Social Media

Social Media Overview

The use of social media provides a network of individuals with common interests (Target Audiences), for users to interact with in real time. Social media algorithms provide and administer tools for users to better reach parties who may be more interested in products or services provided by the company or organization. Facebook has been around since February 4th of 2004 and has evolved over the course of that time. It has gone from a simple digital communications platform into a platform with many tools focused not only on personal communications but also business communications.

Ads reach users via social media. Users can construct their own ads and pay for them to be distributed to their demographical target audiences using the tolls of modern social media. Established best practices regarding the use of social media for businesses is key to keep an audience interested and growing. By refraining from using unprofessional content and preparing each post professionally, written in a clear language that is easily understood by all targeted audiences a business can improve their relationships with their customers and even interact.

Using the tools of social media to reach the correct demographics of your target audience will limit your ads from going to uninterested individuals and thus lower costs of advertising on social media. Advertising on social media saves millions of dollars annually. Social media is the new and improved "word of mouth" advertising. There are language barrier tools which allow businesses to reach out to individuals who are in other countries and or speak other languages not common or known by those at the business or organization in question.

Business Goals

Depending upon what the goals of the business are will help determine which platforms are best suited for the content that will be distributed to the public. By setting specific goals of the business we can better determine which social media platforms are best suited for the organization or business in question. Each platform has its own unique tools that can be utilized to enhance and improve content to reach larger audiences.

Currently the use of the business Facebook page is being used well to encourage interactions and entice target audiences to attend future events. To increase popularity and reach more people Facebook also offers advertising tools at low cost. I would recommend creating a budget for this to improve growth of the venue. Other accounts such as Instagram is being utilized well but could be improved by using more hashtags (#) and tagging specific individuals in images to reach their followers.

Twitter also has several tools such as tagging, keywords, and advertising. Much like Facebook, I would recommend utilizing these tools in a similar fashion. We want to drive more traffic to the business website or blogs by using social media as well. We also want to Increase Brand Awareness by presenting to our audiences what separates us from other MMA venues. These elements are critical to improve business and ensure steady growth and activity. By using social media platforms to their full potential we can increase interactions, improve our rankings in search engines by popularity and the use of keywords and hashtags, and reach more demographic audiences through their low cost advertising without spamming users pages.

Social Platforms

The Full Contact Fighting Federation can benefit further if my recommendations are utilized appropriately. My recommendations will allow the organization to “Connect with Customers and Clients,” as well as “Increase Brand Awareness.” My social media recommendations for the FCFF Organization are Pintrest and Youtube. Pintrest is popular among women who search for crafts and entertainment of sorts.

With the MMA industry becoming more popular with women, this is an excellent platform for expanding the brand and reaching a new demographic and expand the target audience model. In a goal to expand client resources as well as target audience, this venue will benefit exponentially with regard to the female demographic. Pintrest has limitations with regard to target audience. It specifically targets those who use the social media platform which statistically are primarily women. Youtube already has videos in circulation from older events that spectators constantly upload. Audiences are constantly searching Youtube for fight videos and highlight reels for entertainment of research purposes.

The FCFF venue can benefit from starting its own channel on Youtube in multiple ways from having highlight reels from old events showcasing the quality of the events as well as eventually monetization of the channel. Limitations utilizing Youtube include copyright issues when music is being used. Terms of Service regarding these laws should be read thoroughly before uploading any videos. The strategy I would recommend using on Pintrest would be similar to how Instagram is utilized.

Images used to promote the venue, fighters, upcoming events, etc can be uploaded on Pintrest with a stand out title to helpr catch the eyes of Pintrest browsers and a short blurb with embedded links the venue’s other social media and website. Target audiences can share by “pinning” the uploaded content similar to Facebook and other social media which increases popularity and helps drive more traffic to the social media platform. The strategy I would recommend for utilizing Youtube would be highlight reel uploads rather than full fight videos to prevent the loss of DVD sales and actually entice viewers to by more.

Highlight reels can be accessed for promotional purposes of future events when needed and drive more traffic to the uploaded content which will multiply views. As the channel grows this will trickle down and aid the venue in its own growth through brand awareness by connecting with more prospective clients and audiences. Eventually this channel can be monetized to generate more revenue for the FCFF.

Content on Pintrest is less limiting than on Instagram since it allows for catchy headlines and blurbs. This sort of media is attractive to not only women but also men that might peruse Pintrest. Videos are more popular than all other media. Youtube is a platform with tools for unlimited possibilities. The goal is to increase brand awareness and connect with a larger audience by expanding social media branches. The terms and services for both sites are structured to protect copyright protected material. By following the laws regarding copyrighted materials in advance the organization will not be hindered by the terms and services of either platform.

Examples

As seen in the examples below, tools are available to achieve business goals and develop future goals that will improve the organizations appeal to target audiences.

Figure 1: Pintrest

Pintrest is customizable as is most social media which enables the organization to appeal to its target audiences. New boards can be created which allows organization of content. Metrics are utilized on the homepage as seen above showing how many different boards, pins, likes, followers, and how many other organizations are being followed by the organization in question. This metric shows target audiences if an organization interacts with its followers by following back, a feature where reciprocation benefits are multiplied.

Figure 2: Youtube

Youtube channels are customizable. A base image can be uploaded to help attract viewers to the channel. Displayed content can be changed to support featured or upcoming events. Metrics for this site show subscribers and the layout is user friendly, similar to a website format with a Home page, Video, Playlists of streaming content, and more. This site is known for monetization for its popularity.

Conclusion

My biggest recommendation would have to be grammatical as well as updating bylines on profiles such as Instagram. If a particular even has been promoted in this way, then this byline section should be updated after the event in question has passed and a new event has been scheduled. One such mistake was found and pointed out by me already and has been corrected by the head of social media of the FCFF.

This aid I have already provided shows my level of expertise and a hint of what I have to offer with my recommendations. The other recommendation I have is to start a Youtube Channel to upload promotional material such as commercials, highlight reels, etc to build up fan hysteria and ensure growth in the business through exposure. Social media provides a constant means of free advertising as well as instant communication with fans.

References

Davison, K. C. (n.d.). Kevin Davison (authorkcd). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://www.pinterest.com/authorkcd/

Davison, K. C. (n.d.). Kevin Davison. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO-YIS0TjSlbzUdOs1uyqGQ

George. "10 Years Of Social Media Evolution In One Infographic." WeRSM We Are Social Media. 2014. Web. 01 May 2016. <http://wersm.com/10-years-of-social-media-evolution-infographic/>.

Lipschultz, Jeremy Harris. Social Media Communication: Concepts, Practices, Data, Law and Ethics. Print.