#immt717

The Sandbox Project (SBP) is a national charity with a mandate to bring together leading researchers, government bodies, charities, and thought leaders in the healthcare industry to improve child and youth healthcare in Canada in the coming years. It is a small government affiliated charity that works to research, educate and implement change in children and youth health care in Canada within the next decade. Founded by Dr. Leitch, SBP fostered their digital presence to be a resource and spread awareness to make Canada the healthiest place on earth. Our goal is to foster SBP’s social media presence to bring awareness to the need for improved child and youth healthcare policies within Canada.  After analyzing the competition as well as their existing practices, it is in their best interest to adjust their social media strategy by incorporating a few more social media platforms.  When developing strategy, the type of organization and their goals play a huge influence in the selection. There are tons of social media platforms one can adopt however; only few have the ability to transform their digital presence.  First we must understand the need by assessing the client in question.

The organization’s corporate community provides support that amplifies their impact. They’ve done much to affect the industry but now the organization must reach the general population in order to make change on the community at an individual level. This is the point where an organization utilizes tools like social media to spread awareness and build an audience. Many of the big names in social media are often utilized – like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. But few recognize YouTube as a social media platform with great power. YouTube is a video sharing website designed for people to “connect, inform and inspire others across the globe.” YouTube acts as  a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.  It is a great platform for the Sandbox Project and other charities seeking to share information and implement change through education. Most importantly, YouTube is a tool that is great for building audiences.

 YouTube offers a genuine interaction and builds a relationship with your audience.

One of the best ways to create a relationship with your audience in the digital sphere is to put a face to the name.  Users want to feel connected to the material, especially since users are choosy about what they share on their own feeds.  Whether you’re the founder, or simply the head of PR, it is important that audiences feel like they are getting to know a person and not simply a brand. As the producer of the material, the organization must ensure they produce content and not ads. Think about the why and how of shares. According to research, comments and likes are better indicators of engagement than views. Also, use YouTube as a tool to push people to your website. Always include a link to the website in the beginning of the video description and in the “about” section. Parallel content releases on the website with YouTube. The platform is ideal and often yields more successful results when producers collaborate with the YouTube community. Collaborating with already established creators will broaden the reach, and audience attracting new subscriptions.

 Remember,

Everyone starts at zero, SO, remember to engage with the followers you have while trying to gain exposure. Utilize paid views because this optimizes the search engine optimization (SEO). Leverage YouTube videos for SEO. YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google. Embed YouTube content in other textual areas of your websites like blogs. Use programs like Google Adwords starting with something geared towards the YouTube community (i.e. how-to videos). Remember that the first 5 seconds of a video are key for engagement. One of the most difficult aspects of the platform is how long it takes to engage viewers and build and audience.  Always call to action and give incentive for participation. It will be useful to cross promote the content and the channel on the other platforms.

 Leverage the new One-Channel Responsive design.

Since its establishment, the technical environment of YouTube has evolved giving users more creative freedom with their content. For the users who are creating, the growing YouTube community has raised the standard of content produced. Viewers are attracted to more aesthetically pleasing pages. The most successful channels have produced a standard in design of channel pages and content quality. This means new users should remember the following: ensure consistent branding across all platforms. For the channel, create a quality header that represents your organization; create a channel trailer for non-subscribers and customize work with an icon.  In regards to content quality, the basic videography and photography principles will apply. Quality audio and video, creative presentation and a sense of professionalism is consistent across all successful channels.  

 Don’t Forget -

Measurement is key! Use built in analytics to track views and engagement.  It will give you more specific patterns that will guide your interpretation of the behavior of your viewership.  FYI, the usage on smartphones and desktops are similar almost 24/7.

YouTube harnesses the power to engage users with branded content. Brands are seeing more and more success when they get involved with the content produced to communicate brand messages. Overall it is a great asset, often overlooked but it just may be the key Sandbox Project needs to elevate their digital presence.

