Introduction to Social Media Network PDF

Introduction to Social Media Network ISM 313 Social Media Management  Class Objectives Revise previous class Theoretical foundation for social media management – Agenda building theory Branding and social media management Aspects of social media management – Soc...

Introduction to Social Media Network ISM 313 Social Media Management  Class Objectives Revise previous class Theoretical foundation for social media management – Agenda building theory Branding and social media management Aspects of social media management – Social Listening – Social engagement Types of social media engagement Importance of social media engagement Case studies – Corporate/Organizational case – Sociopolitical case Social media roles 3  Agenda Building Theory Postulated as a political science theory by Cobb and Elder in 1971. “….the agenda-building perspective emphasizes on the importance of the conceptualizing social processes in determining what occurs at the decision-making stage and what types of (policy) outcomes will be produced.” It describes the ongoing process by which various groups attempt to transfer their interests to be the interests of public (policymakers). It is the other side of the agenda setting theory 4  Key Assumptions Agenda building rests on two primary assumptions (Cobb & Elder): – The attention capabilities of the public (policy makers) are necessarily limited. – Policy (public) problems are not a priori givens but rather are matters of definition ( that can be influenced with not just facts but clear objectives, beliefs and values). Other assumptions: – Agenda as process not product – Competition for attention – Different agendas – Issues (agenda) characteristics – Issues (agenda) typically stem from small groups 5  Major Stages Cobb, Ross & Ross proposed four primary steps in agenda building: – Initiation: the issue (or controversy) must be articulated in some terms. – Specification: a stakeholder group makes specific demands (e.g., policy, goals or expectations) – Expansion: stakeholders to define the issue in terms favorable to the target group (for scaling or virality) – Entrance: when the issue enters the formal agenda of the public (decision making/ actions). 6  Types of Agendas Policy agenda building (group -> media -> policy). Media agenda building (constraints -> media-> policy) Public agenda setting (media -> public -> policy). Intermedia agenda building (media-> media-> public and/or policymaker). 7 Agenda and Branding for Social Media Brands speak to (person/product/business) with distinct value, personality, reputation, direction (agenda)… ‘……brand is more than just having a logo, platform aesthetic, or colour palette; it is about having a long-term, strategic, and creative approach to telling your story, sharing your knowledge, connecting and navigating socials effortlessly without derailing from the original agenda.’ Social media branding is a communication and digital marketing strategy where a brand or individual uses social media to create a unique brand persona that differentiates them from their competitor. 8  Personal and Corporate Brands Personal brand: Although can arise in many ways, people who are established in other areas might find it easier to establish a sustainable personal brand on social media. – Examples of personal brands with distinct characteristic on various social media platforms?? The same applies to corporate brands which aims at defining personalities, purpose (agenda), and values, etc. Corporations commonly use logos, slogans, imaging, style, and messaging as tools to convey their brands (pricing, mission, target market…). – Examples of corporate or product brands with distinct characteristics on various social media platforms?? 9  Types of personal brands Bryan Kramer identified six different personal brands online: – Altruist: pragmatic and committed to helping others, e.g., – Careerist: focuses primarily on professional rather than personal issues, e.g., – Early adopter: always being the first to share something with their followers, e.g., – Boomerang: sharing to generate a reaction from other-whether positive or negative – Connector: ultimate networker – Selective: shares only relevant information with a selected group of people Why is having a personal, product or corporate brand identity important in the social media space? How would you describe your personal brand identity on social media? 