5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand Online

I’m really glad I read the article 5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand

Online, it has addressed some of the questions I have had about conducting myself on social media. For instance we were told to create all these different social media accounts for a class I had my sophomore year in college. It was great to learn the ins and outs of the different platforms, but as time went on I began having trouble keeping all of my profiles up to date. I was worried that an employer would expect me to have certain social media platforms then be disappointed when they were not current.  As Dan Schawbel, the author of the article, states it is not necessary to stretch yourself to thin in order to have a presence on every social media platform. He really nails the point that social media, like many other things, is quality over quantity. You would rather have great profiles on the most popular social media platforms rather than just good profiles on all of them.

In addition I have been struggling with work and play on social media. I mean should I friend my new boss and colleges? But if I did that I wouldn’t connect with my friends as I usually do. And Schawbel has a great solution of keeping your personal page [private but creating a fan page for work people. I highly doubt I’ll actually go through the trouble of doing that but he does make a great point that employers should respect your privacy in some use of social media.

And if I did decide to connect professionally on social media, how would I make my skills known without seeming like I’m just advertising for myself? Once again Schawbel addresses this issue that social media isn’t always about yourself. You can gain attention and credibility on these platforms by promoting others in your field of interest. By interacting with the types of people you want to associate with you will show your expertise in that area and your credibility will be more true.

Breast Cancer and Social Media

In reference to Communicating “pink”: an analysis of the communication strategies, transparency, and credibility of breast cancer social media sites.

 Just like many social media objectives breast cancer organizations also strive to create communities through social media. When people are going through such a tough time it is important they become familiar with their organizations and trust in them. They need to see a human face in the mist of machines and chemicals. That is why it is especially important for not only cancer organizations to build communities but especially breast cancer. Breast cancer affects majority women and women are more likely to create a bond with one another. It is easier for women to share and connect with each other when they have an organization that brings them together to help them feel comfortable. From my experience working at a caner hospital breast cancer gets a large amount of support through races and fundraisers. Not only do a lot of people come together for breast cancer awareness but they are very active on social media. Most cancer patients are not hesitant to share their experiences, struggles and triumphs through their cancer journey. It is with the help of these cancer organizations that they find place to connect and share their stories.

However, as the article states these organizations shouldn’t only create a place for their audience to engage but the organization also has to become a part of the conversation. One of the reasons these types of non-profits can be more successful on social media is because they are not trying to sell customers something, but they are trying to educate and provide services. As the article says these types of actions on social media bring in donors that help support the organization and further their cause.

On the other hand, many non-profits can fall short in using social media because they don’t always see the importance of communications in a non-profit organization. But they need to remember that social media is one of the only places where there are no gatekeepers to filter information. Aside from events, social media is a direct connection to an organization’s intended publics and gives them the opportunity to show what they stand for without any filters. This study demonstrates that the most successful breast cancer organizations are the ones that are also most effective on social media. Non-profits should not ignore the opportunity to communicate with their publics. They should learn to embrace it and use social media to its full advantage, in the correct ways of course.

#GETNAKED????

When I initially saw Herbal Essences using the hashtag #getnaked in one of their commercials, I thought it was a horrible idea. Herbal Essences’ use of the hash tag is trying to promote their new hair-care line called Naked, which advertises no harsh chemicals or dyes. #getnaked is a very common hashtag and created no true connection to the brand. When searching the hashtag there are very few uses of the hashtag that refer to Herbal Essences. Majority of the people that do use the hashtag are hair bloggers or are just making comments about the hashtag and not the product.

In addition, many of the people that use the hashtag #getnaked can share very inappropriate things. If Herbal Essence is directing their audience to use this hashtag, it may be very offensive to their market when they see the results the hashtag brings up, which can give Herbal Essence a negative image. Using a hashtag such as, #myessence could have been more appropriate. Similar to the way that Dunkin Donuts promotes #mydunkin. It creates a community of people that can share their experience with the product.

However, the more I searched the hashtag #getnaked the more I thought that maybe it was not such a horrible use of the hashtag. Herbal Essences has lost a lot of their market in the past several years, and they are not as popular of a brand. At the time the hashtag #getnaked was being used it was a trending topic. It could be an attempt of Herbal Essences to capture the attention of the other markets to notice the use of the hashtag for their product and maybe draw some new interest in that way. I could see where this may have been Herbal Essences’ objective, but I still think they could have developed a more specific and creative #hashtag.

Weekend Wonders

Share how you spent your weekends using a video, picture or comment. Use the hashtag #familytime23!