 Resources

 https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/

https://blog.udemy.com/youtube-for-business/

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/youtube-pinterest

The image is taken from http://www.imore.com/snapchat-discover-snapchat-stories-publications

Snapchat is a social media tool that is fast catching up with social marketers across various industries. At Code Conference 2015, Evan Spiegel, founder of Snapchat announced that Snapchat has close to 100 million daily active users “in developed countries.” And more than 71% of these users fall in the age group of 18-34. 

  Social Media Examiner.com calls it one of the fastest growing social media platforms. As Snapchat is a platform that has only recently been picked up by social marketers to promote their brand, it is an exciting avenue especially because it targets the younger population. Retailers and media outlets have adopted it and in fact, companies such as CNN, Cosmo, Vice have hired separate editorial teams that are responsible for creating Snapchat content alone. According to Business Insider, Snapchat is the perfect advertising platform given that the audience is 100% engaged. 

Based on the growing popularity of Snapchat as an effective social media marketing tool as demonstrated above, and that Snapchat’s user demographic matches the target demographic of MetoWe*, my group in my Emerging Trends course (IMMT 717), chose Snapchat as one of the social media marketing platform to promote and build on the social media presence of MetoWe as well increase engagement with users.

*MetoWe is an innovative social enterprise that provides products that make an impact, empowering people to change the world with their everyday consumer choices.

The following are some of the best business practices of Snapchat. I have also listed ideas of implementing these best practices to promote MetoWe on Snapchat:

1. Provide access to live events – Just like Twitter is used by social marketers to live tweet from events; Snapchat is being used now to give direct access to live events to audiences who are not present there. The NBA has successfully used this platform in a variety of ways. And compared to Twitter, Snapchat is more fun and engaging for users as they get to see photos and videos as opposed to just read about it on Twitter.

We can use this idea to promote MetoWe’s inspirational speaking events by giving live access to users via snaps and videos on Snapchat. 

2. Offer contests and discounts - Snapchat is an excellent way to offer contests to target audiences. According to Sumpto -- a marketing company that works with 50,000 influential college students on social media -- 67% of college students would want to receive discounts or promotions from brands on Snapchat. As a way to promote sale of MetoWe merchandise to Gen Y, we can use Snapchat by giving discounts and giveaways.

Luiz Centenaro from Experiment Engine has shared his experience of running a successful Snapchat contest for Hammock Town oh his website. Inspired by his success, my team and I came up with the idea of offering a rafiki design contest using Snapchat to promote brand awareness and engagement with current and new users. 

3. Taking the audiences behind the scenes through Story feeds – this is a great way to engage and build relationships with clients by giving them a peek into behind the scene activities of the company. By doing this, social marketers increase credibility of the company and engage the audience/clients into the company culture.

This is a great opportunity to get MetoWe camp alumni to post stories and snaps of their camp experiences to share with their friends. Also, MetoWe staff can make stories of behind the scene activities when organizing camps and post it on Snapchat to give a peek into how things are managed and organized before a camp starts. 

4. Partner with influencers: Teaming up with a social media influencer helps raise brand awareness to the influencer’s followers. Additionally, since the influencer is skilled at using Snapchat, she/he can use the platform to advantage which further reflects on the company’s brand voice and personality. For example, Real life Sour Patch Kids teamed up with social media star Logan Paul for their Snapchat campaign. 

Many celebrities have in the past teamed up with MetoWe to promote their cause. MetoWe can team up with social media influencers and take advantage of their fan following to promote their brand. 

5. Deliver private content: Snapchat is also a unique platform where companies can share exclusive information that audiences may not get on any other platform. Some fashion brands like Michael Kors have used Snapchat to introduce their collections before they hit the runway.

6. Companies like General Electric, Mcdonald’s and Acura among many have used Snapchat to announce events, offering special promotions, sharing behind the scene events.

7. Another best business practice of Snapchat is that users of your brand can be inspired to become brand advocates and raise your brand awareness.

