Embracing Social Media

In today's day and age, it is important to take advantage of social media, both the good and the bad. JD Rucker emphasizes this in his blog post titled "Don't Fear Your Customers on Social Media- Embrace Them!" In his post Rucker discusses how some people and businesses fear social media because they do not want to be portrayed in a bad light or have people discussing them negatively for other customers to see online. Rucker says that no social media presence at all  is worse than a negative one. He goes on to talk about some of the world's most beloved brands including Disney, Apple, and Amazon. He says that no matter how big and popular your brand is and how much people love it, there are always going to be haters out there. Social media is a voice for people to discuss their likes and dislikes about different brands and specific products. Rucker says that instead of trying to hide and cover up bad press for a brand or product, social media gives marketers the chance to address consumer's specific issues. If anything, the Applebee's social media controversy not too long ago demonstrates just that. By trying to delete comments and hide the issue, Applebees made the situation ten times worse. If marketers take Rucker's advice and use social media to their advantage and work on turning negatives into positives with good, constructive customer service, they will most likely see positive outcomes in the future.

Spreading News through Social Media

In this article, Justin Mitchell acknowledges social media as a huge platform to spread news so rapidly. On Sunday Feb. 10th, a huge tornado touched down in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, causing severe damage to the entire town and the University of Southern Mississippi's campus. Around 5:30 PM, a Hattiesburg resident posted a picture on his Facebook of the tornado touching down. Just seconds later, the picture had been re-posted and shared on Facebook over 38 times. The Sun Herald contacted the poster of this photo to ask permission to post it on their Facebook page as well. 

By 6 PM Twitter was also trending with updates under #Hattiesburg and #Hattiesburgtornado. The Weather Channel even used Twitter to share and post a video of the tornado on their website. The fact that we can use social media to connect to to others so far away, and experience what they are going through around the same time they are actually experiencing it, is a very extraordinary thing. I first heard about the tornado when a good friend of mine instagrammed a picture of the tornado. I immediately texted her and a few of my other friends who live and go to school in Hattiesburg to make sure they were all okay. I went through pictures and videos on Facebook after so I could see more vividly what had happened. I then turned on the news to find out more about the storm and the damage it had done. 

It is funny that in today's society a news channel is almost looked at as a secondary resource by many. I was first informed about the storm through social media, and explored it further through other social media websites. The news was my last resource. Social media allows us to share real life events with others as they are happening, and I think this is one of the reasons it is such a blessing. 

Social Media Brand Attributes

Social media blogger Heidi Cohen has a lot to say when it comes to one's social media brand on the internet. In her article on January 17th, titled "35 Brand Attributes to Consider," she gives 35 different tips to consider in order to make your presence best known to followers via social media. Some important tips include watching your blogging format, making the most of your brand name and brand voice, and also making sure you have a prominent/unique brand story. According to Cohen, people pay more attention to a story then a bunch of facts. Fans and followers like to have something tangible and memorable to relate to, and a good story is a crucial way to separate yourself from other bloggers and the millions of social media users. This story can be more personable and related to the founder's history or background, or it can be the story of the founder's company/platform and how it came into existence. Regardless, the story is crucial to differentiating a person/company on social media. I think Cohen makes some very good points in her blog. I have personally noticed that I pay more attention to people on social media that I can relate to more because I connect with their personal stories, or have a a better connection with. Social media is all about connecting with others you feel you have something to gain from because you share certain things in common. I think this is the most important strategy to consider when trying to make the most of blogging or social media in general.