COM0015 – Assignment #5 – Event Participation

I was lucky enough to get to travel to Nashville for a mechanical conference with a few of my coworkers. The event was not only meant for networking purposes but also for educational purposes. They held many seminars in hopes of teaching not only contractors but also manufacturers how to conduct their business.

MCAC Logo

At the conference, they held a women’s networking conference which was a let down. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to meet with the many women behind the scenes of the very male-dominant industry. It was a let down because these women were not inclined to meet the small amount of women that have recently entered the industry. Imagine high school cliques, and the new kid not fitting in.  Although that was a let down, I was still able to connect with our existing clients and many new clients. It was nice and different to do such because it wasn’t necessarily in a professional setting, therefore it was more relaxed and personal.

The Stage – Event Location

I learned that when people are allowed to relax and not constantly think about acting a certain way (professional in this sense), it is a lot easier to connect with them. I also learned that since many of the contractors considered this part of their vacation, they were less inclined to talk business and would rather have fun. This makes sense, however it was hard to determine where to proceed from that.

Seminar outline – By Chad Pearson

One of my most favourite seminars was by Chad Pearson – Elite Performance during chaos and critical stress. He discussed the body’s reaction to stress and chaos and how to trick your mind into focusing. It is our natural instinct to trust your gut when we are faced with stress, which means we are resorting to our fight or flight reflexes. So this was a fascinating send off, because it let me with some really great ideas on how to handle stressful moments. While also reading how people handle stress.

MCAC Board Members

There was another speaker by the name of Mandy Rennehan, a Blue-Collar female CEO. She has built her construction business based on her saviness and confidence. She is able to navigate the blue-collar and white-collar world effortlessly by connecting with both sides. And she did this by the time she was 19 years old. She was fascinating to listen to! She was incredibly personable and motivational!

I would definitely attend this type of event in the future. Although not all network events and seminars were not always targeted for me, there were a few speakers and seminars that hit home.

COM0015-Blog Post #4 – Out of the Box

There are so many practices to stay on top of online marketing and social media. Not all practices will be the best for your company but I believe there are a few that are consistent among everyone. 

I believe ensuring that your social media pages need to be up to date. This means not favouring one platform over the other. I understand content does not always need to be on every single platform, however the worst thing is when one is out of date over the other. Another good practice is posting every day at the most optimal time. This can only be determined through extensive research on your audience. However, posting daily puts you in front of their eyes and keeps you relevant. The most important best practice is by far doing your research. This means research your clients and audience profusely and determining what they want. This could mean what they want to see, what they want to buy and mostly, what they want to read. Having a document that tracks the statistics on each post will ensure that you are only on the incline with likes, followers and shares. 

An unexpected application was the use of instant messaging in larger companies. Even though we use Slack in my company to speak to a team member overseas, I didn’t think larger companies used it until I read an article about the new luggage company: Away. Although not a pleasant article, the company uses it to communicate in real-time with their entire team. Communication is essential in a company because I find that job duties have blurred lines so it’s not uncommon that people do tasks outside of their title. Therefore, having a live and constant flowing form of communication helps alleviate issues that people find with email. This includes email sorting to junk, accidental deletes or reads and simply….just getting lost in the shuffle. 

COM0015-Blog Post #3 – Professional Networking Now and in the Future

Networking is difficult if you are intimidated by crowds and speaking with people, however building solid professional relationships matter. It doesn’t necessarily require attending big events and meetings swarms of people. I’ve tried that, and names and faces just don’t seem to sink in. Therefore my strategy is quite simple. I’ve used my current career to build lasting relationships using correspondences. Due to the job I am in, I get to build a nest of clients that involve speaking to them on the regular. We always build up to a phone call and if I’m lucky, I will get to see them at tradeshows. These tradeshows are a few times of year, so I end up meeting a good portion of them in person. I find that meeting people in person and having a foundation, helps build the existing relationship much faster. It also means there’s less likely to be an awkward conversation.

My future strategy will include using Linkedin and networking more at tradeshows. I’ve normally kept to the people on Linkedin and during tradeshows. Stepping outside my comfort zone and trying to meet people will be hard, but the end result is what matters.

COM0015 – Blog Post #2 – Strong and Weak Organizations

There are two organizations that stick out in my mind when I think of impressive social media strategy. Mostly because they reworked their brand to increase sales as their organization hit a plateau and needed some help. They did this using social media strategies. 

