Business in the Palm of a Hand

Through class this semester, I have learned how to create a social media strategy and vision for my client, Ace of Diamonds jewelry store. Looking into the future, the “Implementation” lecture shared insight on the potential challenges that my client may face in implementing the recommendations I’ve provided. By watching the video, I have found several obstacles that Ace of Diamonds will have to overcome in the process of building its social media presence and becoming a social organization.

Challenges that Ace of Diamonds may face in implementing my recommendations include losing focus on purpose, changing the view of social media from a task to a tool, and being resourceful with a limited budget. First, my client will have to maintain a consistent purpose through their use of social media. This purpose must be the driving force behind all content publication and Ace of Diamonds must work to keep their focus on this main objective, rather than the technology that will be used. Next, staff at Ace of Diamonds should view social media as a tool, rather than seeing it as a task. Currently, content is not being uploaded as often as my client desires, so shifting the team’s mindset on why they are creating and sharing posts will help the business maintain a valuable social media presence for their customers. Finally, my client does not have a large budget for social media. As the lecture mentioned, it is vital that Ace of Diamonds acts resourcefully, despite monetary limitations. Hiring the right person or people to perform social media duties will help my client achieve their goals while sustaining a large enough staff to handle sales at the store. Though my client may face several challenges in implementing my social media recommendations, once these challenges are overcome, Ace of Diamonds will be leaps and bounds closer to their goals in the journey to becoming a social organization.

Chiechi, Theresa. “Tips for Successful Social Media Management Company.” The Balance. 2019, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/start-a-social-media-management-business-1794528 Accessed 17 Dec. 2021

Having completed the third and fourth Hootsuite Modules, I gained an understanding of how meaningful content is developed and distributed. From the chapter materials, I learned about the process that businesses should perform to determine what content to create for publication. First, a company should gather research about the effectiveness of their current social media strategy, their best performing content, and what their competitors are posting, looking at each platform as a unique opportunity for growth. With this data, the organization can best decide which types of posts will be most successful on each of their social profiles. The process of developing content involves scheduling, facilitated through the use of a content calendar. In the graphic below, an example of a more general, monthly content calendar that I created for my client, Ace of Diamonds, can be seen, detailing when sales were held and when posts should have been made to different platforms. Content calendars act as a resource for employees with social media access to use when determining when to post, on which account, and what specific information to include.  

Beyond the development of engaging content, Hootsuite Modules 3 and 4 also shed light on the best practices for sharing posts to an organization’s audience on various social sites. In general, effective content is attention-grabbing, tends to have visual appeal, is varied over time, and ends with a clear call to action (“Effective Best Practices”). For example, advertisements from The Human Society and the ASPCA, like the one seen below, are memorable because they involve shocking visuals of animals in various desperate conditions that capture audience attention and always wrap up with an ask for viewer donations. Posts shared by a business should be focused on eliciting a response, physical or emotional, from a specific group of customers. For example, in November, my client Ace of Diamonds shared a Black Friday post detailing the store’s sale on Pandora jewelry with the hope that readers would respond by coming in and making purchases. In all, developing and sharing effective content on social media is a process that involves research, scheduling, and a strategic vision for the achievement of goals.

In order to become a social organization, a business must be able to implement the principles of effective content development and sharing. Once a routine of consistent distribution of valuable content has been established, a company can focus on social expansion. A large, engaged audience can be leveraged to create a self-sustaining environment of a brand’s customers where questions or concerns can be addressed. By standing apart from competitors through consistently providing customers with meaningful content, rather than useless advertisements, businesses that are able to develop and share effective content can become social organizations, able to harness the power of their expansive online audiences.

Works Cited

“ASPCA Action.” ASPCA, https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-action.

“December 2021 Calendar.” Free Printable Calendar, (n.d.), https://www.free-printable-calendar.com/december-2021-calendar.html

 “Effective Best Practices for Sharing Content.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/lessons/2540632-effective-best-practices-for-sharing-content

 “Social Advertising Fundamentals.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/texts/5749792-chapter-4-overview

This week’s material, including chapters 4 and 5 of The Social Organization and Chapter 3 of the Hootsuite Modules, discussed the concept of community building within an organization. From both activities, one major shared theme is the idea that businesses should treat each audience on their various social media platforms as a unique community. Beyond this common sentiment, each reading shared insight on key principles of growing a strong community of online participants.

