Week 11 - Analytics

Social media as a marketing tool is obviously very important and is forever growing. However if this is not monitored correctly it may not be as beneficial as it possibly could be. Analytics take place in a number of ways such as number of clicks, followers, or page/video views.

This blog provides a good example of how it works. Blogger provides me with an analytical tool about my blog such as the number of times my blog has been viewed and where it has been viewed from. This topic is therefore becoming more and more important for marketers in order to reach their target market.

Week 10 - Mistakes

Social media marketing can have great advantages for an organisation to market their brand however there is also a negative side to it when mistakes are made and the brand goes into meltdown. Procedures need to be in place for when this happens.

Below is an innocent informative video posted by Optus about the new 4G network which turned pear shaped.

 

 

The post saw a great deal of negativity posted towards the company in terms of the current service they are providing. However Optus did the best they could to combat these by replying promptly to several complaints. Although this highlights how little things on social media (even when trying to inform consumers) can have a big outcome and presence in the social media world.

 

 



Week 9 - Campaigns

This weeks topic is campaigns; specifically social media campaigns for both a product and/or a business.

There are many reasons why people firstly involve themselves in social media and marketers need to have a sound understanding of these reasons:

Word of mouth

To keep in touch with people wherever they may be geographically located

Interest in Social Media and technology advancements

Desire to be informed

Ease of access

When it comes to marketing your campaign there are certain steps a marketer can follow in order to aid the campaign in going viral and being successful.  Some of the following are listed below:

- Brand Evangelists (someone who has a huge passion for your brand/product) 
- Email based marketing
- Pay per click (PPC) is paying the publisher of a website to have your link on their website, we have all seen the business advertisements pop up on our Facebook page.
 

Week 8 - Social CRM

SCRM can refer to how a business reacts to consumer issues, and how they deal with online complaints and enquiries.

An example of this could be response times to consumer queries, is there a priority in doing this as soon as possible or is it a casual approach replying whenever they have time which could take weeks. This is a key aspect in building relationships with businesses consumer bases.

This week we were asked to look into Google Alerts. Content that I setup to receive alerts for is 'Ballarat Cricket association' this is so I can see what news and changes are surrounding the upcoming season as I play within this league. I will monitor these alerts at least until the season starts as they may now revolve around player movements which is a topic of relevance and interest to me.

Week 6 - Relationship Building

What do you thank are some of the key challenges facing marketers in the social media space?

A major key challenge for marketers using social media is to be able to keep up with the forever evolving social media sites. Another challenge is being able to respond to consumers queries in an appropriate manner and within an acceptable time frame. Also monitoring all comments and if they are appropriate for the site and not demeaning or attacking toward the company.

Are there any ‘no go zones’ or do you think social media is just another marketing channel that we should exploit in the same manner that broadcast media has been?

'No go zones' may be very much down to the individual, therefore businesses need to be clear who their target markets are and who will be viewing their material. Obviously nudity, discriminative or demeaning material is a clear no go zone.  

Week 5 - Key Platforms

Social media is evident in our lives with frequent daily use. Social media outlets I use most are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram although they are used for different purposes. I use Facebook and Instagram to keep in touch with and follow what my friends and family are up to at each given time, yet my personal twitter use it to keep in touch with  all news and follow celebrities.

Sportsbet is an example of a business which I believe uses social media successfully in particular Facebook.

As gambling agencies sometimes are associated with a negative stigma I think posts by the business help negate this. Sportsbet often post funny images and puns (such as the one below revolving around Buddy Franklin) which prompt people to comment on them intensifying their online presence yet also offer giveaways such as 'money back bets' which aim to make them the preference within the industry.

The picture above was labelled 'Buddy's natural arc'


The company also runs competitions which require people to comment on their status' to win prizes. Below is an example of promoting an instagram competition through Facebook. Sportsbet currently have almost 400,000 'likes' on Facebook.

Week 4 - Planning

When a business is new to the world of social media it is important that a plan is put in place first; a social media strategy plan.

This plan will differ for every business, however, an analysis of competitors and what they are doing should always be included along with distinct goals and objectives as well as implementation steps to achieve these.

This is extremely significant in the potential success of the business as social media is one of the biggest ways that businesses now market products/services, due to benefits including low cost and ability to reach a large audience.