{"id":2925,"date":"2016-08-31T15:52:09","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T19:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webgeeks.com\/?p=2925"},"modified":"2023-11-08T13:15:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:15:04","slug":"why-social-media-is-important-millennial-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webgeeks.com\/why-social-media-is-important-millennial-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Social Media is Important: Thoughts from a Millennial"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Social media \u2013 the ruler of the internet. It was 12 years ago that Mark Zuckerberg first created \u2018The Facebook\u2019, likely not knowing just how big it was going to be. Today, you can\u2019t go anywhere without seeing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram buttons. The internet as we know it today is run by social media.<\/p>\n

But just how important is social media for marketers?<\/p>\n

A lot of people have the thought process of social media just being a tool to share likes, interests and photos within your social circle. Sure, that\u2019s a big part of it, but as a marketer why should you care about that? As a millennial, I\u2019m here to tell you exactly why your business NEEDS social media.<\/p>\n

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Matt Bouwmeester, I\u2019m 22 years old and I\u2019ve recently just finished my advanced diploma for Advertising and Marketing Communications Management at St. Clair College. Most recently, I\u2019ve started my internship here at Web Geeks Marketing. Now, let\u2019s focus on the age for a second. I\u2019m 22 years old, meaning I grew up with social media as it rose to its prominence. I\u2019m a millennial, which means I work, live and breathe social media. Using social media for over half my life has allowed me to learn a thing or two about what makes it tick, and how it can be properly utilized. Now, I\u2019m going to help your business successfully use social media, in order to generate awareness and profit for your brand.<\/p>\n

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Some Statistics<\/u><\/h4>\n

Over 75% of internet users have social media accounts. That\u2019s a staggering number when you think about the fact that there are 3.174 billion internet users worldwide<\/a>. As a business, this should be extremely important to you. To go more in depth 71% have Facebook, 23% have Twitter, 26% use Instagram, 28% use Pintrest and lastly 28% have a LinkedIn<\/a>. But you run a business, you know these statistics off by heart. I\u2019m not here to bore you with more numbers, I\u2019m here to tell you why knowing how to utilize social media is most important.<\/p>\n

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Brand Personality<\/u><\/h4>\n

The fact is, social media is an extension of who you are. It\u2019s like high school all over again, complete with judgemental and mean people who are going to judge every status and every article you post. Therefore, you must establish what you want your brand\u2019s personality to be before entering the social realm. Once you choose this, stick with it. Nothing is worse than following a brand who cracks you up with hilarious posts one day, then depresses you with sad articles the next. People see right through fakes on social media, so make sure that your personality doesn\u2019t come across as fake or contradicting to what you do as a business.<\/p>\n

Whatever you do, do not be boring. Nothing can hurt your brand more than boring your audience to death. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you have to be eccentric in everything you post, but if you\u2019re a charity \u2013 pull at people\u2019s heart strings. If you\u2019re in the food industry \u2013 make people hungry with imagery. Just don\u2019t post statuses such as, \u201cCome to Mom\u2019s Pie Shop. We open at 7.\u201d These are boring, and uncreative. Social media is like a boxing ring, and brands are duking it out to make the best content they can to capture the attention of their audience. Being boring is not an option.<\/p>\n

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The Golden Ratio<\/u><\/h4>\n

This is something that\u2019s so simple, yet so important in regards to success with social media. The Golden Ratio dictates the type of content you should be posting, and how often. It\u2019s referred to as the 30\/60\/10 rule<\/a>. Let me break it down for you:<\/p>\n

30% Owned<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Owned content is content that YOU<\/u> created. For example, this content would include your blogs, videos and photos that are all original content made by you or for you. This keeps you in touch with your clients by giving them original content, but at the same time doesn\u2019t flood their newsfeed. This is important because you need just the right amount of owned content. Any less and you\u2019ll lose relevance. Anymore and you become annoying and seen as that one friend who doesn\u2019t stop talking about him\/herself all day. By keeping owned content at 30% you\u2019re keeping it just right.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of owned content:<\/em><\/p>\n

