Blog #2

1.) Discuss, in detail, what factors must be considered in choosing social media platforms for an IMC Plan.

The factor that matters the most when choosing a platform for your IMC plan is your target audience. Knowing the demographic profile of your target customer will help the company be more efficient, and generate consumer engagement in their social media posts. For example, just because Facebook is by far the most popular social media site, does not mean that your company should design an IMC campaign for Facebook. If your target consumers are not avid Facebook users, your campaign would not be very effective. Kevan Lee, in his article How to Choose the Right Social Network for Your Business, "....relying solely on size can be dangerous." If more of your target consumers use another form of social media, like Twitter or Instagram, your company should look into those social networks. For example, the majority of the millennial generation use Instagram and Twitter. Both of these social networks are on an upward swing in terms of gaining more users; unlike Facebook which is actually on a downward swing. Instagram would work well if a company uses Instagram along with Twitter or Facebook, or both.  Twitter is used by people who are traditionally younger, more tech-savvy, and can be used to target early adopters. Twitter works great when posting up to date information, like contests, sports scores, or journalism.

The next factor to consider is the industry your company is in. People in the restaurant industry can post pictures on Instagram, as well as post on Facebook, about new additions they are adding to their menu, Sports teams can use to Twitter to announce their starting lineups and live play-by-play tweets. James Scherer goes a little more in depth on the effective uses of Twitter in his article, Social Media Marketing: Which Platform is Right for your Business, when he says "Users are on the site to keep up-to-date about what is going on..." As I mentioned above briefly, this is where sports teams and news stations can be most effective.

Budget and staffing is something that goes hand in hand in this instance in my opinion. Based on the budget you are given by your company to complete a project, you could hire people and use the budget money as compensation. But just make sure you get the people you need at a price that is fair for them.

One factor of great importance is how often you share new content. I would suggest updating information on a campaign as frequently as possible. As soon as information changes in an ad campaign, I would let the followers and fans of our company know. That way they are well informed, which could make a difference in sales.

The most important thing though is what the competition is doing. If the competition is marketing a certain way and having success with it, maybe marketing the same way to your customers could be effective. If not, you could always adjust your campaigns in effort to try something that your competition is not, which in turn will make your company stand out. If your company changes their patterns, it might be worth it to consider changing your habits in response to what they are doing. Knowing your competitors are doing is of vital importance when it comes to being successful.


2.) Provide at least two examples of social media platforms that would be effective for a specific demographic. Please describe the demographic in detail.

I mentioned the millennials earlier in this blog. Let's talk about them again a little bit for this point. The millennials are characterized as men and women who are between the ages of 18 and 24. They are also characterized as early adopters of technology, and are very tech-savvy. This is where Twitter comes into play. 31% of Twitter followers are between the ages of 18 and 29. Retail companies like Nike, Adidas, and Oakley can use Twitter to unveil a new product or product line. One very interesting point about Twitter users is they are more likely to follow a brand than any other platform. Twitter also allows consumers to share their perceptions (consumer feedback) with the company through "tweeting" at the company, and users retweeting things they think are interesting. Companies can also post pictures on Facebook to generate customer engagement, but it would be more effective to post pictures on Instagram. Something companies that have Facebook and Instagram pages is that there is a function on Instagram that allows users to post pictures on Instagram and Facebook, simultaneously. So, you are hitting two birds with one stone if you are a company that has a page on both social networks. One more note about posting pictures on Instagram: 43% of users are also between 18-29 years old. Using images for introducing new products will have a lot more engagement from the customers than a simple status post on Facebook, or even in some cases a tweet on Twitter. Seeing how good a product looks creates a want for the consumers, and they will fill their recently discovered void with a product that they think looks good.


3.) Discuss what specific types of ads or IMC elements you would employ for each social media platform targeted at this demographic, and why. Provide visual examples of the ads or IMC elements.


I, along with many other people in my generation, follow companies I frequently shop from on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. One effective appeal that companies like Nike and Adidas use to trigger purchases from customers is the fear of missing out (FOMO). These types of sales are usually sales that are "LIMITED TIME ONLY" which triggers customers to buy the product soon, because if they don't they will miss out on owning a limited edition product. If I was in charge of my company's social media, I would use these types of ads on Twitter and Instagram to generate the most consumer engagement. Another effective ad that could generate lots of engagement from the consumers are a direct message to the consumer from the company giving them a certain percentage off a particular line. An example would be if Nordstrom's sent me an email with a coupon for 30% off my next purchase from their dress clothes section. I would use an ad on Facebook to create awareness for an up and coming sale that could take place in the not too distant future. As mentioned, Twitter can be used to keep people in the loop for what is going on right now. I would post a tweet for my company saying "15% off all online sales above $250 today only" if I was trying to increase online sales for my company. Another effective tool that is surfacing is sharing videos on Twitter and Instagram, specifically, teases. People see movie trailers all the time when they go to the movie theater with their friends. But popular franchises, like Game of Thrones posting sneak peeks about what might happen in the upcoming season gets people excited, and makes them want to find out when the release date is so they can plan in advance. Apple has similar teases as they play videos at their annual conventions just before they show the audience a product for the first time.




https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-choose-a-social-network

http://blog.wishpond.com/post/72672192941/social-media-marketing-which-platform-is-right-for

Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications
Kenneth E. Clow Donald Baack, 2014

https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-video