Category: Social Media

On April 1, 2023, Bud Light posted an Instagram photo of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney holding a can of Bud Light. The post was met with immediate backlash from conservative commentators and social media users, who accused Bud Light of promoting “woke” values. In response to the backlash, Bud Light deleted the post and issued… Continue reading What HR Can Teach Marketing: A Lesson from the Bud Light Instagram Fiasco

On October 28, 2021, Facebook decided to change its name to “Meta” to help the company move forward on building the next digital frontier, the metaverse. The management is hopeful that this might help Facebook transcend the barrage of criticism being faced by its social networking platforms. The tech giant’s original brand names of Facebook,… Continue reading Explained: Why Facebook Rebranded Itself As “Meta”

You’ve been active on social media; you’ve invested in social media marketing tools and social campaigns – but do you really know how to calculate your engagement rate and use the correct formula in the right context? Let’s take a look at a few different ways to measure engagement rate, and dissect their pros and… Continue reading How to Calculate Your Social Media Engagement Rate

Despite all the recent negativity regarding Facebook surfacing in late 2018, Facebook’s other major social media platform, Instagram, sits comfortably on its throne as the most dynamic social media platform used by Millennials and Gen Zers. Instagram focuses on visual content rather than written- allowing the platform to avoid many of the pitfalls its parent… Continue reading Double Tap to Like: 5 Ways to Use Instagram to its Fullest Potential

Snapchat embraces and champions the ephemeral nature of communication in a landscape that is saturated with it. Snap a pic or a vid, send it to a friend, and moments after being viewed it self-destructs into the ether forevermore. We’re talking about communication that both originates from and elicits an immediate emotional response, as opposed… Continue reading Five Ways To Use Snapchat To Drive Employee Engagement

Instagram is kind of taking over the social media world. Different from other social media platforms, Instagram is simple, authentic and visually stunning. It enables companies to communicate with their clients in a more creative way by using visual marketing. According to Forrester research in 2015, Instagram is also the king of social engagement. For… Continue reading 3 Killer Strategies to Boost your Instagram Marketing

Implementing a social media strategy for marketing, branding, or recruiting isn’t as daunting as it seems. Still, there are questions — not obvious at the start — that become very important as your social presence expands. Make sure you address these issues to get the most out of your social media initiatives. I’m not talking… Continue reading Five Questions to Ask When Creating a Social Media Strategy

I’m a cheerleader for social media, but when they fail, it can be instructive. First Friendster, then MySpace, and now Google Plus. What was Google’s strategy for creating its own social network? Why did it fail? And what did it do right along the way? Here’s my analysis. The Rise When Google Plus debuted in… Continue reading The Rise and Fall of Google Plus

Salesforce just released its 2015 State of Marketing report, and the results are very intriguing for online marketers, recruiters, and branding professionals. As Salesforce put it: “Marketers are shifting attention from traditional metrics like conversion rates to metrics that better reflect customer satisfaction.” More fascinating findings are below. Salesforce surveyed thousands of marketers around the… Continue reading Report: Social and Mobile Marketing Are on the Rise

I’m always on the lookout for brands that are doing innovative things in social media. My latest find combines great marketing, customer service, and employer branding for an authentic, compassionate experience. See how Zillow engages customers, job-seekers and employees through inventive social strategies. Shining a spotlight on Facebook comments As I always tell clients, social… Continue reading Why Zillow is a Social Media Superstar

It may not seem like social media marketing has much in common with the world of Game of Thrones. Instead of tweeting, characters send actual ravens into the sky. Instead of Facebook, they have Faceless Men. And the closest they come to Snapchat are the ephemeral visions in Melisandre’s flames. But the people and events of… Continue reading Succeed at Social Media by Playing the Game of Thrones

A new study by Sirius Decisions found that only 50% of B2B use social media, and just 10% of those companies see business value from their efforts. But social marketing is crucial for B2B brands, and good strategies can make your organization stand out. Here are some best practices. Support corporate customers as if they were… Continue reading How B2B Businesses Can Win at Social Media

The growing popularity of ad-free social networks has shown the public’s weariness of Facebook ads. How can marketers create content on Facebook that’s still engaging and effective? While Facebook is still the nation’s most popular social network, it’s no longer the central hub for all social media interaction online. Investment bank Piper Jaffray surveyed more… Continue reading What Facebook’s Decline in Popularity Means for Content Marketers

While it’s important for brands to stay timely and topical on social media, that doesn’t mean they have to mention every national holiday or event. Here are three brands that failed to understand when silence can be golden. Yoga studio uses Sept. 11 to promote a discount The incident: September 11 is a difficult day… Continue reading Social Media PR Disasters: When Silence is More Social

Marketers spend millions of dollars on Facebook, the country’s largest social network. But a little-known messaging service, Snapchat, has been quietly adding new features, passionate users, and forward-thinking brands, and is now poised as a more cost-effective platform than its giant rival. Here’s how Snapchat might actually be better than Facebook at engaging customers, fans,… Continue reading 3 Reasons Snapchat Is Better Than Facebook for Marketers

You want to move beyond posting words to your social media followers…but you’re not quite ready to produce videos. That means it’s time to get involved in visual social content, which includes photos, images, and infographics. This kind of content is very compelling and shareable, and will open up your online marketing, branding, or recruiting… Continue reading Best Practices for Engaging Fans on Pinterest and Instagram

A raft of small-scale disasters have shaken social media over the past few days, and they all have one thing in common: poor judgment. There’s something about the immediacy and brevity of Twitter and Instagram that leads brands to post with little thought to the consequences. Learn from their recent mistakes. Adam Richman bites off… Continue reading Social Media PR Disasters: Think Before You Post

