Category: Social Media Platforms

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Top 3 Essentials For Managing A Social Media Account

Top 3 Essentials For Managing A Social Media Account By Lauren Shannon

By Lauren Shannon

It can be tough to start and manage a successful social media account. If you want to reach people and build a solid following there’s a lot you have to do, which can be overwhelming. Here are the top three essential ways to stay on top of your social media accounts. 

  1. Know what message you want to send to your audience

Social media is a great tool used to promote your business but only if you are strategic with what you are posting.

The content you post should send a strong message to your audience about who your company/you are.

Before creating a social media account for your brand, you need to set goals. Do you want to teach your audience something? Do you want them to buy your product? Or do you want them to engage in contests and campaigns?  

Tehama Group Communications’ social media account showcases the work our agency produces and the strengths of our team members. It sends the message that we are a hardworking, successful agency and aims to generate engagement with past, current and future clients. TGC communicates this by highlighting three main ideas; the projects we’re currently working on, the clients we work with and our stellar staff. When prospective clients visit our social media pages they are shown reasons why they should choose us for their public relations needs. 

  1. Know what type of content you’re posting

The most successful social media pages are ones that follow a cohesive theme and pattern. The easiest way to create a theme is to follow a branding kit. A branding kit is a collection of specific colors, fonts and logos that make up a business’s visual identity. For example, Google only uses specific green, yellow, red and blue for all of their logos. When you apply brand guidelines to your social media, it makes your brand identifiable and consistent. According to WeIgniteGrowth.com, this consistency “is vital for building brand recognition and trust” with both consumers and investors.

After you have your branding kit in place, it’s time to think about what posts you want to create. A social media page should be filled with a mix of hard and soft posts. A hard post is important, relevant and timely, such as announcements for new products and projects or introductions for new team members. Soft posts on the other hand are evergreen, easy to create in advance and can be posted at any time. Industry tips and tricks and general posts about what your company does are just two examples of soft posts. 

  1. Create a schedule 

Now that you know what message you want to send to your audience, and what content you want to share, it’s almost time to start posting! Before uploading content to your channels, it is good practice to create a schedule. Without a schedule, it becomes easy to lose track of what you’re sharing causing odd posting patterns, and rushed or unproofed posts. No one wants to follow a page that’s littered with typos and random content circulations. 

One of the easiest ways to schedule posts would be to create a table with three columns: date to be posted, caption and graphic to be used. This allows you to visualize what your feed will look like. Another way to manage posts is to invest in a social media management tool such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite These tools allow users to monitor and schedule content to all social media accounts at one time. They also offer several other features such as campaign planners, analytic tools and performance trackers to save time and improve “the effectiveness of your social campaigns,” according to Forbes. 

Now that you have a message you want to send to your audience, know how your content is going to communicate it and have created a schedule, you are ready to become a social media manager! 

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How To Use Social Media Networks For Personal Branding

By Mia Taxin

The pandemic has forever changed the way we view business, entrepreneurship, and the media. In a world that was virtual for so long, online communication was the only way to form an identity for many. Thousands of creators grew during the pandemic, sharing their workdays, life advice, business experience, and niche of expertise in their field. Now more than ever is the importance of being educated on social media, and how you can use these tools to push your business or personal brand to new heights. Knowing where to begin can be difficult. Learn how to get started by reading the following.

1.  Establishing your Brand

If you are passionate about growing your brand or creating a lasting identity for yourself through social media, finding your niche is key. Establishing your brand as an individual or company allows you to have a stronger social presence. Forbes explains this concept by saying, “Creating branded content helps connect your customers or future customers to your company’s message and the value of services or products offered.” Not only does it ground your social precedence, but also allows your online community to easily recognize you through what you share.

2. Networking

Networking is a key way of gathering a following for your social platforms. It can also be a new way to gain attention from different communities. The New York Times writes, “Smart, relevant, timely posts can help you raise your company’s profile, especially when you use hashtags in a professional manner,” it’s not only hashtags that can grow your individual or company’s platform. The article also advises the importance of, “Building lists of influencers by industry and topic (these lists can be public or private)… get ideas on how to reach out and connect to them.” 

3. Knowing Which Platforms to Use

With over two billion users and 65 million active businesses, it’s no surprise that Facebook takes the lead on popular social media platforms. However, in the year 2021, TikTok surpassed what many thought of as growth, “Going from 55 million global users in January 2018 to 689 million by July 2020, according to Reuters.” While these two apps are heavy in video and text, if you aim to grow your business or personal brand on the visual side, head to the app store to download Instagram. With far-reaching hashtags, blank canvases, and millions of online communities, there are endless possibilities of how to represent yourself on the app.