10  …brand identity and Social Media Management Social media management ensures that people and organisations make valuable connections with different stakeholders It involves planning content, monitoring, and participating in social conversations Key aspects of social media management are: – Social media listening – Social engagement – Social media analytics 11  …Social (media) listening Social media listening refers to the monitoring of conversations around a brand, person or industry online. Social media listening is also referred to as social media monitoring (SMM) Social media listening helps in filtering relevant information from ongoing conversations Social listening is goal oriented (agenda) 12  Social Media Listening Monitoring brand mentions and conversations on various social media platforms involve: – Tracking what competitors are doing on social media – Following the usage of specific hashtags – Tracking the performance of keywords – Reviewing sentiments about a brand/person/product/content on social media 13  Benefits of social media listening Improves customer engagement – Customers are more likely to make purchase decisions from brands that are responsive on social media Crisis prevention/management – Social media users are able to react adequately to complaints or negative sentiments in a timely manner Developing creative ideas for content creation – Provides useful information on what interests the audience 14 Survey on brand actions on social media 15  …tools of social media listening Some social media listening tools: – Hootsuite – TweetDeck - for twitter mentions – Sprout Social – BrandMention – Brand Watch – Keyhole - for hashtag tracking Specific needs, budget and platform to be monitored will determine choice of tool 16  Case Studies Corporate case studies – Bank Wars – Telecom Wars Sociopolitical case studies – #ENDSARS – #BringBackOurGirls Others 17  Bank Wars Sterling Bank shared a picture depicting the logos of competing banks in a funny manner The logos were not exact but it helped Sterling Bank to project an image of being a better choice for customers 18  …Bank Wars The bank logos depicted in the image were representative of: Guaranty Trust Bank First Bank of Nigeria Access Bank Union Bank Sterling Bank 19 First Bank 20 Access Bank 21 Union Bank 22  Class Discussion How would you respond to the social media post by Sterling Bank if you were the social media manager for one of the brands implied by Sterling Bank? 23  Telecom Wars MTN pioneered the rollout of the 5G network in Nigeria in August 2022 They enjoyed the media attention, user subscriptions, and other gains of 5G network services as part of their first-mover advantage In June 2023, (barely a year later) Airtel also rolled out its own 5G Network in Nigeria MTN could not resist throwing “shade” at Airtel Guess the social media tool used for this “war”… 24  …Social Media Analytics The process of analyzing data obtained from social media is referred to as social media analytics – Data gathering – Interpretation – Utilization Social media analytics is a requirement for making important business decisions It involves making sense out of data 25  Social Media Analytics “The art and science of extracting valuable hidden insights from vast amounts of semi- structured and unstructured social media data, to enable informed and insightful decision making” – Gohfar F. Khan 26 Importance of Social Media Analytics Improved decision making (Data driven) Achieve customer satisfaction Building brand reputation Monitoring trends Monitoring performance of content strategy Making advertising decisions 27  …Social Media Engagement Social media engagement refers to the ability to attract responses and other desired actions from followers It is often used to describe the performance of a post on social media OR to decipher the mood of a comment – Positive – Negative – Neutral Metrics for measuring social media engagement include sentiments, comments, and shares Analysing these metrics alerts an organization before a crisis hits, so that negative consequences can be tempered by reacting timely and properly 28  Types of Engagement Twitter: Re-tweets and followers Facebook: Shares, likes and followers Instagram: Likes and followers YouTube: Likes, shares and subscriptions LinkedIn: Likes, shares and followers 29 LinkedIn Engagement Stats 30 Facebook Engagement Stats 31  Social media roles Social media manager: focuses on being the brand on social media. He uploads content, embraces brand voice and answers questions as the brand. Social media community manager: focuses on advocating for the brand on social media. He is in charge of listening and overseeing various campaigns and initiatives on social media. Social media coordinator: focuses on the strategic planning and execution of social media content for a brand or organization. Social media strategist: ties in the goals and objectives for the company or client in question on how to get these measures accomplished. 32  Social media roles Content creator: in charge of designing and producing in various formats such as graphics, videos, animations, images, infographics, and soon. Content is king and its creators must be able to create work that resonates with the audience. Creative director (multimedia, video, etc.): probably one of the most in-demand roles in social media. He must be able to create, produce, and record multimedia content to tell effective stories. Writer/Editor: responsible for writing and editing content that is consistent with the brand voice for social and digital media. They work with content creator as well as coordinators to ensure their content is aligned with the content of other team members. 33