This is also a great way of enrolling camp alumni to become brand advocates on Snapchat and raise awareness for MetoWe. 

The above points prove that Snapchat is an emerging social media trend which is worth adopting to promote brand awareness and overall engagement with MetoWe’s target demographic. 

References:

http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-threat-to-google-facebook-tv-2015-2

http://socialwebenterprises.com/how-to-use-snapchat-to-maximize-customer-engagement/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/04/your-guide-to-using-snapchat-for-marketing/

http://venturebeat.com/2015/05/26/snapchat-has-100m-daily-users-65-of-whom-upload-photos/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-ways-to-use-snapchat-for-business/

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-college-kids-use-snapchat-2014-2

http://luizcentenaro.com/snapchat-contest/

http://mashable.com/2014/02/24/snapchat-study-college-students/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link#CG6pafciVGqD

Social Media is a great place for professional growth. Whether you’re a business or a person, truly taking advantage of social media requires time, effort, and an understanding of the platforms. As a budding Interactive Media Professional, understanding the importance of social media for business is just as important as understanding for my personal brand.  I want to highlight four particular platforms that I believe are instrumental in both business and professional development today.  

Instagram

Instagram is great micro blogging platform that combines visual language, creative content and a passionate community. 80 million photos and 3.5 billion likes per day, Instagram is one of the most successful of the bunch at user interactions due to consistent user activity.  Entertaining and informative, Instagram is a great platform for the artistically inclined. It’s emphasis on the visual with it’s clean design acting as the canvas, gives users the power to creatively share and archive their stories over time. In my opinion, Instagram is more so equipped for personal branding although businesses can obtain success based on exposure.  For small businesses, the reach is limited; for larger businesses with capital, sponsored ads work in their favour. Personally, this is an extension of the visual aspect of one’s personal brand. Although users can share written stories as well, it’s never without a photo and together that is meaningful.

Rule of Thumb:

#hashtag with purpose to enhance and not force discoverability.

@ replies to create one on one connections and build conversations.

Engage with followers to develop relationships.

Best Time to Post? Monday and Thursday between 2 PM -3 PM and 8 PM and 9 PM  

Twitter

Twitter, a 140-character micro blogging platform, transforms access to real time information and has done so since it’s public release in 2006. With approximately 400 million tweets per day, this form of social media is constantly pushing boundaries with a diverse circuit of user-generated content. But, it’s most powerful use is the ability to connect people.  Users have a chance to share their thoughts and generate conversation. As an IM professional, I think of Twitter as a tool of expression. It’s a window into my personal brand, an opportunity to network with a diverse group of people engaging in thoughtful, stimulating or even entertaining content. This global conversation changes the concept of space. Utilizing Twitter successfully means branding the voice, being interesting, adding value to my followers’ timeline, being responsive and ensuring I am measuring activity to ensure growth.

Rule of thumb:

Don’t spam because no one appreciates a cluttered news feed.

@ replies to create a thread of conversation - the equivalent of strong eye contact. #funfact – the average tweet has a life of 18 minutes.

hashtag, hashtag, hashtag ! But keep it short, sweet and relevant.

Retweet to share content – everyone gets tired of hearing their own voice.

Shorten the links because not only is it more attractive, it gives you more characters.  

Update your profile, update your followers, and stay updated – it’s just that simple.

Make lists – not only is this great for organizing your followers, its easier for you to target certain groups of followers.

 Best Time to Post?  Monday to Thursday between 1 PM and 3 PM

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the largest professional social network with the ability to foster community development and content sharing. Arguable, the most important of the four that will be mentioned, this platform connects colleagues, and mentors and mentees, in addition to businesses with current and prospective employees. LinkedIn has the remarkable ability to build authority, foster leadership and establish a vast network. It has the fastest growing demographics including 30 million students and recent post-secondary graduates as users. Actually, LinkedIn gets two new members every second. 50 million endorsements (BTW, two more users just signed up). Three (3) million companies have LinkedIn pages, which is a great tool for businesses to proposition their products and services and engage with a community of professionals.  

