Pinterest | Gonzalez Sarah Social Media Site

This week I received some love from a featured, and favorite brand of mine, Steve Madden who directed me towards their company blog. My recent post on Steve Madden was a description of their social media efforts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. After taking a look at what Steve Madden was posting on the SM MAG blog I realized that creating a post specifically for their blog would be a great way to continue my social media analysis. Plus, I usually structure my posts around Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so I thought just looking at the company blog would be refreshing.

My first reaction to the Steve Madden blog was not only the aesthetic beauty, but the unique vibe of the page. In my opinion, the Steve Madden brand has a very vintage, LA, New York style and caters to an audience who can appreciate this specific style. The SM blog is linked directly from the company website under the tab SM MAG and has loads of content. Since the blog is packed with many fabulous ways SM is making audience connections it was hard to figure out where to start my personal analysis. I am going to try to cover as much ground as possible to give my honest opinion on their social creation.

As far as social strategy, the blog is on top of everything the Steve Madden audience is concerned with such as, fashion, music, and staying up to date in each area. The blog has seven sections in their blog including tabs like fashion, music, about, contributors, and shop. Immediately when you enter the home page of SM Mag blog you are greeted by a huge Steve Madden logo and pictures paired with the top three most recent blog posts. The home page is dedicated to a little bit of everything from every section of the SM mag blog. The home page also has links to all the social media platforms Steve Madden utilizes. Under the words “follow us” is a row of icons that links you directly to each page, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also noticed, under the Twitter icon, there was an update saying that Steven Madden recently changed their twitter handle. I thought this was a cute way to update their audience about recent changes within their social media accounts. The company also has several pictures showing their recent activity in the social space. There is a picture from their most recent pin on Pinterest, numerous recent Instagram pictures, and Twitter pictures of Steve Madden shoes with the hash tag #SMOOTD (Steve Madden outfit of the day). Blog posts and a video using the new Vine app for Twitter flow through the middle column of the page and balance everything out.

The Fashion section of the blog is dedicated to all things Steve Madden fashion. The most recent post if a how-to by Kitty Pryde, who decorates her Steve Madden kicks and “puts the twinkle in her toes” and links directly to Kitty Prdye’s blog page. This link to a blogger shows Steve Maddens knowledge of the blog-world and how effectively they have been able to integrate their mission into this social space. The music tab has links to a page about music, rather than shoes. There is an artist that is highlighted on this page with an introduction, music video, photos, and album information. A banner above the music page informs audiences to await new artists of 2013. Following the music page there is an about tab that specifies what the blog offers audiences. The about tab is a clever way to clarify the collection of findings within their blog. I am very impressed with the about section within the blog because it sends the message that SM wants their audience to fully understand their page. Following the description of the blog’s intentions there is a section for the blog contributors. This is a great way to prove authenticity by including the audience with the faces behind the computer.

Overall the SM blog effectively connects to their targeted audience through many different ways in their blog. From their multiple social media outlets like Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to their blog posts on fashion and music. They have a variety of hashtags used throughout the page like “SMOOTD” (Steve Madden outfit of the day) and #bts (behind the scenes). They have effectively incorporated usage of the new Twitter app Vine onto their page showing they are up-to-speed with the social space and have an account with every major social media platform. The Steven Madden blog is sophisticated and filled with content to connect with a variety of audiences who are all shoe-obsessed. The blog is a great example of how a brand can uniquely and creatively create a page that strays from the specific product but continues to uphold the brand image necessary for the brand.

Hello all, today I embark upon the journey of blogging specifically for PR and Social Media purposes. Currently, I am an undergraduate student studying about the world of Communications with a specialization of PR. The other aspect of my life that is valuable to this blog is that I am a traditional millennial, which requires me to stay afloat with all things social media. I proactively utilize accounts I have on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Foursquare.

The vision I have for this blog is to analyze the way different companies are using social media to connect with consumers. My future blogs will be similar to case-studies, analyzing the information found. This topic will involve researching other blog posts, articles, and any relevant brand activity via social media. Bare with me through the beginning phases of posting, because I am far from being a seasoned blogger at the moment.

However, I am optimistic about brand efforts towards social media and highly skeptical of any brand who hasn’t taken advantage of the social media audience. Social media sites have created a world of listeners and speakers that are willing to document their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Accurate insight into the consumer’s mind translates into every aspect of a company. And what is said, and done online, to facilitate connections is crucial to further success.

According to Tom Foremski, in his post titled “Advice To Marketeers And Others Not On Facebook And/Or Twitter” social media websites are a world we must use to learn from. While we may not like to emotionally tweet, or post Facebook rants, we must learn how others are and why? As the internet continues to change so quickly, marketers and PR experts must stay abreast with the changes in the marketplace. His advice to brands is to understand these conversations and outlets for communicating.

My futures reflections will address Tom Foremski’s central idea of his blog post and that is the understanding of communication in the social media world. How well do brands understand social media? How are consumer messages online being interpreted? What are brands doing to engage us online? All of these ideas and questions will be answered throughout this process. I am open to suggestions about what brands seem interesting and anything relevant to the analyzing process. Feel free to nudge me in any certain direction on this topic.

Well I know I am intrigued for this process to begin.

Until next time…