook
many people have liked so many pages and have so many friends that your brand’s posts may get lost in their News Feed
there have been recent concerns over Facebook’s misuse of data
Video: Getting Started with Facebook Marketing. Authored by: Amy Landino. Located at: License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

4. Instagram
The top users of Instagram tend to be individuals interested in creating a personal brand.
This interest in a personal brand has grown as celebrities have become increasingly popular in advertising
Endorsements from a celebrity’s Instagram account seem more genuine than in an ad on TV or in the newspaper
Watch below video for more information on how to use instagram for business:

5. Twitter What is the appeal of twitter?
It can quickly and concisely reach an audience
You can include images and videos in your tweets
Hashtags help you to reach a larger audience
Twitter was originally created as a business tool!
View course page for example of how JetBlue effectively uses their Twitter account:

6. YouTube Pros and cons of YouTube Pros: Ease of use
Integration with other social media and websites
Massive audience
Cons:
Data capturing and privacy concerns
Sheer size and volume of content requires careful placement
Creating videos requires unique skills and tools when compared to business writing
YouTube is the second largest social media platform
Most YouTube videos are 5-10 minutes long
YouTubers can comment on videos and exchange links
It’s usually best to cross-post your videos on YouTube with another social media platform to start discussions

7. Additional Social Media Platforms

8. LinkedIn LinkedIn focuses on recruiting and finding talent
Individual users build profiles similarly to a personal resume, and are able to search for new jobs and work
Quick and easy strategies for recruiting on LinkedIn:
If you find a candidate that looks perfect, you can send them a request to connect alongside a message, exlaining the position that you think they would be interested in
If you have a 2nd or 3rd level connection, you can ask the person you’re connected to if they can make an introduction, and move from there
If you’re doing a lot of recruiting , it might be worth it to get a premium account
Finding jobs:
You can view top jobs recommended for you based on your profile
Clicking on the job will lead you to a full job description where you can apply or interact with the recruiter directly

9. Pinterest
Pinterest is an excellent platform for viewing and disseminating content organized visually by theme
Users can search for things, as well as “pin” things to their own boards (the boards are essentially folders of content)
What are the drawbacks of using Pinterest?
Limited gendered audience
Perceived usage is based around DIY projects, not products
The interface is comparatively confusing and difficult to navigate
Pinterest statistics:
81% of users are female
87% of users have purchased a product seen on a pin
93% of users use Pinterest to plan a purchase
View the following video for more information on how your business can best utilize Pinterest:

10. Snapchat Snapchat is largely oriented to Millennials and Generation Z
it is most useful for businesses targeting this demographic!
Snapchat ads are short and to the point
Filters placed on Snapchat pictures can overlay a brand message or promotion
Interestingly, Snapchat marketing appears to be more effective than other common platforms.
What are some cons of using Snapchat?
Too generational
Some users view advertising on Snapchat as intrusive
It is limited to what kind of message can be shared

11. Google Plus
Google
Watch the above video for a tutorial on how to use Google Plus.
Pros of Google Plus:
Potential for a large audience
Local SEO
Cons of Google Plus:
Relatively low usage
More manual work to integrate with other social media platforms
Video: How to Use Google+ Plus for Beginners. Authored by: Yeah Likes. Located at: License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

12. Selling Your Products

13. Product Launch
Number one reason most use social media, is to bring attention to a new product or service
Various tactics when announcing a product or service launch
Design a hashtag, organize a countdown, develop consistency across platforms, have clear call to action
When choosing which social media platform to use, consider target audience and type of message
Design a hashtag. By using a hashtag, you can create a central “hub” for all posts about your new product. People posting about the product can also use this hashtag, which increases the reach of the product. Organize a countdown. Countdowns can increase interest over a period of time. As you release messages on a schedule, it gives more people the opportunity to get excited and ready for the product by the time it is released. Develop consistency across platforms. The look and feel of a Facebook post should be roughly similar to something on Pinterest or Snapchat, etc. While this is important across all social media messaging, it’s particularly important when launching something new. If your messaging is inconsistent, people might get confused about what exactly is being released. Have a clear call to action. Similarly to good web design, a social media message should be easy to interpret. You want your audience to have all the information they need to either further interact with your social media campaign or to have the information they need to get your product.

14. Spotlight Products
We work to use real, compelling, and authentic narratives to promote interest in our organization, given product, or to increase interaction between customers
Key questions:
Is the message or post authentic?
How easy have they made it to interact?
Netflix and Kohls do a good job of this
Using humor
Highlight possible outfits
Make sure to remain authentic, and don’t focus on making the “perfect” brand

15. Sales and Events Advertising a Sale:
Create interest and excitement, by spotlighting size of sale or highlighting reason for sale
Features to Increase Sales:
Unique features to promote sales, such as embedding a “buy” button or link in social media message
Easy to buy on social channels, consider paid accounts
Pinterest has different tutorials, reaches to Millennial or Generation Z, Snapchat uses similar features

16. Building Your Brand

17. Cultivate Community
Something like change in ownership could be expressed in a simple announcement on social media, then forwarded by customers
Loyal customers blur line between internal and external
Issue of authenticity in social media is challenging, as some exchanges may be hollow or misunderstood
Important to be transparent with messaging
Goal of having more meaningful exchanges on social media

18. Create a Sense of Affinity
Affinity is “a liking to something, often naturally or spontaneously”
Creation of narrative or story is related to affinity and authenticity
Difference between the three
Affinity: spontaneous liking to something
Authenticity: natural realness
Story or narrative: compelling description about person
Storytelling organizations describe a great story, and attempt to use that story to energize customers

19. Company News
Change in senior leadership, ownership, or other large non-product or service oriented announcement
Organizations cross a divide between external and internal customers and integrate everyone into an audience
Customers themselves drive company interaction, and in doing so they integrate into company business
Loyal customers may talk about company items on their own social media

20. Quick Review Social media is used to:
Bring services or products to market, and increase awareness
Engage customers, often with respect to service issues
Encourage “buzz” or interest around company and products
Top tier of social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Second tier: LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Google Plus