Adding social media to your communications can be liberating, since you can easily share photos, videos, and infographics. But it can also be limiting, since Twitter only allows for 140 characters, and Instagram and Vine have strict time restraints for videos. Last week, I showed you how to create a compelling brand voice, uniting your… Continue reading The Latest and Best in Social Media Brand Voices

I’m always looking for brands that are doing exciting, unconventional things on social media, whether in marketing, branding, or recruiting, and designated them “Superstars.” Past honorees have included Chitpotle and State Farm. Today, I’m recognizing a brand whose every piece of content is injected with fun and whimsy: Oreo. Everyone knows they won a Clio and… Continue reading Why Oreo is a Social Media Superstar

Every so often, a brand botches a social media interaction. Sometimes their response to that mistake is even worse. When that happens, it becomes one of Brandemix’s official Social Media PR Disasters, and provides a valuable lesson for the rest of us. The Brand Black Milk Clothing 629,000 Facebook likes 42,100 Twitter followers 869,000 Instagram… Continue reading Social Media PR Disaster: Black Milk Clothing Breaks a Commandment

You’ve already heard about the Coke logo snafu, but the 2014 Academy Awards provided other useful social media lessons for those of us in the branding, marketing, or recruiting fields. From the meticulously planned to the completely unexpected, a few Oscar moments had enormous effects on Twitter, driven by brands and the public. Planned Product… Continue reading Social Media Lessons from the Oscars

Since 2011, I’ve covered social media PR disasters. It’s surprising how many big brands, with decades of competent public relations, have stumbled in the new world of two-way online communications — whether it’s allowing customers to make their own satirical commercials or driving a musician to write three songs of revenge. In each case, I’ve… Continue reading How to Avoid a Social Media PR Disaster

Just when you think the world has enough social networks, another emerges that changes the entire landscape: Facebook supplanted MySpace. Google launched Google Plus. Foursquare became more like Yelp. And visual sharing evolved from Instagram to Pinterest to Snapchat. More social channels are on the horizon. While they all aim to be fun and useful,… Continue reading New Social Media Channels: How Can Your Brand Use Them?

It’s important for every business to conduct a competitive analysis to find their niche in the marketplace. But how do you analyze your competition on social media? How can you compare a big brand on Facebook to a small brand on Twitter? The good news is that you can conduct a fairly thorough competitive analysis… Continue reading How to Conduct A Social Media Competitive Analysis – For Free

Earlier this year, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg published the book Lean In – Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. While controversial, the book’s success allowed Sandberg to found Lean In, a non-profit that offers women “the ongoing inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals.” The organization’s site features inspirational stories, lectures on… Continue reading Social Media PR Disasters: The “Lean In” Intern

It’s not often that social media PR disasters have happy endings. The Kansas City Chiefs fired the person behind their insulting tweet. McDonald’s may never be able to use the Twitter hashtag #McDStories again. Songs about United Airlines’ obstinance are still racking up views on YouTube. But this time a brand finally backed down and… Continue reading Social Media PR Disasters: World Nutella Day

Last summer, Pew Internet Researchreported that 46% of adult internet users were Creators; that is, they have shared photos and videos that they’ve created. 41% are Curators; they’ve reposted, retweeted or repackaged information that they’ve found online. 32% are Creators/Curators. I presume it also implies that 54% are Internet Voyeurs — neither posters nor creators.… Continue reading Thanks to my Curators and Creators – From Your #1 LinkedIn Voyeur

We’re all familiar with the funny image that goes by various names, but is basically “Social media explained with donuts.” As a reminder, here’s the full list: Companies, including my own, use the “Donut List” to simplify the major social sites to novices. But as these sites add features and move to our mobile devices,… Continue reading Dollars to Donuts: It’s Time to Update the Internet’s Most Famous List

I recently discovered Bridgepoint Education’s clever use of Twitter and Pinterest to hire for its campuses and offices in San Diego, Denver, and Clinton, Iowa. I then had the chance to speak with Christina Hastings, Director of Talent Acquisition and Development, about her philosophy, her strategy, and her success. Christina runs a personal Twitter, @aRecruitersPOV,… Continue reading Why Bridgepoint Education Careers is a Social Media Superstar

You probably know about the Applebee’s waitress who was fired for posting a customer’s receipt that had a derogatory statement on it. You may not be aware of the aftermath, which took place in the wee hours of Saturday, February 2. It’s virtually a textbook example of what not to do in a PR crisis.… Continue reading Social Media PR Disasters: Applebee’s Wild Night

Since the beginning, Twitter users, including me, have at times been stymied and frustrated by Twitter’s seemingly arbitrary character limit, which redefined social media. Now Twitter aims to shift the paradigm for visual sharing as well with Vine, an app for sharing six-second videos. Is it the perfect balance between Instagram’s single images and YouTube’s… Continue reading Are Twitter and Vine Shrinking Our Attention Spans?

I’ve told you about Social Media Superstars and various best practices – but what about worst practices? What are some tactics to completely avoid? Here are some of my personal pet peeves for each major social network. Think of them as social media don’ts. Twitter Ignoring questions and comments. Twitter, like all social media, is… Continue reading Social Media DON’Ts

As Jobvite’s recent survey has shown us, social recruiting is here to stay, so we at Brandemix are constantly looking for the brands that are doing it innovative ways. This year, we’ve honored Zapposand State Farm, and now it’s time to recognize another Social Media Superstar: Taco Bell. Here’s the restaurant’s employer branding statement: “At… Continue reading Why Taco Bell Careers is a Social Media Superstar