Personal Learning Network Reflectioin

Through out this semester the personal learning network I put together for Andrea Whaley of Wardrobe Interventions really helped me learn more about the business and marketing world. The professionals I follow on Twitter, Diigo, and bloglines really provided me with great social media knowledge and information that our group was able to pass down to Wardrobe Interventions during our training session. During our training session we used several examples from Rachel Zoe’s Twitter and Facebook account because she is in the same business of Andrea Whaley and does a great job of promoting her brand all across the Internet.

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Rachel Zoe’s Twitter homepage has a great cover background, profile picture, and biography. She does a great job on consistently posting relevant content and interacting with her audience. By studying her Twitter and Facebook page over the course of the semester our workshop group was able to provide Wardrobe Interventions with helpful hints and suggestions that could boost her social media presence and could help build up her followers on Twitter and “likes” on Facebook.

If I was given the opportunity to start the social media for a new business I would definitely create a personal learning network for myself to follow. Making “lists” on Twitter and tweeting at different professional relevant to your business is a great way to attract new followers and hopefully get you noticed by other businesses and marketers. I would work on posting up-to-date information and content on my social media platforms in order to keep my audience involved and interested. I would also consider starting a blog relevant to my business and work on building up a following on that platform in order to reach potential new customers and clients.

Overall, I had a great time working with our client Andrea Whaley of Wardrobe Interventions. Even though I learn a lot doing regular school projects I feel like actually putting together a training session someone will actually use made me think more critically about the subject. I definitely used this opportunity to work with a “real-world” client in order to grow and learn more as a student. Since Andrea runs her own business I think we provided great tips to help her engage, brand, and manage all of her social media accounts and even some potential new ones. By putting together this training workshop I learned a lot about the positive and even negative effects social media can have on a small business or even a huge international corporation.

How to Incorporate Instagram Into Your Business

A couple weeks ago in an earlier blog post I talked about Instagram and how important it can be for Wardrobe Interventions but today I am going to look at how Instagram can be beneficial for all types of businesses. Instagram is a relatively new form of social media and has really taken off in the past couple of years. I really feel like it has the potential to expand businesses and really allow consumers to connect and understand the company they are buying their products from.

Instagram provides users a fun and fast way to share images with friends, families, or even complete strangers. In order to really connect to their consumers, it is important for companies to post both business and fun pictures. People get bored when their newsfeed is constant branding or products so in order to really captivate the reader’s attention, businesses should focus on sharing images that are cute, funny, and interesting.

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Another way businesses can use Instagram is to post videos on their accounts. Almost a year ago Instagram started to allow users to upload 3-15 second videos and I feel like it is a great way to really take this photo sharing app to the next level. For her fashion business, I feel like Andrea Whaley could use Instagram video to post fashion advice, helpful hints, and maybe even do a complete make-over on someone. People do not always check blogs on a regular basis but if she starts posting Instagram videos or pictures, it gives her another way to connect to potential customers. Even though a 15 second video might not be that long, Andrea Whaley could use that to her advantage and show how dramatic and quick one of her transformations could be on someone.

Engaging on Instagram is a great way to network and use your account to your greatest advantage. If someone new follows you or likes/comments on a picture you posted, follow them back or respond! When people feel they are actually being acknowledged they are more willing to try your brand or product and even recommend it to other people. Hashtags are also a great way to connect your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account. If you can get a hashtag trending people can click on it and link it back to your page.

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These are just a few suggestions on how Instagram can be beneficial to your business. With so many products and brands on the market today, it is important to sell to your customers on why your company is the best. Using Instagram allows you to personally share photos and videos while at the same time really connecting you to your customers.