Two weeks ago, we did an evaluation and analysis on social media listening. Since that time, I have become obsessed with the idea that companies are lurking on social media, measuring and watching our thoughts, reactions and reflections. I have become even more in tune with advertising on social media, and also consumer reaction to advertising. This blog entry will showcase some of the more interesting concepts and examples related to social media listening. Recap: What is social media listening?Social media managing business Hootsuite defines social media listening in its article Social Media Listening, What it Is, Why You Should Care, and How to Do it Well,. According to Hootsuite, social media listening is "the process of monitoring social media channels for mentions of a business' brand, competitors, product and any other themes that are relevant." Of important note is that social media listening is different from social media monitoring. While social media listening and monitoring are similar, listening goes beyond monitoring. The SproutSocial blog What is Social Listening and Why is it Important? emphasizes that the goal of social media listening is to extract key insights from social conversations that a business can apply to its overall strategy. While monitoring collects every social mention, listening requires reflection and analysis. Listening can help a company track overall brand health.Having a good social media listening program is important to businesses because social media can be a barometer for overall brand health. In the Infomart article "How to Improve Brand Health with Social Listening," social listening can help businesses establish a baseline for branding challenges and opportunities with the business. Next, the business can use that baseline to set goals regarding brand image, and set values for key social media outcomes the business would like to see regarding change to brand image. Perhaps the business would like to see the brand image become stronger, or more well known, or the business has to do damage control for a recent public issue. Social Media Examiner evaluated 9 companies who were effectively using social media in their branding efforts. Of the list, Ford Motor Company stands out as the largest company with the most effective social media listening campaign for strengthening brand image. Ford created a blog called "The Ford Story, and it starts by showcasing viewer comments that can be reviewed even before customers see the main article. Ford specifically asks customers to share stories of their ownership of a Ford vehicle, and Ford also asks customers to share the blog through their own social media. This format also makes it easier for customers to interact with one another in a positive way, give feedback to the company and share the overall brand image. Listening can help a business create new product its customers want, create new marketing campaigns, and improve the consumer experience.In the above example of using social media listening to strengthen branding, Ford Motor company also used social media listening to collect new ideas for cars for future development. Ford used these ideas to improve technology of their cars and also shape the development of future cars. Shoe company Zappos used Twitter in 2008 to help generate a new confirmation email for the company. Following the contest, customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive about the redesigned confirmation email, as it made customers feel like the email was personalized to them and it raised Zappos status of customer service in their minds. Also, Vitamin Water developed its latest drink flavor from customers on the company's Facebook fan page. Businesses letting customers have an active and integrative role helps customers feel more connected to the business, which is an improvement to the customer experience as a whole. And that doesn't even cover voting on new and unusual potato chips flavors.... Social media listening can also be applied to marketing as well. In 2016, Taco Bell proved as an example in using social media to reflect on customer feedback in designing a new menu item, and then Taco Bell used SnapChat, Twitter and television as channels to promote a blind preorder of a new menu item that was not yet announced! After the preorders were made, Taco Bell then announced the menu item on television and social media channels during the SuperBowl. Listening help further a business' strategic plan.To survive in today's market, businesses must have a healthy social media marketing program. According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of all Americans consumed some form of social media in 2016. Of the platforms, 79% of all Americans use Facebook, with 68% of all American adults using Facebook. This is a 14 point increase over 2015. Also, in 2014, one in six American adults were active on Twitter. With stats like this, businesses must be involved and engage in social media in order to stay in the forefront of relevancy in the market, forboth current and potential new customers. Forbes has also developed a guideline for best practices as to how a business can use social media monitoring and listening to involve the strategic plan. Businesses can identify customers and set goals relevant to social media outcomes, and then measure progress towards those goals through the use of social media. Companies like Unmetric can help businesses integrate social media listening and intelligence as part of an overall strategic plan, and illustrate their services in the following chart below: Listening toolsSeveral key tools have emerged as leaders for social media listening. Hootsuite can be configured to monitor multiple streams of social media content across multiple platforms. Hootsuite is a market leader in social media listening, and has a number of tools that can be used to magnify listening evaluation. Talkwalker expands listening to blogs, forums, reviews, videos as well as social media. It is designed to produce deeper analytical results, especially when combined with Hootsuite. Audiense helps marketers identify target audiences, and listen to those audiences and evaluate conversations by group. It is also a powerful tool in analyzing customer feedback and opinions. Brandwatch monitors over 70 million traffic sources