Working in Social Media

Margie Whiteleather @margiesw #AEM2700 April 16, 2015

Facebook: The Cornell StoreTwitter: @CornellStoreInstagram: @thecornellstore

Also Pinterest, YouTube, Google tour, & tools Bitly, Canva, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, photo grid app. In the past: Foursquare

• Listening (reading feed, and on hashtags)• Planning • Interacting• Over 50% of content, esp on Twitter, is about

Cornell in general, not the store specifically, or about selling

• Activating our network (collaborations behind the scenes; boosting others’ posts)

• Encouraging social sharing during special events (announcing the hashtag in email and print communications; big signs; photo props)

Philosophy and strategy: Tasks:

• Search for mentions of us• Post: spontaneous• Post: based on editorial calendar• Add to editorial calendar• Take photos and edit photos• Request or create images about

events/promotions• Check spellings, facts, account handles,

URLs• Futz with tools; adapt to changes in the

platforms• Tell colleagues what’s been happening in

social media

Day-to-day work in social media

Content! Photos!

Content strategy• 30% ads, 70% promote others• Event coverage: pre-event publicity; live

coverage during; post event recap and re-telling

• Storytelling• Real people, real voices• Behind-the-scenes

Power of Images:• It’s important to plan for visuals as

part of telling your story; be savvy about them even if you aren’t in marketing or involved with the graphic design.

• Sources of photos• Crowdsourcing vs unattributed use of

photos• Learn how to take decent photos with

your phone.

What would make it on your fridge? Aim for the fridge. - @communicatrix at #casesmc

It’s not you, it’s them. Craft the content your audience wants. - @maayanplaut at #casesmc

Case study: our most-liked photo on Instagram. October 2014

Building a strong backbone and back-office support

Mantras:• Be authentic and transparent• Be human• Be of service• Goals before tools

Staffing:• Multiple people should have the

passwords and the recovery email address• Have a back up designated and trained for

vacations

Challenges, and Positive AspectsChallenges/Negatives:• Guilt/stress over the aspects we haven’t

tried yet… Should spend more time on analytics; learning other platforms, tools

• The platforms need daily attention; plus daily work to add to the editorial calendar.

• Some nights and weekends

Positive Aspects:• Fun • Interactive• Mobile nature of the platforms makes work

the evening & weekend work easier to fit in.• Rewarding: share important stories; see how

people react

Work in social media involves the same themes that are important in all types of communications:

Know your audience; think of target segments; adapt your message/content; critical thinking; content strategy; storytelling; know who the influencers are in your community; know who is likely to re-share your content; tell your story and re-share what others say about you. BOOM!

ACES always win: Awesome Content, Easily ShareableACES always win: Awesome Content, Easily Shareable

Your individual social media accounts:

Focus on Twitter, in order to discover thought leaders, and to share your perspective: Handout….

Shift from thinking leisure and entertainment, to viewing it as info & tools for your life• Different approaches for different platforms• Personal branding

Etiquette and interaction:• It is all public discourse, so post appropriately• Interactive & reciprocal: thank people and organizations; read your incoming feed so

you can amplify good news and important stories

Taking and sharing photos:• Note what’s in the background• Evaluate: how well is it telling a story?• Don’t show the exterior of your residence or any document with your mailing

address or and ID numbers

Instagram: Saturday night, Sept. 13, 2014

Cornell is an incredible community in which to interact using social media.

Questions? Discussion? #AEM2700