Start Ups and Social Media

Social Media Marketing is for every business. Differing industries and varying sizes of companies can utilize the tools online to make the most of their business. Smaller companies can benefit more from the use of social media because many of the platforms are free to set up and maintain. A new company on the rise that has its origins in Georgia is Peach State Pride and a screen shot of their website's Homepage is below. You can see from the tabs that accessing their social media is extremely easy for consumers. Links to their Facebook, Twitter, Blog, and Pinterest is located at the top of the page unlike some business's websites that list these links at the bottom of the page or on a sidebar or hidden like a buried treasure. It is refreshing to see this new company have such a clean image and connection to platforms that will increase their traffic and sales.

I initially found out about PSP by seeing a car decal on a friend's SUV, then a girl on campus was wearing a PSP shirt and I was digging it, so I did what anyone would do, I Googled "Peach State Pride" and found the website, Facebook, etc. Going to the website, I could easily find the products and what PSP is all about. The owner is happy to make a profit (the foundation of every business) but he also wanted to instill pride for the fine state of Georgia and have the means to donate money to three causes: Georgia Historical Society, Georgia Wildlife Federation, and Georgia Cancer Foundation. Many people feel fulfillment when donating to good causes but more would be willing to give money when getting something in return. Selling shirts, koozies, car decals, and hats are a way to raise funds while satisfying the need to have a souvenir from the donation. 

The Twitter account has over 2,000 followers and they are currently following over 1,000. Many of the tweets are RTs of consumers praising the products and mission of PSP. Their Blog has many posts about new developments and partnerships PSP has made in the apparel industry and includes posts of Instagram pictures of people wearing the PSP products. Maybe PSP should set up an Instagram account  for these posts and the blog can include more content. Their Pinterest account includes boards such as "Georgia Weddings" "'Merica" "Southern Hospitality" and so on. They are not specifically pushing their product on to consumers but more of a lifestyle that consumers of PSP share. Overall, this new company is utilizing social platforms appropriately to grow and keep consumers informed and involved.

How Are You Feeling?

The old days of MySpace and letting your friends know what "mood" you are in seem to be creeping back into the social sphere. Facebook has plans to revamp this emoticon use to let friends know a variety of things. If you are enjoying a half-calf-mocha-latte-hold-the-whip from Starbucks, you can add that to your status update by clicking on the drop down menu to include Starbucks in the post. This new way of engaging with brands can help promote advocacy.

The concept is simple. If a brand or company has a Page on Facebook, aka something you can "Like", then it can be selected or tagged in the status. Your status can be about the beautiful fall weather and not directly about the latte from Starbucks, but the little tag is added to let all your friends know what you have and where it comes from. This is basically free advertising for Starbucks and I think if I saw my best friend post about what she is doing while enjoying a drink from Starbucks, I would then be into getting a drink from there too. It is the suggestion that compels people to purchase certain products at certain times. The presence of this post would encourage me to buy something that I usually enjoy anyway, just sooner than if I thought about it myself.

The addition may take time to actually be used, I still don't "tag" people I'm with as often as I'm with them, but the possibility is there and growth can help brands gain business. Being present on the social media platform (if it makes sense to be on it) can always help to gain an audience. Maybe we should not tell our friends we are feeling "mischievous" on Thursday nights, but instead let them know we just grabbed a pint from Walker's pub. As Facebook users, we can choose what brands to endorse and that proves that social media marketing is in the hands of consumers.

Tweet Tweet

Every person wants to be heard and receive recognition for their thoughts and ideas. And it is somewhat unfortunate that every person has the ability to share their thoughts with essentially the world (at least the online world). Not every teenager's thought should be published online and not every new story of a celebrities' DUI, who Taylor Swift is dating now, or that some teen just got a show on MTV for being preggers should be broadcast across the inter web. It is shameful to publish such trash, but many find this idle gossip to be quite fulfilling and it is no wonder that the Twitter accounts that publish these tidbits have a multitude of followers.

Companies should be cautious to not fall prey to easy engagement. If the company is Entertainment Weekly, then by all means, tell us more about Lindsay Lohan and her train wreck of a life. But for companies that are not exactly in the business of entertaining want to capitalize on the use of Twitter to reach consumers and engage with them in meaningful ways, there is still hope! As a finance major, I will use the example of that industry to illustrate a strategy. If a banking conglomerate were to set up a Twitter account, a great way to gain followers would be first to let their current customers know they have an account. After these users have committed, the tweets should be focused on common sense ways to make the most of the consumers finances. Send out info on wealth management, or alert the followers of a meeting in which the executives will host a Q&A on wealth management. Retirement funds are extremely important and tweeting out tips and advice will go far to keeping the bank's Twitter followers and clients happy with the service they are receiving.

Even industries that are not Hollywood glamorous or a guilty pleasure (like people watching at WalMart) there is always a way to use these social platforms, like Twitter, to a company's advantage. If the way the platform is used provides help, there will always be followers.