For professionals like me, LinkedIn is all about the opportunities.  It has even modified the process of employment. Profiles are now interactive resumes that tell a story. Companies can filter through the database by multiple factors. As an aspiring IM professional, I can already think about the ways in which I can craft my narrative on LinkedIn to reflect someone with diverse experience, passion and an eagerness to learn.  As you develop a name for yourself, others have the opportunity to chime in, support and share recommendations. This is how you build a reputation. The same can be applied to businesses – keep your profile up-to-date, spotlight your products and services and solicit recommendations for your products.  In fact, greater success is said to come from the use of a personal and business profile. Just remember to engage! Building professional relationships take time in person and it will take time digitally.

Rule of Thumb:

Engage with the community – join groups, as questions, post comments or share information !

Be honest – you’re engaging to create real life relationships, don’t be a catfish.

Best Time to Post? Monday to Thursday 7 AM to 9 AM

Pinterest

Pinterest is a private entity that has revolutionized the consumer industry. The concept: to share and create image collections by “pinning” your interests. Pinterest acquires 50 million unique visits per month.  With demographics that express women use Pinterest five times more than men, shoppers spend more on their purchases when referred from Pinterest (twice as much as Facebook or Twitter).  Pinterest also drives more referral traffic and this fact is important for brands and consumers because of its ability to communicate their brand in quick and meaningful ways. For professionals and businesses, engagement with followers is key. How does Pinterest assist in your professional brand? Well, it’s a tool often ignored but and if positioned right it can be a tool for your back pocket. For an emerging professional it is a great place to extract information and organize ideas. Pinterest can tell your story, drive traffic to your website and grow followers

Rule of thumb:

Engagement – goes without saying, it’s social media.

Highlight customers –

Behind the scene –

Community relations

Know the audience

Discoverability

Brand – make it eye grabbing and distinct.

Add PINit button to your site and create a two-way channel.

Best Time to Post? Any day between 2AM -4PM and 2PM and 4PM

The platform you choose will differ based on your brand but the rule of thumb that remains the same across any platform is ENGAGE! Social media is the ideal way to network because you get a little more time to put thought into presenting the best you.  Take advantage of the opportunities available, but you don’t have to overthink the conversation.

References for more information

http://www.inc.com/rebecca-borison/9-best-practices-for-effective-social-media.html

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/best-practices

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/8-best-practices-to-promote-your-business-on-social-media/

http://freshsparks.com/small-business-social-media-strategy/

https://business.twitter.com/basics/learn-twitter

http://blog.business.instagram.com/post/29441248656/instagram-best-practices-to-see-more-tips-and

https://business.pinterest.com/sites/business/files/best_practices_02_en-gb.pdf

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/linkedin\

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/twitter

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/youtube-pinterest

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn   I got the accounts since the first day of IMMT program and just had 15 classmates on the contact lists. Everyday, They post, share and comment and I take my phone browse their update several times. Everyone spends at least half an hour on social medias, gets tons of information. It can be a huge opportunity for business. They can use social medias to market products, promote brands, connect to current customers and foster new business. Meanwhile they also can respond very quickly to both positive and negative feedback, attend to customer problems and maintain, regain or rebuild customer confidence.

Facebook―― Precise recommendation

According to statistics from the Nielsen Group, Internet users within the United States spend more time on Facebook than any other website.  That’s why never miss Facebook for any business. Meanwhile Facebook also has billions of users and business can share content with thousands of followers. How can business post information to their target customers become a tough problem. Luckily, Facebook gives a perfect solution. It can help businesses target their posts. Depending on their goals, they can post different content to customers with different needs, based on their genders, ages, educational status, interested in and so on. As an Interactive Media Management Professional, I don’t hope audiences get bored when they read my post. So I can select to open my post to someone like my pagesand their friends. It will help me get more good comments and moreaudiences to followers.