Video and social media measurement

For starters I was pretty disappointed in the outcome of my social media call to action assignment. I was initially excited to see the responses of people when I

decided to ask them to post a video, picture, comment or share about how they spend their family time. Many people have their own traditions that I find to be very unique and appealing. Therefore I decided to make my post when most people are spending time with their families and when most people are on Facebook and Twitter. So I decided to make the post on Sunday afternoon. I also tagged people in the status hoping to increase engagement. To my surprise I only received three posts on Facebook. Two of which were from the same person. I also received three likes and zero shares.

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I think that if I had maybe posted the status a little later in the day, when people were setting down it could have been more effective. A picture or link of some sort could have potentially increased the number of people my post reached because of the Facebook algorithm. However, I did not want to post a picture then the people who saw the post think that they would have to post something similar to what I took a picture of. My goal was to reach as many people as possible and to encourage transparency.

On Twitter I did not get any engagement, which was not that shocking to me because most of the people that follow me are businesses that I follow.  

I know that a Sunday afternoon is not prime time for Twitter, but since many people spend time with their families on Sunday afternoon I figured it would still be a good time to post. The hashtag I used #familytime16 was one that has never been used before so I knew that I could easily track my engagement on Facebook and Twitter. Combining the subject and the date made the hashtag both relevant and unique.

Instagram

I have never been a huge user of Instagram and honestly didn’t really think that a stream of pictures could be that interesting. The problem wasn’t the content Instagram produces it was the people I was following. Many of my friends had pictures that would easily bore me but when I started to follow brands and realized the possibilities, I began to look at Instagram in a whole new light. Brands are usually professionals and produce more appealing content. On the other end of things, representing a brand takes consistent production of information and creative content. As Leia Lewis, owner of Be Inspired Public Relations, puts it “It doesn’t do you any good to set up an account and only post once a month. There needs to be a consistent presence, otherwise it defeats the purpose.” Furthermore, in the article, Instagram- The PR Perspective, professionals share their uses and strategies of Instagram in a PR perspective.

While the professionals agree that it is important to post consistently, they also agree that artsy industries such as fashion, beauty, food, and wedding benefit more from Instagram because they a mainly visual industries. But the articles goes on to explain that any industry can be successful using Instagram with a little creativity and imagination. This article made me begin to analyze the company I work for, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, and how I could implement Instagram into our social media plan.

Cancer patients have many stories to share about their battles and success with cancer, their experiences with nurses and doctors, and with their treatment. Through all of the obstacles many cancer patients still love to share their story with a smile. What better way to do that through pictures?  Natasha Koifman, President of NKPR, explains, “[Instagram] opens up many opportunities to engage with our community on a different, more personal level.” Which is why I think Instagram is a great strategy for a cancer center, it helps patients and family members share their stories in one of the most personal ways.

So, I decided to do a little research to see what cancer patients are currently posting. When I searched #cancersurvivor, I found some of these proud survivors.

There are thousands of people such as these who want to share their stories. This creates a community for the patients to connect with each other and form bonds with the center and other patients.

            On a smaller scale I then search #marybirdperkins, and many people were already posting about the centers’ fundraising efforts and cancer races. I believe that with a little encouragement at events that the use of Instagram will increase dramatically for Mary Bird Perkins and anyone associated with them. Instagram not only gives the opportunity for cancer patients to share their stories but also employees and the people involved with making many wonderful events possible.

            Like the article stated, there are many opportunities available with Instagram with some creativity and encouragement.

            

Response to: The Sunday Share: 50 Random Twitter Tips for Business

The Sunday Share: 50 Random Twitter Tips for Business

This article includes many great Twitter tips, however, I do not agree with not responding to personal tweets you don't like and having to respond to all corporate tweets. Even though someone may have a personal account, if they are interacted with, I still think it is important to reply whether you agree with the statement or not. Simply ignoring comments gives others room to assume your response, therefore, it is better to clear the air and respond in the most respectable way. On the other hand, I understand that sometimes people can take certain issues too far and then you are just adding fuel to the fire with each response. At that point I do think it is appropriate to refrain from comments on a personal account.

            For a corporate account I do not think it is necessary to respond to every engagement. I think it is much more effective to find common questions or comments and then respond to them as a whole. If you have truly concerned followers they will see the response even if it is not directly targeted to them. If a company responds to every common tweet then the content becomes dull and meaningless. It is better to answer all the questions with a really good response rather than having a ton of meaningless responses.

            I also disagree with looking at your competitors for new ideas to share because then the idea wouldn’t be considered new. Although I do agree with keeping up with what other companies are posting; it is also appropriate to go outside of your competitors for ideas. You don’t want to produce the same content as your competitors. If you cant come with your own content then find an idea elsewhere other than your competitors.

 The majority of the tips in this article are every helpful! These re just some of the points that I did not completely agree with, but please do not be discouraged to read the article yourself and come to your own conclusion.