and allows companies to make real time decisions based on how product and branding is being discussed on the internet. Google Alerts, Mention, Addictomatic, Social Mention are also free, comprehensive social media listening and monitoring tools that work independently from Hootsuite. Reddit Keyword Monitor helps companies monitor social media mentions on Reddit, the 4th most popular website behind google, YouTube and Facebook. Mentionlytics will scan for mentions, keywords and customer feedback in multiple languages. Also, a business might take it upon themselves to create their own platform for organic social media listening. For example, in early 2017, the Disney Vacation Club timeshare organization recently created a seemingly unmoderated Facebook group called Disney Vacation Club Neighborhood. In the 6 months since it was created, nearly 37,000 people joined the group, and discuss everything Disney and Disney timeshare related, as well as perks, complaints and accolades. In my earlier blog post, I detailed the communication balloon about renaming Disney's Hollywood Studios. Most recently, in the Disney Vacation Club Neighborhood, the members engaged in a heated discussion on whether or not DVC should change some of the timeshare rooms so that pets would be allowed. That September 14, 2017 posting generated within a few days time 855 reactions and 806 feedback comments. In fact, the reactions to this idea were so strong that the anonymous administrators decided to turn comments off. Prior to the creation of the internet and development of social media groups, businesses would have to hire market research companies, impanel costly focus groups and wait for weeks if not months for public opinion to be analyzed. Now, through the use of the internet, companies can receive valuable feedback in days. ConclusionSocial media listening is an extremely useful tool for businesses in many different ways. The explosion of internet use, and social media involvement has created another avenue for businesses to connect with customers for product development, feedback and even promotion of the business' overall strategic plan. Since studying social media listening, I have been fascinated with seeing business attempts at listening. So, the next time you are on FaceBook SnapChat, a blog or YouTube and you are asked for your opinion on something... just know that the business might actually be listening.
0 Comments
Visual storytelling uses social media to present a narrative paradigm of an event, experience, or brand image. This form of electronic storytelling uses images, videos and pictures to create narrative content. As social media consumers grow in number, content developers have devised visual storytelling as a way to capture audience interest and push content out to social media in a captivating way. Just about anything, from a news story, an advertising campaign or branding image can be pushed out through visual storytelling. See Amy Emery's blog entry here detailing how news agencies used visual storytelling to describe the impact of Hurricane Irma last week. The combination of images and video was able to convey the impact of destruction in a more meaningful way than just words or a single photo. Business use of Visual StorytellingIn Robbie Richards 5/22/17 article "An Actionable Guide to Visual Storytelling," he points out that pictures present more than 8,400% more information than just words, visuals are processed 60,000 more quickly than text, and people remember 6.5x more text based data when paired with images. Visual storytelling has been used for years by different businesses for advertising purposes. In 1977, Kodak created a commercial campaign using visual storytelling to invoke the powerful meaning of memories. More recently, visual storytelling has been used by campaigns by Under Armor using Misty Copeland, and also Nike using Tiger Woods. Disney created its "Good Life" campaign using viral video storytelling paired with music. All of these examples illustrate the use of visual storytelling to push out a compelling message consistent with brand image. In other instances, visual storytelling can also make a seemingly boring and mundane product more interesting and appealing. Sherry Gray of Search Engine Journal described 7 Examples of Great Storytelling for Boring Brands. Honestly, I am surprised to not see the Squatty Potty among them. Platforms for Visual StorytellingWhile visual storytelling has been around for years in television advertising, the introduction of social media has made storytelling much less expensive and more accessible, because essentially, anyone and everyone can be an editor and a publisher. The only thing that is needed is an appropriate platform. One of the best platforms for visual storytelling is SnapChat. Snapchat "stories" are strings of images and videos created by users that are available for viewing for 24 hours before deletion. In addition to Snapchat, Visual Storytelling can be done on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and YouTube. Because of the time deadlines, Keith A. Quesenberry in his blog post said that Snapchat engagement rates of 80%. whereas Facebook engagement rates are considered good if they are at 1%. Visual Storytelling can also be done in different ways. Ad described in Art Version's website, Visual Storytelling can be built around a platform of text, visual imagery, animation, sound or video. The method, mode, platform and publication can all be modified to most effectively push out the desired content to the target audience. Who is the audience for Visual Storytelling?Visual storytelling is about capturing the attention of a target audience. In order to be effective, the storyteller must first identify the audience intended to consume the content. For a solo individual producer, it may be a circle of friends. For a community, it could be a neighborhood, school, or local nonprofit. For a business, it could be an area or a region of existing or potential customers. Or, the business could produce the content targeting an audience of employees, executives and stakeholders, such as a community or market. For an advertising business, it may be current customers or consumers, or the market as a whole around the world. The selection of audience is only limited by the imagination of the