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Ways To Increase Engagement With Social Media

By Briana Payan

Checking analytics regularly can help businesses see how many people you are reaching and what posts your audience are more likely to engage with.

One of the most powerful tools a business can use to be successful is social media. It is one the best ways to communicate with your customer on a one-on-one basis. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all have features that can help business owners. These platforms help to learn more about their audience and interests in order to increase customer relationships, increase sales and build customer loyalty. 

  1.  Create social media audits

Creating a social media audit helps business owners see the big picture of what’s working and what they might want to change on their accounts. According to Hootsuite, the first step into creating an audit is finding out how many accounts your business has. Take a look at all the accounts and see what type of posts are being created. This allows you to keep track of analytics and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of all your business accounts on each specific platform. 

  1. Pay attention to analytics

Follower count is not the only thing you should be paying attention to. It helps to see how many people are interested in your business, however, if you have 1000 followers but your posts are getting less than 50 likes, it is obvious that you are not making much of an impact. Checking analytics regularly can help businesses see how many people you are reaching and what posts your audience are more likely to engage with. This also allows you to see the demographics of your audience which can help tailor your posts. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all have features where creators can take a look at account analytics on the app itself.  

  1. Engage with your audience

Having that one-on-one relationship with your customer is the ultimate goal for creating these platforms. Therefore, asking questions and using specific hashtags allows your audience to keep coming back because they have a reassurance that you value their opinion as a customer. Responding to their comments also increases trust and lets them know you are not just a robot generator. This is especially important in our current time when it’s challenging not being able to have that face-to-face interaction like everyone is normally used to. 

  1. Study the algorthriums

Social media platforms all have their own set of algorithms and differentiate how they are generated. This becomes highly important when looking at the engagement of accounts. For instance, Facebook is more likely to favor friends and family posts, whereas Instagram has no preference. Knowing the way these platforms work, will help with boosts of engagement.   

  1. Follow what’s trending

Keeping an eye out for trends that you can participate in and relate to your business is important. Trends are constantly changing and social media users love to participate and engage with what is currently hot. Participating in what’s trending is a great opportunity to connect with your audience in a timely manner and keep conversations constant. Creating relatable content can increase shares which leads to a wider reach to targeted audiences.

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How “The Orville” Twitter account understands its fans

How “The Orville” Twitter account understands its fans

By: Martin Chang

One show I’ve become a big fan of is “The Orville.” It is Seth Macfarlane’s loving tribute to the Sci-fi that he loves. The show captures through it’s storytelling and visual details the magic of the genre.

“The Orville” is set 400 years in the future.   It follows the adventure of the Orville, which travels space in the name of discover. It has a staff of hundreds but it focuses on the adventures of the main crew. They have roles familiar to Sci-fi fans. These characters have titles, such as captain,  science officer and engineering.

Other than the story and getting the look right, the real strength of the show are the characters in the main crew and others.  They are sometimes funny with Macfarlane’s knack for comedy. But these characters also have the drama gravitas needed when they are facing situations where entire races face annihilation.  So, as a fan, I enjoy how these Twitter posts remind me and show off the personalities of the members of the crew.

The show recently featured a dramatic two episode story, so this post shows off the reasoning and understanding of the argument style that Cmr. Kelly Grayson, the woman in blue, and Dr. Claire Finn,  the woman in green, have when dealing with other species of beings, in this clip a race of unfeeling robots called the Kaylon.

The more fun, light hearted side of the show is also showed on Twitter. This post show off the sassy attitude of the security officer Lt. Talla Keyali.

A character whose named is Dann is a character occasionally used for comedic relief.  His charming awkwardness gives me some good laughs.

This is a great use of a social media channel.  It reminds fans of what they enjoy about the show.  Social media is used while people are doing other things such as between classes.  These posts have provided me with a quick break. It is fun for me to remember what I like about the Orville.  It’s nice to have a quick visit with the characters I enjoy.

These posts are not hard to make. They are just video clips and GIFs from the show.  So the enjoyment I get out of these posts show how little a public relations team has to do to make a difference to someone.  

Of course,  being such a big fan, the communication is easy to get across and be appreciated.  Most PR communication is more challenging. So I think my experience is best to try and duplicate when you know you are talking to someone who already likes the product emotionally in the same way I already have a positive  feeling towards “The Orville.”

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5 Ways to Stay Out of Trouble on Social Media

You know this scenario all too well.

You are scrolling through your camera roll on Sunday morning and find photos from last night of you with your roommates at the bars. You think you have found a photo that is totally insta-worthy. That is when you should stop, drop and ask yourself, “Is this acceptable to post on social media?” Here are some guidelines to consider.

  • Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your future employer to see.

You are sadly mistaken if you think employers read your application and resume and leave it at that. Social media is not a full representation of who a person is. However, when employers are sifting through hundreds of applications, it is something that puts a face and personality to your application. Make sure you take advantage of your online persona and craft it into someone that people will be pining to hire. Or, risk employers moving on to the next applicant because your online image is unprofessional and sloppy.

  • Privacy online is a myth.

You might think you are safe if you have your accounts on private, but there is always a mutual friend who can show someone of importance your posts on social media. Screenshots exist. You should assume the worst when posting something risky on social media, whether it is a photo on Instagram or a tweet.

  • Keep it neutral.

It should go without saying, but you should not post vulgar language or insensitive viewpoints on social media. You are entitled to your opinions. Just be ready to own up to the consequences for posting politically heated views or language that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to hear you say.

  • If you hate your job, complain to your friends in person. Don’t blast it on social media.

First of all, your current employer could see it and fire you. You might not care about it at the time, but think about how it could affect you when you are looking for a new, better job. If other employers see you complaining freely and publicly, they might not think you are the right person for their company. Who is to say you won’t start bad mouthing them once you get the job?

  • Showcase your personality.

Professional social media profiles shouldn’t lack personality. Just because you are refraining from posting unprofessional content doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share photos from your life or let your humor seep into your captions. Your social channels should leave a good first impression. Keep them clean, but make sure to make them interesting. Most importantly, make them reflect who you are and what you stand for.

Written by: Victoria Agius

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How to Perfect Your Instagram Brand

How to Perfect Your Instagram Brand

Instagram is an incredibly important part of maintaining a successful and modern business. I mean, look at Starbucks and their 14 million Instagram followers– that’s the same amount as Channing Tatum! Starbucks doesn’t post selfies of their six-pack so they must be doing something else right. So what exactly is it that makes a successful Instagram page and attracts followers who are genuinely interested in the products or services you are selling?

Color

First and foremost, there are 600 million monthly active Instagram users so it is important to make yours stand out on the very first click. One way to do this is by choosing a curated color palette. Take Youtuber Rachel Aust’s Instagram, for example. She sticks to four primary colors: white, black, green and light pink. This has become her brand and it is quite successful. I automatically know that it is one of her posts the second it pops up in my feed. Businesses can use this tactic by making their logo colors the primary colors in their posts.

Another way to curate your Instagram’s color palette is by sticking to a consistent filter. I personally use an app called VSCO and stick to one or two filters. Another way to do this is to use Photoshop to edit out colors that do not work with your theme. This may seem like a lot of work but having a well-thought-out Instagram will attract customers and make your business more money—which, when put in those terms, is worth a few minutes on Photoshop.

Don’t forget to keep up with the latest trends in your field for color but also try to stand out and be unique. People will remember a unique color scheme and come back looking for more.

Quality over Quantity

Alright, now that your aesthetics are on point, quality photos are a must. Even though the iPhone 7 can take better photos than some point-and-shoots, most professional businesses will use only high quality DSLR photos for their Instagram. This can include shots of models wearing a company’s clothing line, photos of the city the business is located in, inspirational quotes on top of beautiful backgrounds and more. World Market does a great job curating their Instagram because they pair high-quality photos with a consistent color scheme.

If you are lacking content for your Instagram feed, simply go outside and take photos of the city for an hour and use this shoot throughout your feed to promote variety and also personalize your business. For example, if you are trying to sell sandals, good content would include photos of the beach–the perfect place to wear your sandals.

Give Your Brand A Voice

Yes, it is great to sound professional and get right to the point, but people relate to real-life stories and humor. Caption the photos with a voice that is unique to your brand. Don’t be afraid to be hilarious or respond to comments. But, be wary of controversial issues if you do not want to lose customers or followers. A dramatic example of personalized brand voice comes from Denny’s, who makes it a point to post hilarious photos with equally compelling captions.

Plan It Out

A strong Instagram brand has variety so say hello to color-coded spreadsheets! Create your brand using an Instagram content calendar. This is a great way to make sure that you are not forgetting to make content for key social media holidays. Um, hello! Are you even a reliable Instagram business if you forget about National Donut Day? Although content calendars are great to hit key points, there are apps for more visual thinkers. For example, SneakPeek is an app that allows one to plan their Instagram feed in advance and see what works and what needs to be updated.

The Wrap Up

Of course, the most important part of an Instagram brand is staying authentic to the business and what is being sold. You are selling to humans who are not only attracted to what’s beautiful, but also to what’s real. We hope you found this helpful! Comment and let us know if you have any other tips and tricks up your sleeve for curating the perfect Instagram feed.