Through analyzing chapters 4 and 5 in The Social Organization, by Anthony Bradley and Mark McDonald, I learned about the key steps in community building that a business follows as it moves towards becoming a social organization. First, businesses must develop a vision statement. The purpose of a vision statement, as described within our text, is to help community building by showing leadership’s buy-in to collaborative efforts and where value can be added to the organization through social activities (Bradley 40). Being able to convey the significance and benefits involved in community collaboration allows businesses to gain trust and participation from their target audiences. However, vision statements are not “one-size-fits-all” and must be adjusted based on the organization’s initial attitude towards social media. The “Six F” Model of Attitudes, detailed in Chapter 5 of our book, describes the six common perspectives on social media use from a business standpoint, ranging from folly to fusing (Bradley 47). Depending on how close an organization is to holding a fusing viewpoint on social media, held by social organizations, vision statements should be contain more explicit information, with emphasis on specific points of value. For example, if a business fits the “folly” attitude most closely, their vision statement should not contain general phrases, but should share “tangible benefits tied directly to recognized organizational goals or challenges,” (Bradley 48). Chapter 5 of The Social Organization delved into the significance of creating a community collaboration strategy as a way to guide these groups’ efforts. As described within the text, this strategy involves figuring out a way to choose a collaborative effort to pursue and the process of investing in particular communities (Bradley 57). Setting these policies in place early will allow a business to effectively manage its community collaboration efforts throughout its life. Of utmost importance to the success of a community collaboration strategy, a well-defined, clear purpose must be defined, encouraging the audience being targeted to involve themselves in the movement. Based off those shared on page 60 of our text, an example of a purpose for McDonald’s fast food chain might be to “Engage our McRib customers to collaborate on product improvements, timing preferences for distribution throughout the year, and pricing determination in order to increase customer satisfaction”. Backed by a strong sense of purpose and holding a vision for the future, businesses can find success in their community collaborative efforts.

Having completed the Hootsuite Chapter 3 Module, I gained further insight on methods that businesses can use to build an online community and have determined several areas where these principles can be applied to my client, Ace of Diamonds jewelry store. A focal point of the reading was the idea each audience housed within each of a business’s social media platforms should be treated differently. A content strategy and a content calendar must be developed, detailing the organization’s organized plan for dispersing content on specific profiles. Once a business has created a strategic schedule for publishing content, the focus can shift to maximizing the effectiveness of individual account’s posts.

Creating a content strategy involves research, identifying the business’s target audience, determining organizational goals, and deciding on a distribution method for content. First, an organization’s current social media use should be analyzed, looking specifically for top-performing posts on each site, to determine what content is most effective (“Social Content”). In the case of my client, Ace of Diamonds, Facebook posts involving videos and pictures of people wearing jewelry products experience the highest levels of customer engagement. For this reason, I recommend that the store’s staff work to generate additional video content and images involving people to be posted on Facebook. Beyond a strategy for publishing content to each platform, a business should create a content calendar that outlines when different posts will be made to various channels. If possible, this document should house all of the information pertaining to a future post, including the topic, the written copy, and the actual content, being a photo or video, that will be posted (“Social Content”). Relating this principle to my client, Ace of Diamonds should build a calendar defining when content will be shared on the store’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. For example, with new holiday hours coming up, a post detailing the updates to when the store will be open should be scheduled to be published a day or two before the intended changes are to take place. This will allow Ace of Diamonds’ audience time to digest the news and distribute the information to friends or family who may be interested. Another principle from the Hootsuite module that can be applied to my client project is the use of created versus curated content. Created content is produced within an organization, whereas curated content comes from external sources (“Social Content”). Much of Ace of Diamonds’ published content is created content, being graphics with text overlays, images taken by the store’s staff members, and informational posts written by the store’s owners. Since curated content offers an opportunity to connect with a brand’s audience, Ace of Diamonds should consider gathering and publishing images from their customers of products purchased at the store. For example, a picture of a newly engaged woman’s ring could be reposted to the store’s Facebook profile as a cost-effective and community-friendly content option. Overall, following the ideas laid out in chapters within The Social Organization and Hootsuite’s third module will allow businesses, like my client Ace of Diamonds, to establish an online community that will aid in the achievement of the organization’s goals.