publisher. Visual Storytelling and Influencers/CrowdfundingCrowdfunding is the practice of creating a fundraising effort and publishing the effort through social media to collect small contributions towards a larger project. As indicated above, images and videos are more powerful than just words for conveying content. A crowdfunding campaign, for example, using Visual Storytelling can be much more successful than using text alone. Public relations firm RohanPotdar created this article of 5 Ways to and Effective Crowdfunding Campaign for Nonprofits. Central to that article were numerous examples of how nonprofits have used visual storytelling to appeal to the emotions of potential donors. Here are five examples of how nonprofits have effectively used visual storytelling to create wildly successful campaigns. ConclusionIn conclusion, visual storytelling can be a powerful tool to convey content in a meaningful way. Videos, pictures used to tell a story in a way that amplifies meaning and appeals to a broader audience than using just words alone. The explosion of social media has brought the power of visual storytelling to smartphones everywhere, as a result we are seeing more storytelling content than ever before. Businesses are using it to influence customers, individuals are using it to share experiences with friends, and influence others, and crowdfunders are using it to expand campaigns. After reviewing this blog post, how will you use visual storytelling to reach a communication objective in your life?
Testing to see whether I can embed a link in the blog www.drudgereport.com/here.Disney's Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida is a theme park that invites guest to "take center stage in the worlds of movies, television, music and theatre." disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/ However, Hollywood Studios is currently undergoing a major transformation, and likely a second name change.
|
Most recent social media activity on the new park name increased after a tweet on 8/26/17 by DisCounselor Dan listing the potential names of the new park, according to a Disney Parks survey. Since that time, Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere has been on fire with speculation and opinions about the potential new name.
|
Analysis of reactions on Twitter and Facebook
The graphs below represent the breakdown of reactions to this information gathered in the two week period from 8/20/17 to 9/3/17. During that timeframe, the search terms "Hollywood Studios Name Change" and "Disney Parks Survey, " produced 54 different tweets on the topic of the park name change. The below graph represents the reactions to the different names according to percentages. All options are rounded to the nearest percentage, with percentages rounded to 1% for options that had below 1%.
An interesting result of the Twitter social media listening experiment is that the name that was most associated with a potential park name change (i.e. "Disney's Florida Adventure") was not included in the Disney focus group. As indicated in the graph above, the overwhelming majority of tweets mention disfavor the proposed list of park names, with the name of Disney's Florida Adventure being mentioned by fans as an option over all other options combined. As indicated in the graph, 65% of all tweets favored Disney choosing a name other than the ones included in the focus group.
Followers on Facebook were much more opinionated about the potential name change. From 8/20/17 to the 9/3/17, I reviewed 368 comments on the proposed name change. Facebook opinion was even more focused on options that were different from the ones proposed by Disney. The results from the Facebook listening evaluation are indicated on the bar graph below, with each option rounded to the nearest percentage. As indicated on the graph, Facebook users have a stronger rejection of the proposed name options, with 75% of all Facebook comments rejecting the proposed names listed in the focus group. Of the name options presented by Disney, the second most popular name was Disney's Cinemagic Park, which came in at 11%.
As indicated above, Disney fans are extremely active on social media and even more opinionated about changes that are proposed by Disney. The information received by social media listening is important to Disney because it provides important information on opinion sampling of Disney's core audience - fans that follow Disney decisions on social media. The parks are part of Disney's core business, and branding and brand image of the parks are essential. A park name change is essentially a branding change, so support of the Disney fan base is important to the success of the park.
Recommendations
One unique aspect of Disney's branding is that the branding represents a balance of nostalgia while at the same time offering innovative new theme park experiences. Because of this balance, it is critical for Disney to carefully consider fan reaction when looking at something as large as a park name change. Based on the above social media analysis, my recommendations are as follows:
1. Work with marketing department to develop new proposed names for Disney's Hollywood Studios. The above social media listening and monitoring report shows that the Disney community is not embracing any of the proposed option. Disney should go back to the proverbial drawing board, develop new potential names for Hollywood Studios and continue to listen to fan feedback. This is not the first time that proposed names by Disney have been rejected by fans; the current Disney Springs shopping area was initially announced as "Hyperion Wharf" but after overwhelming rejection on social media, Disney changed the name and the concept to something more accepted by Disney fans. www.orlandoparksnews.com/2012/12/downtown-disney-hyperion-wharf-is-gone.html
2. Broaden official surveys and feedback request for the proposed name. Right now, it appears that Disney's process is to have a small focus group on new names, and push out information from group members through social media, after which it can gauge reaction. However, creating a wider survey and integrating more fans in the initial evaluation process will help Disneyphiles feel that they are part of the rebranding effort, and will benefit Disney as it will drive fan support.