The first organization is Canadian Tire. Everyone knows the brand however, most don’t know that they implemented the TESTED for Life in Canada program where they sent products to Canadians for testing. These Canadians would use it and provide a review. They also used social media influencers to promote their products, which would be promoted on both the influencer and Canadian Tire’s social media platforms. After reviewing their instagram, and scrolling back to the beginning, you can see how they’ve completely transformed their theme or strategy. 

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The second organization is Dove. They were simply a soap company that promoted their product but found a cause. They decided to promote body image and changing beauty standards which has opened their social media strategy to not only push their promotion. In turn, they are using their platform as a “voice”, while ensuring they are promoting their brand name. One thing that really seems to pop, is that they use plenty of short clips that draw in social media users. It really breaks up the many photos they post and can really help connect with the videos. 

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The organization that needs a little assistance would be Mechanical Business. There is no strategy, theme or consistency in their postings. As it is a publication, the news they promote is a variety so the theme can be difficult. However, they only post once a day and between monday and friday. There is no strategy in their postings and they do not tag companies or contacts. They would drastically benefit from a strategy.

They first need to research their customers and clients and see what they are looking at and interested in. They need to review and research their competition to see what they are doing and then implement a strategy. This would include a schedule, types of postings, contests and trying to get the cover celebrities to also promote their story on their social media. 

COM0015 – Tools & Sources

My two favorite social media listening/monitoring tools are Google Analytics and Google Alerts. Both are extremely handy tools that aid in keeping on track in the day to day stats and information. Using Google Analytics can helps not only track your blog or website sessions, but also helps thoroughly explain the finer details such as, page sessions, favourite pages, and audience insight. Using Google Alerts alleviate the stress in having to search for news or content that is of interest to you. The alerts pop-up and inform the user that content that is of their interest is now live on a certain site. This helps websites receive traction, while also making your life easier. 

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I have three news/update sources that are my favourite. I like using the CBC news app to keep up to date with the news. The app is extremely easy to navigate, all while being visually appealing. 

The other two sources are actually monitored using the Snapchat app. On snapchat, you are able to “follow” certain pages, and in this case it is CNN and the Daily Mail. While I personally don’t trust in the reporting styles, I do find both produce appealing need-to-know stories that draw you in. In this case, they chose roughly 10 stories in a row that you are able to flip through. They show an image with a header and line from the story, which draw the reader in. This layout is appealing and the stories are a quick 3 minute read. 

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I find that the differences in using the app versus using snapchat page really depend on the length of time I have to review the news. One is more of an active search, while the other gives you the essential news.

COM0014 – Blog #7: What I’ve learned

I came into this course a little worried about how everything would pan out. I was overly thrilled as I was told to take the course in hopes to help the company build up their social media platforms. I am completely floored with everything I’ve learned. It is crazy to think how much you can learn about the digital world in just two months. It just shows you that courses about blogs, social media, stats and everything digital will only expand as new things are happening every day.

In this course, I learned about content and the importance behind. In my job, I help editors, but I don’t write any content, so I didn’t truly understand the value of good content until we built our social media channels, and nothing was working. Then I take this course, and its light bells are ringing in my head! We learned about becoming a storyteller and how easy it is to pump out useless information instead of focusing on the flow. We learned about the audience and how important they are in creating brand awareness. We learned about an audience and how diverse they can be, which means adjusting styles of communication to fit. We learned about creating meaningful content in hopes to be relatable and connect with the audience.

We learned so much and I still believe I will need to review all the content once again to make sure I can remember it all! I’m very happy I had the opportunity to be apart of this course and learn such valuable lessons.

COM0014 – Blog #6 : Traveling shaped me…

I believe there are a few pivotal moments in your life that can truly shape who you are. But no one talks about the little moments that are your foundation. This could mean getting a pep talk from a teacher, or revealing a secret to your parents, or being so proud of your small achievements. Some of the moments from my childhood that shaped me usually involved travel. If you’ve traveled when you were young, you understand the feeling of being completely vulnerable. New surroundings and people can do that to you.