Works Cited

Bradley, Anthony J., and Mark P. McDonald. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees, Harvard Business Review, Boston, MA, 2011, pp. 39-76.

“Social Content Marketing.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/downloads/2581004-chapter-3-overview

As the internet grows and expands globally, the impacts of online surveillance through mass data collection, storage, and sale are being uncovered, revealing threats and opportunities to businesses and consumers that had not previously been considered. After watching Doug LaLone’s lecture, listening to Maciej Ceglowski’s talk, and reading Ethan Zuckerman’s article, I have gained a deeper understanding of the dangers involved with the use of big data, important information related to data collection to be aware of, and how online business models act as a driving force behind surveillance on the internet. Each speaker and author of this week’s content agreed that consumers should be aware of the issues surrounding online surveillance and that regulatory changes must be made in the future to ensure our own privacy.

This week’s lecture “The Legal Side of Big Data” discussed key concepts of online surveillance that businesses and individuals should be aware of and provided recommendations for mitigating the associated risks and opportunities. In today’s market, companies that collect extensive customer information online must be aware that their databases make them a target for data hacks and breaches. For example, LaLone noted the leak of 740 million records from Target’s system in 2013 (LaLone). Time should be spent assessing risk factors for potential hacking and a plan of action should be determined in the event that the company is breached. Businesses also must be attentive to contracts they agree to, such as confidentiality agreements with vendors and employee agreements, to ensure that the policies limit these individuals’ access to user’s data. Data collected should be the lawful property of the company that gathered it and should be used solely to make products better and longer lasting, to help the company gain a competitive edge, and for the consumer’s benefit.

On the other side of the spectrum, individuals must be aware of several critical facts including the fact that “cloud” servers retain all data entered into the system, regardless of whether it has been deleted by a user. This means that private information, search histories, locational data, and so on, is stored and cannot be destroyed, even upon the request of the source of the data, the consumer. Additionally, individuals should recognize that companies storing their personal data are not immortal and may end up falling to bankruptcy, being sold, or merging with another company. In these cases, data is at risk of being distributed to the highest bidding business, especially if the original company did not have a strong privacy policy in place. To balance the threats and opportunities involved with big data, we must be proactively working against immoral online surveillance tactics by granting businesses only limited access to our personal data. Specific agreements on how gathered data can and will be used by a company should be outlined in permission requests and contracts shared with customers, vendors, and employees. In simple terms, to avoid risks and take advantage of returns involved with big data, individuals and companies must be intentional with their respective distribution and collection of information.

Both discussing the ideas of Maciej Ceglowski, the article and the second video for this week delved into the topic of how internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering online. Although advertising is thought to be the main source of profit source for businesses marketing themselves online, the film and article highlighted “investor storytime” as the key revenue-builder. Investor storytime is described as “when someone pays you to tell them how rich they’ll get when you finally put ads on your site,” essentially the process of convincing investors that your company’s ads are more valuable than others (Zuckerman). This emphasis on getting large sums of money from small numbers of rich investors seeking wealth in the future differentiates investor storytime from traditional advertising, which aims to collect small amounts of money from as many consumers as possible. By selling potential future gains to investors, investor storytime encourages further data collection as it is driven by the need to prove that advertising will be successful through its utilization of constantly expanding databases of customer information. Persuaded by the idea that massive amounts of data should be collected in order to improve advertising exponentially, online surveillance becomes the natural system of gathering this information. We have grown accustomed to our internet activity being recorded, with most consumers accepting this form of tracking as an exchange for “free” access to information. Data collection is further encouraged by the lack of current legislation that would shed light on what data can be stored, how long it can be kept, what happens in the event of bankruptcy, sale, or acquisition, and would allow users the right to download and destroy their own personal data.

As much as we would like to think that we can take a stand against being surveilled, it is almost impossible in our current climate to avoid these prying tactics. As the article mentioned, once everyone you know is using a social media platform to communicate and share content, it’s hard not to join them, even if the app’s policies are not focused on consumer’s best interests. In this way, large social media platforms are able to yield participation from almost every user along the spectrum of concern about personal privacy violation. As an example, my mother is notoriously very conscious about protecting herself from internet surveillance, using alternative search engines and rarely entering data about herself into websites. All this being said, a quick internet search would reveal that my mother has a long-standing Facebook profile, showing that even those with the highest awareness of these issues, actively defending themselves, still fall prey to the online companies they are trying so desperately to avoid.

