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 Social Media Can Change the Business World

I started writing this blog at the beginning of the semester as part of a class assignment and have learned so much through researching and also viewing other professional blogs to search for new tools and ideas that could continue my learning. In today’s society social media is now a must-have if a business wants to make money and reach new customers. Virtually everyone is online in some way and people rely on the Internet more then ever to go about their daily lives. Keeping up with new social media websites and platforms are important if businesses want to stay ahead of their competition and keep the customers they currently do have.
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The way we are using social media now has definitely been effective in promoting and marketing business’s goals and ideas. If we continue on the path we are on now, I think we could come up with even more creative and fun ideas to reach customers through sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and any other platforms I have mentioned on my blog over the semester.

The great thing about social media is that is doesn’t just have to be used for business. I know through out my blog I have focused on how it could help Wardrobe Interventions, but it is a great tool that people use to connect to each other with. People have found long lost relatives and friends through social media sites which would have never happened just a couple of years ago. Social media is continuously evolving and the fun part is that we can have a huge influence on how it grows.

Once companies realized how effective social media was, they really started to get involved and take charge in how they wanted to brand their image. Even though it is important to be creative and fun when posting things on social media, it is also important to be aware of what you are posting and the lasting effects it could have. The one downside to the Internet is that whatever ends up there, stays there. Even if a business or company tweets or posts a photo for just a couple of seconds and then takes it down, more than likely someone saw it and has already spread it across the Internet. Social media can either make or break a company and I think businesses have started to realize how crucial it is to stay on stop of all of their social media sites and make good decision on what they post and even when they post something.

Thanks for sticking with me this semester and I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog posts about incorporating social media into business!

Staying Connected with HootSuite

With so many social media sites available for our use it can be time consuming to constantly check every site that you have on a regular basis. In order to grow a small business though it is important to stay on top of your social media postings and to be aware of the latest news stories going on around the country and even world. Recently I found that HootSuite is a great website that can manage all of your social media accounts in one place. This website allows you to connect your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Myspace, and even WordPress so you do not have to go to each different website in order to view or post something.

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Each different section allows the user to view their news feeds from several different social media sites. It also allows you to monitor what people are saying about you or your company and makes it easy for you to respond immediately back to them. For example, on Twitter you can add a “stream” that only shows your direct mentions in someone else’s tweet. This can be good for business’s because it makes it easier for them to monitor what their customer’s are saying about their product or brand and allows them to stay constantly in the loop.

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HootSuite makes it easy to click on any type of steam, for example Twitter, and it immediately creates a new section on your dashboard showing you anything you wish to see.

Another cool feature in HootSuite is its feature that allows you to schedule when you want your Facebook post or tweet goes out to your followers. You can create a tweet and then click the specific date and time you want it to go out and HootSuite will automatically send it out for you no matter where you are at.

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This can be great for businesses such as Andrea Whaley’s Wardrobe Interventions because she can schedule a Facebook post days in advance to promote something and she wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to do it. It can be hard to be a small business owner and this scheduling feature can make social media posting so much easier.

Keeping up with social media can be hard for some people and I feel like this website is a great way to make people’s lives a lot easier. Using HootSuite allows you to focus your energy on other areas of your life or business without having to sacrifice your social media presence!

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.