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My father traveled a lot when he worked, and he found a company that offered an incentive to include your family on your travel. This means we spent a couple of summers in different countries and traveling in between. We met so many people, travelled all around the world, all the while never really settling in one spot. When you’re a kid you don’t appreciate it, but now as I am an working adult, I am so thankful. Traveling when I was younger meant I became worldly, open-minded, confident and was able to meet the greatest people!

Although not feasible, I believe everyone should get a taste of traveling. I think people would be happier and more welcoming to different cultures and backgrounds. One thing my dad has always said is “the world is getting smaller everyday”, meaning traveling is more accessible now than ever.

COM0011 – What is TikTok?

You may have heard of it before, but this new social media platform has only increased in popularity is TikTok. As someone already on social media, I felt quite out of the loop when it came to TikTok and only recently started paying attention to all the news surrounding its growth. What is TikTok? Well if you are like me and had need to research the details, look no further! A Chinese company in 2016, bought an existing platform and renamed it to TikTok. This platform allowed users to post funny memes, stories and videos of themselves, which then is shared amongst other users. Part of the allure to the program is that users are able to apply filters, and special effects to enhance their own videos.

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TikTok has been able to entice users through platform challenges and trending hashtags, which has increased its popularity among younger generations. It began with a large audience in China and slowly expanded overseas, mostly using challenges. It truly boomed when influencers and celebrities began to take part and people wanted to watch what they were posting. Hashtags are vital to TikTok when posting a video as they help categorize the content, gain followers, become an influencer, and know what is trending.

Although TikTok is now a trending platform, it has been hitting some bumps in the road. But were these legal issues just growing pains in a now international company? The first issue being that religious countries had issues with explicit content being easily accessible. In this instance, India files a lawsuit claiming the inappropriate content could lead to “cultural degradation”. After enforcing stricter rules on content, they once again hit a bump in the road over data collection from children in the US. Since they were collecting data from minors without parental consent, they had to hefty fine. Recently in the news, TikTok was once again blasted over the “Momo challenge”. This was a video of the bird woman appearing on multiple social media platforms instructing children to do bad things such as kill themselves or else “Momo” would find them. Although they were not the only platform listed, due to a large portion of their audience being minors, it became a platform for parents to worry about.

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Surprisingly, companies have already jumped in the band waggon and started promoting their brand on TikTok. The best example would be Chipotle posting the “Guacamole song” and a bowl of their guacamole, which ended up sparking Guacamole dance challenge. It worked because it aligned with the theme of TikTok, which is to have fun and be silly in a safe environment. Chipotle did a great job at promoting their brand using trending hashtags, a funny song and it sparked a challenge which help the video gain stardom. I think as time goes on, we will be seeing a rise in companies promoting their brands in silly ways in hopes that it will help their corporate image. You look at the chipotle video and you don’t think about them as a corporation, but rather an individual with a sense of humour.

As TikTok gains more popularity with younger generations and celebrities, more people will start to join due to the classic symptom of “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out). More companies will have to learn the new platform to ensure they can start to promote brand awareness. Hopefully TikTok will create stricter rules when it comes to content, children on the platform and predators. Although they cannot control users, parents will have to learn about the program more depth to ensure their kids are safe.

Sources:

https://www.al.com/news/2019/02/what-is-momo-challenge-viral-challenge-is-a-creepy-internet-hoax-how-to-protect-your-children.html

https://nealschaffer.com/is-tiktok-the-next-big-thing-in-social-media-marketing/

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/way-everything-seem-less-hopeless-teens-are-using-humor-tiktok-n1065226

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-app-online-website-video-sharing-2019-7

Facebook: Heard of TikTok, yet can’t wrap your head around it? Look no further, we’ve got you covered! Click here for more: https://bit.ly/2Puvmyo

Twitter:  Meme, videos, challenges and more! New social media platform is making strides. Are you on TikTok?

#tiktok #socialmedia #tiktokchallenge #genz

COM0014 – Blog #5: My personal brand

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Your personal brand is what you project to the world. It could be your image, such as style, your job, your personality, even those that surround you. All these factors our cohesive in developing your personal brand. It’s quite difficult to break all these down to qualities, as it does feel “braggy”, however it should be something you are proud of. I like to tell people that I am a sponge, and as weird as that may sound it makes me stand out from my competition. I strive to learn as much as I can and progress every day. That means I ask a lot of questions, I listen to those around me and I learn from my mistakes. I am also very personable, which correlates to listening because I can have a conversation with anyone, which is why people open up to me very easily.