Works Cited

Ceglowski, Maciej. “The Internet With a Human Face.” Vimeo, 20 May 2014, https://vimeo.com/102717446

Chappatte, Patrick. “Cybersurveillance.” International Herald Tribune, 13 March 2016. Accessed 23 Nov. 2021. https://medium.com/enrique-dans/when-it-comes-to-spying-on-internet-users-who-s-out-of-step-here-9574ccd06618

LaLone, Doug. “The Legal Side of Big Data.” Panopto, 16 July 2015, https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=4fe95594-73e5-4b1a-8a3c-83896b88b6d9. Lecture recording.

Despite having benefited society in many ways, the propagation of junk news is a major issue that has resulted from the widespread use of the Internet and social media platforms. The article, Three Reasons Junk News Spreads So Quickly Across Social Media, delved into three main reasons behind the limits on dissemination of transparent, truthful information. In this blog post, I will discuss my view on the key roles that algorithms, advertising, and selective exposure play in strategically promoting false or misleading information.

Algorithms act as mediators between consumers of social media and the massive collection of information available on the Internet. In this role, algorithms have been given the power to make decisions for the user, determining what content will be displayed based on calculations that use data gathered on every aspect of an individual’s online activity. To put it simply, all of the information shown on our timelines has been carefully selected through an algorithm’s processes, with the goal of keeping us happily looking at our screens for as long as possible. If functioning ethically, algorithms would, in theory, produce a fair representation of results, where information freely flows to users (Howard). However, in reality, common algorithms generate results that are limited based on the user’s individual interests and online activity, showing information that will best capture the viewer’s attention rather than fulfill their desire for accurate, unbiased answers. In this way, algorithms have made it more difficult to find opinions or ideas that do not align with an individual’s personal thoughts or preconceived biases, since these processes entire aim is to use the data collected about our behavior to predict our points of view. By filtering information to a maximum, algorithms act to impede and obstruct access to truthful, reliable search results, thereby promoting the spread of misinformation.

Advertising contributes to the spread of inaccurate information by promoting viral content, which is itself spurred by the use of clickbait. The article defines clickbait as “content designed to attract attention – often by stimulating outrage, curiosity, or both,” and can be found in written forms, such as misleading titles in the news, and visual forms, like provocative pictures in advertisements. In a general sense, clickbait encourages viewers to consume content through the use of exaggeration and deception.

As a regular YouTube user, I am highly familiar with seeing clickbait images in the thumbnails of videos, clearly fabricated in such a way to invoke intrigue and capture attention. More often than not, these thumbnail photos have little to nothing to do with the video, or are a small fraction of the content within, leaving the audience frustrated while the creators profit from their views. As an example, YouTube channel ‘The Ace Family’ (The Ace Family's YouTube Channel) has been called out in the past for their use of clickbait images, such as a photo of Catherine McBroom, member of the Ace family, on an operating table with a liposuction tube in her arm, displayed above a video titled “REVEALING MY NEW BODY! (MOMMY MAKEOVER)”. If anyone is interested… which is the channel’s entire goal here, I must add… here is the link to the 30-minute video. I would like to save a half hour of your lives, though, by letting you know that only two minutes of the video actually contain footage of Catherine in the operating room. Classic clickbait.

In addition to outside forces mentioned, we, as consumers, also play a role in the filtration of information ultimately shown on our social media platforms and the Internet beyond through selective exposure. As described within the article, people tend to engage with and share content that “conforms to their pre-existing beliefs,” (Howard). By determining what sources are worthwhile based on compliance with one’s pre-conceived biases or discomfort with challenging one’s assumptions, we limit ourselves to a small subset of the vast amount of information available on the Internet. The fact that “voters tend not to change political parties or favored candidates,” because they engage with content that fits with their established preferences, is a great example of the impact of selective exposure discussed in the text (Howard). It is easy to imagine that agreeable information is much more palatable than conflicting ideas, but the consequences of avoiding differing opinions from one’s own must be considered. When disregard is given to content that does not support one’s personal thoughts, individuals act to limit themselves from receiving all-inclusive, accurate information.