Twitter―― Quick Sharing

what’s happening in the world right now, share information instantly and connect with people and businesses around the globe.”80% of users on Twitter are accessing it via a mobile device. You can reach potential customers no matter where they are or what they’re doing. You lost no time in sharing your new products information with your potential customers and new arrivals stimulate the purchase desire all the time (e.g. iphone6s). As an Interactive Media Management Professional, sometimes I really have to share immediately and rely some comments in time to keep my twitter stay active.

Linkedin ―― Professional

“Linkedin helps marketers forge relationships with the world’s largest professional community. Their members are almost 50 percent more likely to buy from a company they engage with on LinkedIn”. It can help enhance brand awareness and improve professionalism. As an Interactive Media Management Professional, I get enough opportunities to enhance my professional decision making and I can also find out my potential clients through connecting.

Pinterest ―― Eye catching

Pinterest which captures the imagination of internet users becomes a Top 10 social network in seconds. It generates over 400% more revenue per click as Twitter and 27% more than Facebook. Businesses can pin high quality photos which potential customers really engage. So they volunteer to repin that more potential customers will see the photos. A virtuous circle is formed and it will eventually contributed more to buy. Customers enjoy browsing the beautiful photos and they even don’t notice they pin an advertisement photo. As an Interactive Media Management Professional, I show my life and professionals together in Pinterest. It’s a platform I can show my taste and favorite.

Social Medial is becoming part of our life, not only for businesses but also for customers. Any business not taking advantage of them which is a huge waste of resources.

Reference links:

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7832-social-media-for-business.html

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/small-businesses-struggle-to-prove-facebook-roi-new-research/

http://blog.wishpond.com/post/58738215261/11-awesome-facebook-post-examples-critiques-best-practic

http://greenlotus.ca/blog/facebook-marketing-best-practices

https://business.twitter.com/en-gb/success-stories/buzzstream

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/social-media-case-studies

Social media has become a fundamental tool for doing business around the world.  There are many platforms available to companies and organizations, depending of your type of business, the demographics and behavior of your potential clients, your overall goals.  In my opinion, every business strategy should include the following five social media tools in some form or another:

1. Twitter has the ability to create a large audience quickly using only 140 characters.  The platform is ideal for making initial contacts to connect with other platforms, such as a link to a website, blog post, pictures, video or documents.   Or you can post images and videos directly to Twitter – after all a picture is worth a thousand words.  You can easily communicate with your followers using retweets, replies and favourites.  You can also provide direct offers and promotions to get your audience to click on a link or make a purchase.

2. Facebook is the most populated social media platform in the world.  It allows you access to over 1 billion people, target a specific demographic and communicate directly with your customers.  Depending on what you want to achieve, you can make ads, post articles, pictures and videos and open groups and pages to promote your products or services.  You can use images to create the look and feel of your brand and make direct offers and promotions to generate sales or persuade clients to engage with your company.

3. LinkedIn is considered the largest network of professionals in one place.  50% of LinkedIn members have decision making power in their organizations, which makes it easier to create connections and partnerships, as well as seek out new clients, ideas or employees.  You can use LinkedIn to send direct messages and invitations to people of interest, as well as join groups and share updates about your company or industry as a whole.

4. YouTube is a video sharing social media site that is owned by Google and should be in your online marketing strategy alongside other platforms that you choose. Webcasts and webinars can be posted as well as tutorials, product demonstrations or promotional videos. More creative options include videos that are emotional or tell a story that engage the demographic that you want to reach, with the goal of going viral.  Recently YouTube announced that it will have stations for schools and other specialty areas which will make it easier to connect with the right audience.

5. Slideshare (owned by LinkedIn) has the potential to reach an entirely new audience through the use of slides in the form of PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote or OpenDocument presentations. You can generate content, images and story from day one to promote your business to new markets or your existing LinkedIn network.  Since Slideshare is still relatively new, there is not as much competition so it presents an opportunity for marketing a new product or service.