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60% Curated<\/em> <\/strong>\u2013 Curated content is content made by other people. These usually come in the form of links or retweets. \u201cBut Matt! I\u2019m trying to advertise my business here, why am I focusing on other brands?!<\/em>\u201d Don\u2019t worry my concerned reader friend, I\u2019m not saying you should be blindly retweeting every article or video you see. When posting curated content, it\u2019s important that you put your input on it as well. So for example, if you\u2019re doing social media for your car dealership, you might want to post an article about the brand new Tesla that\u2019s basically a spaceship. With that article you\u2019ll want to post a status with it such as, \u201cWhy fly in a space shuttle if you can just buy a Tesla?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The reason why the curated content percentage is so high is because it makes people want to keep following your brand. If all you did was post about yourself, users would lose interest extremely fast. By posting articles that are relevant to your business, but not about your business, your clients \u2013 who will likely have that same interest \u2013 are going to find your brand relevant.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of curated content:<\/em><\/p>\n

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10% Promotional Content<\/strong> \u2013 <\/em>We have now arrived at our final destination of the golden ratio: promotional content. So what exactly is promotional content? Promotional content is your business\u2019 call-to-action. This is where you sell your business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy only 10%? Isn\u2019t the point of making my business a social media account to sell my product?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Well think of it this way \u2013 have you ever been to an electronic store where you have that really needy employee won\u2019t stop bugging you to buy that computer monitor, all because he saw you look in that general direction? That\u2019s what a social media account that won\u2019t stop trying to sell their product is like. If a brand posts too much trying to sell their product, they become needy and annoying. If anything, it makes people NOT want to buy the product. This is especially true for millennials. We have extremely low attention spans and don\u2019t have time to be bothered by a brand that keeps pestering us to buy its products. By only using promotional content once in a while, it becomes a gentle reminder that you are offering something that is of use to your followers. They don\u2019t need to be hounded, since if they\u2019re already following the brand, it obviously offers something of interest to them.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of promotional content:<\/em><\/p>\n

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While the idea of the golden ratio is simple, it can be difficult to follow. As a brand, you\u2019re going to feel that itch for self-promotion all the time. It\u2019s only natural. However, for your brands benefit, following the 30\/60\/10 ratio is the best way to success.<\/p>\n

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Trends<\/u><\/h4>\n

So now that we\u2019ve talked about brand personality and following the golden ratio for social media, it\u2019s time to talk about trends and how to utilize them. As a millennial, I\u2019m very inclined to follow what\u2019s trending. From fashion to technology, I like to keep up with the latest and greatest. As a brand, the best way to stay relevant is to keep up with social trends. It\u2019s just like real life \u2013 if you want people to notice you, you have to stay trendy.<\/p>\n

Just like in high school, trends can change weekly. What\u2019s popular right now may be forgotten by next week. Remember that dress that no one could tell was obviously gold and white?<\/a><\/p>\n

Yeah that was all the rage for about three days. Now if you mention it to someone they\u2019d say, \u201cHuh? Oh yeah, I forgot about that.\u201d But for a few short days it was all the internet rage, and brands were jumping on board<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a brand, this is something you need to be aware of, and utilize it properly. If something\u2019s gone viral, find a way to implement it to your campaign. While that viral thing is trending, people are going to see your brand if you\u2019ve implemented it creatively. However, these aren\u2019t the only trends that your brand has to be aware of.<\/p>\n

You also must be aware of how brands are sending out their messages via social media. Gone are the days where statuses are the only method for getting your message across. Brands utilize pictures, videos and games to advertise themselves on social media. What\u2019s trending right now? Live video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now you can literally interact with your audience in real time. This is effective because it makes the audience feel like they\u2019re a part of something, as if they\u2019re right there with you. Think of it as seeing a band you like in concert. Yeah hearing them on your iPod is great, but when you see Slash perform that guitar solo in person, you feel a connection with what\u2019s happening live in front of you. As a brand, this is something you\u2019d want to jump on while it\u2019s still fresh, because in a few weeks it might already get stale.<\/p>\n

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To Sum Up…<\/u><\/h4>\n

As a millennial, my life revolves around social media. To be honest, I think I might spend more time looking at my phone than not in a day. Social media has evolved from a site where people at Harvard could connect, to a full blown world globalized society. As a business, it is literally the most important marketing tool at your disposal, and it WILL benefit your business if utilized properly.<\/p>\n


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