In all, businesses and individuals must be aware of the impact that algorithms, advertising, and selective exposure can have on the widespread consumption of false information. Knowing that algorithms can produce skewed results, people should actively seek out multiple points of view from several sources to better inform themselves on subjects of interest. Mindful of the deception involved in clickbait, consumers and companies should avoid relying on content that uses tactics aimed at increasing virality and attention over promoting valid information. Finally, to avoid the effects of selective exposure, individuals should consume content that challenges their own beliefs, whether that contains new information or an opposing outlook. By making conscious choices in relation to algorithms, advertising, and exposure, businesses and individuals can avoid associated obstructions to access to fair, truthful information.

Works Cited

Howard, Philip, and Samantha Bradshaw. “Three Reasons Junk News Spreads So Quickly Across Social Media.” Oxford Internet Institute, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/blog/three-reasons-junk-news-spreads-so-quickly-across-social-media/.

“REVEALING MY NEW BODY! (MOMMY MAKEOVER).” YouTube, uploaded by The ACE Family, 12 Oct. 2021. [Screen capture by Kellie Sauve], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZ7_PUKseA

Through this week’s lecture on social media consulting, I gained insight on what a career in consulting involves and what a consultant needs to know in order to be successful. In my opinion, the most important qualities for a social media consultant to possess are openness to new ideas, innovative thinking, a social personality, and organization. First, an individual in this role must be willing to consider and accept new ways of thinking and opportunities, such as emerging technologies. For example, consultants must decide whether communication with customers will be facilitated via more traditional channels, such as email or phone call, or whether their company will adapt to communicating through modern networks, like social media messaging and online chat functions. As an additional example, a relatively new social media platform, TikTok, has taken the world of online marketing by storm, and social media consultants of today must evaluate the value of expanding their company’s social media presence into the app. Beyond openness to ideas, an effective social media consultant is able to think innovatively to solve problems, address opportunities, and develop marketing plans that capture attention. Given that in the world of consulting, the client’s problem is rarely ever presented clearly upon initial contact, successful online advisors are able to creatively apply their knowledge to define and solve complex issues (Social Media Consulting). Additionally, a social personality is a key characteristic of an individual who is well-suited to be a consultant. In this position, regular interaction with different clients is required as it is the consultant’s duty to educate and advise clients about potential problems and opportunities. For example, a social media consultant may work with a client to determine their target audience and decide on which channels of communication would be most appropriate. Due to these essential attributes of the job, the ability to enthusiastically and effectively communicate with all levels of clients, from small business owners to leaders of major corporations, is necessary to be successful in the role. Organization is another key quality of a valuable social media consultant in the modern era. With several online profiles being maintained for each client, a functional system of management of these sites must be in place for high quality work to be produced continually. As an easy example, issues could arise if an established brand’s voice is not sustained on all social media profiles used by the company.

If I were acting as a social media consultant to myself, I would enact several plans and strategies to improve my professional social media presence. Up to this point, my employer-focused online presence is limited to a profile on LinkedIn, as my other social media profiles are personal, private accounts. On LinkedIn, I have developed my profile, adding a profile and cover photo, writing a detailed bio, and sharing numerous posts regarding my career development throughout my time in college. In addition, I have managed to attain 519 connections on the site to individuals I’ve been introduced to in the past, at CMU, and through previous employment. To enhance my profile, I would like to update my professional headshot and more actively post about academic and career-related activities. Given the importance of a good first impression, I feel that it is vital to have a high-quality profile picture, clearly dressed appropriately and shot in proper lighting. My current photo was taken against a white wall in my bedroom, with an iPhone, so it is definitely not the best representation of myself as a professional. Further, I would like to implement a practice of making posts more regularly about my involvements on campus and beyond. For example, I have accepted an audit internship with Ernst and Young for next summer, but I have yet to share this news with my LinkedIn network. By making consistent posts, my profile will be more frequently seen by those I am connected to, potentially resulting in opportunities being extended in my direction. While drafting these posts, I will also be able to develop my own personal brand voice and persona that employers will recognize as unique to myself and may contribute to making me a memorable job candidate. Overall, through the concepts I have learned about social media consulting this week, I can implement several simple updates to my current professional profile to improve potential employers’ first online impression of me and strengthen my individual brand.

Works Cited

Sauve, K. (2021). LinkedIn Profile [Image, screen capture]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliesauve/

Social Media Consultant. 2013. Brandignity, https://www.brandignity.com/tag/social-media-consultant/