No matter which social media platforms you choose for your business, it is important to make sure they are all interconnected and consistent.  That way you can promote your brand and attract consumers by appealing to their various senses and preference for interacting online.  

It is interesting to note, that even though social media is a global phenomenon, there are over a hundred different social media platforms across the planet.  The five that I have chosen above are recommended for North America, but may be different depending on your country or market.  Remember, each business is unique so you need to customize your social media platform to your business needs.

References:

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2015_B2B_Research.pdf

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites

http://canadiansinternet.com/2015-canadian-social-media-usage-statistics/

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2014/03/05/social-media-platform-best-business/

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7832-social-media-for-business.html

http://get-susan.com/services/10-best-social-media-sites-for-small-business-owners/

https://business.twitter.com/basics?location=na&lang=en

http://www.slideshare.net/WishpondTechnologiesLtd/how-to-use-slideshare-to-market-your-business

https://business.instagram.com/gettingstarted/

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Interactive Media Professionals

It’s easy to fall into the trap of the ever-so-inviting world of social media, and create different channels for the sake of creating them.  But we have to be careful not to become THAT guy – the dreaded “Social Media Hoarder”.  As interactive media professionals (“IMP”), it is our duty to create and use social media responsibly (yes, our unspoken vow when we joined the industry!).  

Here are my top 4 platforms and their best practices for my role as an aspiring Interactive & UX Designer (“ID”).

*As a side note to all freelancers or entrepreneurs, I always recommend creating a separate account/page to differentiate personal and business matters.

Twitter

When used strategically, this micro-blogging platform is still one of the most effective social outlets to extend a brand’s reach, and it’s no different for IMPs.  It also allows IMPs to provide real-time updates to our followers, a critical component to today’s digital communication.  Long gone are the days of Tweeting for the sake of Tweeting.  We must understand and implement best practices on all our posts in order to maximize our engagement.  Here are some key ones:

Incorporate 1-2 relevant hashtags per Tweet (Forbes) – using tags like #Design, #UX and #InteractiveMedia will allow our content to reach other users who share the same interests.

Create awesome headlines (Forbes) – proven formulas include: lists (e.g. Top 10 Interactive Designs for 2015), how-tos (e.g. How to Create Breath-Taking Apps), influencer name-dropping (e.g. Why Apple Designers Are So Successful) and keywords (e.g. Interact with Users on a Whole New Level). The more creative the title, the more our post will stand out from others.

Share helpful, relevant tips (Twitter Business) – don’t just sell products/services, share industry trends and tips (through RTs or posting) to educate our followers.  This helps to become an “authority” on relevant interactive and UX topics.

LinkedIn

This is still the go-to platform for most employers and professionals looking to fill a service/employment void or to grow their network, so this is an obvious choice for me.  Here are some ways to stand out from other IMPs and IDs:

Use a creative cover photo and/or profile picture (LinkedIn) – having cleverly-themed profile and cover photos definitely illustrate a story and message more effectively than text alone.

Maximize LinkedIn’s blogging features (Forbes) – whether it’s sharing our personal expertise, an interesting infographic or an influencer’s quote, sharing LinkedIn blog posts will demonstrate authority and thought leadership within the industry.  Consistent content (e.g. frequency of posts, writing style, topics) will engage the desired target audience, who will also help promote it.

Cross-platform promotion (Forbes) – sharing LinkedIn content to other social platforms (e.g. Twitter, Facebook) will not only raise brand awareness to our other followers, but will also catch the attention of relevant influencers (e.g. Tagging them in a Tweet because I used one of their quotes).

Freely give and receive recommendations (Forbes) – taking some time to write a personalized note (who doesn’t love a recommendation?) for a colleague, friend or client is a great gesture – one that will likely be reciprocated.

