New Media and YOU – Farewell

Alas, our class is coming to its semester end, and sadly, so is our blog But fear not! We will not leave you hanging. Over the course of the semester, our blog has featured various social media platforms and how your business/organization can use them to connect with your audience. Before we go, let’s go over some of the key points that similarily spanned across our posts. These are good things to keep in mind no matter what platforms you are using.

Social Media Tips Recap

1. Be in dialogue with your audience
   The Web 2.0 is all about user-generated content. People like to be part of the process, so always show them that you’re open to that. Respond to comments as best you can, hold contests, and show you’re listening.
2. Use tags
   Whether it’s hashtags, keywords, or @mentions, use the platform’s tagging capabilities. It makes you more searchable and increases chances of popularity and reach.
3. Choose platforms wisely
   Finite resources makes everything a challenge. We have so much to do in limited time with limited money and limited people. Make sure the platforms you’re using to reach your audience has matching demographics and psychographics. For example, a small motorcycle accessories business might have a tough time on Wanelo, but Facebook and Instagram would probably have better results.
4. Be transparent
   Many of our tips have suggested to do things like featuring employees or showing how a product is made. It brings the audience to the other side, and they feel included. Let them in on what your organization is about. Trust from your audience and the feeling of belonging goes a long way.

Blogs To Follow

We don’t want your knowledge of social media to end with this blog. So, here are some other blogs and sites we think will serve you well:

• Ad Age
• Bill Crosby
• Social Mouths
• Spin Sucks
• Dave Fleet

Personally, we really suggest Bill Crosby and Social Mouths – they’re fun blogs and full of great information. All of the above sites are great though.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, reposted, liked, and commented on our blog. We appreciate interacting with you and receiving your support.

~ Katie, Amy, Myah, Carley, Staci

Wanelo and YOU

Courtesy of Tech Crunch

Have you or anyone you know said “I found this cool shirt on Pinterest, but I have no idea where to find it!” Well, yeah that’s probably Pinterest’s biggest weakness in a nutshell – people don’t know where to buy what’s on the post or if it’s even for sale. Pinterest is awesome in generating buzz about your business. But Wanelo (which comes from the line WAnt, NEed, LOve) takes it one step further and makes it so users can buy your product online. It turns the idea of Pinterest directly into a revenue model.

Before we go any further, it’s important to know that Wanelo doesn’t help sell everything – it does have a strong focus on monstly fashion and clothing. Keep that in mind if you’re considering using Wanelo to help with online sales. Yahoo! best describes the typical Wanelo user to be 14-30 years old, a woman, and a bit of a hipster.

So why use Wanelo? Why not just sell through your online store alone or use Facebook? Well just think of how Pinterest works – it’s fantastic for browsing…and discovery. It can boost your sales in a way normal e-commerce can’t:

It is quite different from normal e-commerce Internet shopping; it is much more like virtual window shopping. Rather, discovery commerce is much like browsing through a magazine catalog and discovering things that you didn’t realize you wanted to buy until you saw them, hence, “discovered” them. Education PR

To fully understand what Wanelo is, visit their “About” page. Here are some tips on how to use Wanelo to boost your online sales:

Wanelo Tips

1. Use “Save” Buttons
   If you use Wanelo’s “Save It” buttons on your Wanelos product pages, it helps increase its popularity. The button is a lot like Pinterest’s “Pins.” (Wanelo)
2. Keep Product Pages Up
   Even if the product is sold out or no longer being made, keep the page up. Have a friendly message directing the user to another similar item or simply that the item is out. This will help keep the traffic heading your way and boost sales of other products.
3. #Hashtag #With #Meaning #And #Creativity
   If you’re getting sick of us talking about hashtags, blame Twitter. But how else are people going to find your stuff? When you post a product, use meaningful hashtags that people would use to search for your item. You can also @tag other people based on their Wanelo username – great way to network.
4. Be Creative and Fun
   The social media platforms we’ve talked about in the past weeks all have a strong sense of creativity to them. Wanelo is the same. Use fun (but meaningful) hashtags, display fun products or display the product in a cool way. Maybe Wanelo will help you spice up the products themselves!

Go More In Depth

Here’s a video from Tech Crunch that gives a good overview of Wanelo and how you can make it work for your business online.

Next Week

We’re going to be honest that we don’t know what platform we want to talk about next! We kind of what to hear what you want. Do you have one that you’d like us to talk about? If so, make a note below and we’ll post some stuff next Friday 🙂

Pinterest and YOU

Photo from:
http://goo.gl/0Zmey

With 25 million unique visitors a month, Pinterest is quite the specimen. It’s a more niched social platform, yet it has massive traffic. Users can post links, recipes, and pictures on Pinterest, and it’s represented with a photo. Pretty unique social platform, huh?

Pinterest isn’t for every business. Motorcycle dealer?…maybe not the best place. But if you are a freelance photographer, this is probably a good site to use. Take a look at Pinterest’s infographic that better explains the user demographics of the site.

Tips for Pinterest

1. Use AWESOME Photos
   How does Pinterest display its posts? With PICTURES! Users can decide in a split second to pass over your pin or click on it, and there is high competition for their clicks. No matter what content the link posts to, lead them to it with a high quality and captivating photo (Social Media Today). Get creative – use memes, infographics, panoramas, close ups, high-quality cameras, and color effects.
2. Interact with People
   One of the best ways to get traffic to you is to follow, re-pin, and like. Just like other social media sites, people return the favor. It’s quite the symbiotic relationship (yes, we’re bringing science into this post). Be efficient with your time and focus on people in your target audience.
3. Make a Good Title
   Pinterest doesn’t have a complex algorithm like Google – it’s very straightforward. So, if you’re photo has a picture of a black lab in it, it’s probably a good idea to have “black lab” somewhere in the title. Anything is better than IMG_325.


Credit to Tech Crunch
http://goo.gl/gw2lY

4. Use Analytics
   Feedback on your marketing campaigns are important. No one wants to advertise to thin air – it wastes time and money. According to Tech Crunch, Pinterest offers a free feature for businesses that allow them to track the statistics of follows from Pinterest to their website.
5. Be Positive
   Have you taken a look at the differences in attitude when comparing Pinterest to Twitter and Facebook? The latter two tend to have some snarky posts and tweets. Pinterest tends to stay away from that, so you should too. Be positive and profound; avoid the dark and gloomy. If you have to go down that avenue, use another platform.

Go More In Depth…

We don’t want you to feel limited by what we presented, so here’s a couple more links you can follow:

• E-book for Pinterest Business Users
• Best Time to Pin

Next Week

Ever wish you could buy that adorable dress from that pin last week? Well, Wanelo makes it so you can. It’s Pinterest for shoppers! Check back next week to read about it.

In the meantime – do you think Pinterest will ever bring in more men? They make up for only 1/3 of the visitors. Think that will change?