I work at a trades publication, where I am surrounded by men that have years on me in this industry. They are all very accomplished in their careers, therefore I strive to be better. It may sound aggressive, but I know I have something to prove, so I make it a point to be better at my job every day. I am extremely organized, direct, passionate and a hard-worker. As much as they seem dull, these traits have helped me prove myself to my colleagues.

As much as I am very focused on my career, I still try to make work as fun as you can. I love chatting with my coworkers and trying to connect beyond a business relationship. I believe my light and humorous attitude really brings a distinctive value to the team. It helps me connect with our readers when we are at tradeshows and also connect with clients.

The thing I am most proud about myself is all the countries I have been able to travel to that has helped broaden my point of view, while also learning about the world. Traveling has been a real gift and has allowed me to meet some of the greatest people in the world. These are the people I surround myself with and they also represent my brand, and this makes me proud.

COM0011: Influencers are changing marketing methods

Influencers are a new “influence” in the marketing world, and they prove they are a powerful source to deliver information. An influencer is someone that uses their platforms through paid sponsorships, to push a product or service to their followers. When you think of influencers, you may be thinking of celebrities like the Kardashians, however celebrities and influencers are often misconstrued as the same thing. The difference lies in the way they built their audience. Celebrities built their audience through their careers in tv, movies or music, whereas an influencer builds their audience using blog, vlogs, social media and channels that allow them to express their opinion. Both can use their status to promote products or services in exchange for a handsome fee, but is this the new method to marketing?

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Influencers have been able to use social media for their benefit through gaining trust of their audience. They are average people with either a hobby, such as fashion or photography, that are willing to share their experiences and their honest opinions. Influencers are founded on whether they are relatable, their size of audience and their impact. It is the amplified “word of mouth” campaigns that resonates with their audience because it is not sales focused, but rather personal. An influencer will use their own images and copy; therefore their “voice” enforces the authenticity of the product and thus are more trustworthy than traditional advertising methods. Since the classic glorified marketing methods do not build personal relationships, consumers are now understanding that companies only show you what they want to see. Whereas, an influencer will break down the benefits, uses and tips in an informative way and therefore a more reliable source.

The rise in influencers and the pricetag around posts have resulted in a surplus of sponsored content, in which the audience may not like. It becomes oversaturated and therefore a less trustworthy product or service. Although this is the responsibility of the influencer to control and maintain, they could be blinded by the paycheques that keeps coming their way. This is where companies need to be more strategic with their choices in marketing influencers. Instead of looking for the largest number of followers and previous stats on past endorsements, they need to choose the right influencer that could target their specific type of audience. Or risk your brand being affiliated with someone that is deemed “annoying” and “untrustworthy”. They then must relinquish control and allow the influencer to be natural and promote the product/service to their audience the way the know how.

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Influencers have been able to profit off postings that most have turned it into a full-time job. This has caused an impact in traditional marketing methods, as companies are diverting their attention completely. Therefore, with influencers using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to push their platforms, the social media companies are realizing they are not profiting and their own ad services are taking a hit. So how do they ensure that they are still able to make a profit off of ads? Well, they simply take away “likes” which is an influencer ‘bread and butter’. These “likes” are stats that companies want to see when someone is promoting their product. Although Facebook/Instagram are preaching that removing then “likes” will help with mental health, they have obviously done the math to ensure they are still making money off their marketing methods.

Influencers have been changing the game when it comes to marketing, but it has a come to a point where people are questioning the brand and the influencers authenticity. The new trend for 2020 digital marketing will be using micro-influencers to promote their product. This is because these influencers have less that 1,000 followers, which is a targeted and specific audience. The specific audience means their product is more likely to resonate with the audience. But what will the next trend be when it once becomes over saturated?

Sources:

https://blog.hootsuite.com/influencer-marketing/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/08/08/how-is-influencer-marketing-changing/#6e0bec5b4cec

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/not-influencer-marketing-changing/1664759

FACEBOOK: 2019 was the year of the influencer….what will 2020 bring? Click on the link to read more: https://bit.ly/2RkfOjv

TWITTER:  Are influencers a marketing trend or here to stay?

#influencers #marketingtrends #socialmediainfluencers