Facebook

Facebook remains the most used platform for social media marketing, and its focus on promoting videos and image posts are ideal for IDs looking to show off their content.  For IMPs and IDs aiming to separate personal and business matters, the best way is to create a Facebook Page.  Here are some things to remember:

Focus on posting images and videos (Actionable Marketing Guide) – Facebook videos continue to provide higher advertising revenues for them, so IDs must utilize the opportunity to post our own work, which is mainly visual and interactive content anyways.  The more Facebook promotes these posts, the higher the engagement rates will be for likes, comments and shares. 

Analyze Facebook Page Insights and target each post (Wishpond) – narrow in on the most successful posts and dissect the reason why (e.g. topic, use of media, time of post).  Also, determine the demographics of the “fans” (e.g. gender, relationships status, age, location, interests) and target future posts to them for a higher engagement rate.

Post frequent, but short, posts (Wersm) – consistently posting 1-2 times per day (with at least 3 hours between posts), along with writing less than 70 characters of text, have proven to produce a higher engagement rate.

Instagram

When it comes to visual content, no other app is a better host than Instagram.  Its clean UI allows users to focus solely on your content, with minimal clutter surrounding it.  According to Hubspot, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.  This means Instagram should be at the top of every ID’s social media platforms list.  Here are some best practices:

Create a theme for the content and be consistent (Hootsuite) – when users scroll through our profile account, all the images and videos should visually tie-in together (e.g. similar filters, edits, colours).  This branding tactic helps users quickly identify when a content that is ours.

Create custom hashtags (Search Engine Journal) – unique hashtags allow users to quickly track all the posts regarding a subject (also allows us to monitor our specific campaigns). They can be used for: branding (e.g. #BLDesign), events (e.g. #InteractiveDesignersMeetUpTO), products (#BLDesignPhotoApp) and promotions (e.g. #BLDesignGiveAway).  

Post behind-the-scenes sneak peeks (Firebelly) – build hype and excitement to users by giving them the inside scoop on an upcoming project or event.  This will entice them to keep an eye out for your future posts.

The pitch – is an increased social media presence for the Toronto Zoo.

The first video uploaded to YouTube occurred in April 2005.  It featured YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo in front an elephant enclosure.  You’d think that YouTube as a social media platform would be a natural go-to for an institution like the Toronto Zoo but not so.  The only social media platform present on its home page is Facebook, with YouTube links embedded in certain sections of their website e.g., Serengeti Bush Camp.  Here are just a few reasons why the Zoo should use YouTube to increase its social media presence.

In 2011 YouTube had 3 billion views per day.  Today YouTube has over 1 billion monthly active users – a marketer’s dream!  Because video is highly shareable who wouldn’t want to see a baby animal’s first days after birth, their first steps or their first bath?  Capturing emotions as they occur will leave a lasting impression on the existing and next generation of animal lovers.  Through YouTube, the Toronto Zoo can convey its brand messaging about endangered wild life and preserving wild spaces.

Generation C or Gen C (generation connected) should be a prime target audience for the Toronto Zoo. The Nielsen Company (whose business it is to measure what audiences watch and buy) came up with the phrase to describe 18 – 34 year olds who watch media on all screens.  They’re the generation that made YouTube popular because they watch content when they want and from wherever they are.  Each year they are watching YouTube 74% more on their smartphones versus a 33% increase on desktop views.

Gen C’s like content that matters to them and more importantly they love to share this content with friends and family because they’re determining what’s popular. The Toronto Zoo could become popular too if the right content is created for them.   Live streaming of wildlife has become hugely popular.  Over 11 million people watched a bald eagle’s nest in Iowa.  The Toronto Zoo could enhance its role as a preserver of wild life by introducing live streams into its YouTube presence.   It can work closely with its marketing department to feature endangered animals that are not in enclosures because they need special care.  A perfect example was Humphrey the baby polar bear who had to be hand reared by the Zoo's wildlife care team.  Live streams are so popular even Gen C’s would love them and share.  This could also bring national and global audiences to the Zoo.