3. Continue to push out information, and listen to social media reaction. Right now, Disney has not made any specific announcements regarding the new park name. Disney CEO has announced that a name is coming, and social media has echoed Disney's efforts at receiving feedback through focus groups. Disney should consider making a formal response and a targeted effort of continued social media listening so that it can evaluate and assess options for the rebranding of Hollywood Studios.
In conclusion, social media listening is a powerful tool to assess fan support of change. In this instance, Disney should take the fan rejection of its proposed name changes for Hollywood Studios into consideration and redevelop proposed names that are more supported by its fans. Disney should also take measures to be more proactive in receiving fan feedback from these new names for Hollywood Studios.
Welcome to my first blog post! I am excited to share my thoughts and reflections that occur to me while I am in my "reflection zone" that is behind the wheel of my minivan.
The first reflection that makes up the content of this blog post has to deal with social media.
Social media is everywhere. It has taken over communications and is an essential tool for networking and interacting in today's busy society. ourpangea.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/today-social-media-is-everywhere-thats-why-it-is-so-important-we-do-it-right/
I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. One of the things that I love about this class is the encouragement to learn new tools in different areas of social media. Even since I became connected with social media, I have learned so much. I have learned professional techniques related to my business, connected with colleagues around the world, and I have also honed personal skills such as cooking the best quiche and making great white bean chicken chili. www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-bean-chicken-chili
1. Blogging Tools: The first aspect of social media I am interested in learning is found in this assignment. I have always been interested in blogging and using different blogging tools. I appreciate this assignment and the ways to stretch to learn how to use different blogging tools to create a personal blog. I have enjoyed researching different blogging tools and I have found this list to be very interesting and informative... smartblogger.com/blogging-tools/
2. Personal Image Branding: The second aspect of social media that interests me is developing a personal image brand. Now more than ever before, having a consistent and well understood brand is helpful to networking, connecting with friends and on a business level, with potential customers.
I enjoyed and appreciated this article about the importance of personal branding. www.entrepreneur.com/article/273589
3. Positive Connections: The third area I am interested in developing is creating positive connections with friends and business colleagues. I pride myself on my robust and diverse collection of friends and business connections. Having a blog will help keep me connected with all of these people in a positive and helpful way, and it will also help me connect them as well.
I have received jobs, references, recommendations and important connections through social media. I would like to expand my techniques to keep positive social media connections going! www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/technology-articles/social-work-connections-through-social-media/
The first reflection that makes up the content of this blog post has to deal with social media.
Social media is everywhere. It has taken over communications and is an essential tool for networking and interacting in today's busy society. ourpangea.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/today-social-media-is-everywhere-thats-why-it-is-so-important-we-do-it-right/
I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. One of the things that I love about this class is the encouragement to learn new tools in different areas of social media. Even since I became connected with social media, I have learned so much. I have learned professional techniques related to my business, connected with colleagues around the world, and I have also honed personal skills such as cooking the best quiche and making great white bean chicken chili. www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-bean-chicken-chili
1. Blogging Tools: The first aspect of social media I am interested in learning is found in this assignment. I have always been interested in blogging and using different blogging tools. I appreciate this assignment and the ways to stretch to learn how to use different blogging tools to create a personal blog. I have enjoyed researching different blogging tools and I have found this list to be very interesting and informative... smartblogger.com/blogging-tools/
2. Personal Image Branding: The second aspect of social media that interests me is developing a personal image brand. Now more than ever before, having a consistent and well understood brand is helpful to networking, connecting with friends and on a business level, with potential customers.
I enjoyed and appreciated this article about the importance of personal branding. www.entrepreneur.com/article/273589
3. Positive Connections: The third area I am interested in developing is creating positive connections with friends and business colleagues. I pride myself on my robust and diverse collection of friends and business connections. Having a blog will help keep me connected with all of these people in a positive and helpful way, and it will also help me connect them as well.
I have received jobs, references, recommendations and important connections through social media. I would like to expand my techniques to keep positive social media connections going! www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/technology-articles/social-work-connections-through-social-media/