Tag Archives: social media

HootSuite: social media made easy

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With social media becoming increasingly vital in a brand’s marketing strategy, marketers are finding themselves juggling (and struggling with) multiple accounts across a whole array of networks. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Foursqure… the list just continues! With so many statuses to update in a time crunch, organization is key.

HootSuite, a social media management tool, allows users to track campaigns and engage daily on various social media platforms. Its dashboard allows you to set up streams for the different types of content you want to monitor, including news feeds and mentions. These can then be organized via customizable tabs (e.g. account/content/specific hashtags). Batch scheduling is another useful tool that allows pre-schedule messages, which allows users to optimize peak traffic times.

The video below summarizes some of HootSuite’s features but there is just so much more you can do with it! There’s also built-in social analytic reports which weren’t covered in the video but is most definitely vital in a firm’s measure of success.

Social Media may be overwhelming but the trick is to prowl around the web to find resources to help you. Tricks and tips are easily available and tools like HootSuite helps make an otherwise daunting task much more streamlined! HootSuite does a great job at simplifying and focusing on key aspects of social media for you.

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HootSuite University

Social Media Privacy

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I have to admit – I wasn’t very quick to jump on the whole social media bandwagon. I’ve always been big on blogs (I felt everyone was interested to find out about my oh-so-interesting teenage life) but when it came to social media tools that involved a higher level of social interactions, I was hesitant.

Truth is, as much as I know about how powerful/useful/important social media is, I’m still really iffy about it. As a marketer, I can confidently say that yes, it’s great for businesses and brands. If put in charge of a brand, I would most likely implement some kind of social media strategy. BUT – when it comes to my personal life, I’m not so keen on social media.

Here’s a good infographic that provides a brief description of some issues with social media:

Call me old fashioned but I’m still not used to projecting my thoughts to the whole world frequently. Neither am I comfortable “checking in” to places giving live updates as to where specifically I am. I love social media when applied to brands but it’s never been a big thing for MY personal brand. The following is one of my favourite (and hilarious) explanations of some of today’s most popular social media platforms.

Which social media platforms do you use and which do you think pushes the boundaries of privacy?

Bringing Bobbi Back

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Many firms use social media platforms to connect with consumers, and with help of such tactics, it seems like the comeback era is finally making its way to the cosmetics industry.

When consumers find a product they love, they instinctively want to hold on to it. Not many people embrace change with open arms. We like familiarly, things that we know work. But obviously, that’s not how the world works all the time. Things change, things come and go. And when your favourite product, the one you’ve been so committed to, suddenly goes out of production – what do you do? Scream, shout and demand for it back!

Surprisingly enough, unlike stereotypical parents who will not put up with such a “fuss”, Bobbi Brown is doing the opposite and encouraging you to “scream, shout and demand” for your favourite products.

The company is launching a Facebook campaign that allows fans and users to lobby for the return of lip colours that are no longer in production. Fans are invited to vote for their favourite from the list of the 10 most frequently requested colours.

Voting closes at the end of February, at which point, the lip colours with the most support will become available for purchase – here’s the catch – exclusively on Facebook.

I’m aware of small businesses that conduct business on the Facebook platform, but never did I imagine that well-reknowned firms like Bobbi Brown would come up with such an initiative. So why use Facebook to sell an exclusive line?

According to digital analyst comScore, spending in the e-commerce industry rose by 14% in the past year, representing yet another consecutive year of growth. This presents a great opportunity for brands to offer a unique shopping experience to the consumer, as attitudes towards online shopping evolve. That is, to offer a three-dimensional shopping experience by integrating the two dimensions of Brick & Mortar, the “touch and feel”, with the “information and impulse” of the online experience.

Bobbi Brown already has an e-commerce platform on their site, but using Facebook puts an interesting twist to it. It allows a closer and more interactive relationship with consumers, an opportunity to appeal and connect with consumers at a more personal level. Bobbi Brown’s revival of discontinued cosmetics is a perfect example of the creation of a three-dimensional shopping experience. These products have been “touched and felt” before, and now with the online campaign, is working towards building “impulse” through purchase anticipation over time.

What a way to reward its brand loyalists and actively showcase the fact that Bobbi Brown is indeed hearing what its fans are saying! If you’re still wondering how the Internet is changing the dynamics of the 4Ps – here you have it. The pull factor is becoming stronger in product choice (unlike traditional days where it was all about firms pushing out particular products). Promotion is multi-dimensional – a great majority of it comes from consumer generated content. The place you sell your product is ever-changing with instant “globalization”.

All in all, a really neat campaign that aptly shows how a company can embrace social media in ways to engage consumers and build a brand.

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(Images: Bobbi Brown Cosmetics)