What do I look like online?

First: Why am I online?

1. I want my social media accounts to show that I know what I am doing as a hopeful social media coordinator. 

2. I want to highlight that I have a healthy social life while balancing it with responsible studies and work.

3. I want to have engaging and relevant content posted on a semi-regular basis for my audience.

However, I have two main audiences that I am split between on social media.

-> Professional connections and potential employers

I want to appear well-rounded but mainly want to highlight my professional content and tone. For this audience, I don’t want to appear superfluous or easily distracted, so I try to put a lot of thought into what I post and how I want it to appear.

-> My friends

The majority of my friends don't care about public relations and I don’t want to bore them with unnecessary content. The things I create and share for this audience include fun posts about my life and showing how I interact with my friends in real life.

Second: What do I post?

I am active on several social media platforms.

My Twitter account is geared toward my professional connections and potential employers. 

On this platform, I almost never post anything about my life, instead posting semi-regularly with a professional tone about relevant content to my spheres of influence: social media, Texas Tech, digital marketing, public relations, etc.

My Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat accounts are geared almost entirely toward my friends. 

The majority of posts on these platforms deal with my life and engage with my friends, having barely any content dealing with public relations on these platforms.

My Pinterest account and my blog are split between my two audiences. 

On Pinterest, about half the pins I choose relate to public relations, content development and social media while the other half of my pins relate to my fandoms and hobbies. My followers on Pinterest can easily opt out of seeing the boards they do not care to see, and will then be presented with a steady stream of content that interests them. 

At the same time, my blog alternates between posts for and relating to class and posts dealing with current movies, projects, recipes, etc. My blog leans more heavily toward engaging with my friends except when I am blogging for a class, in which case the opposite is true.

I am not active on Google+ or YouTube.
I mainly use those platforms to see other content and not to share my own content.

Third: How do I appear?

When I search my name in Google, Bing and Yahoo, I immediately appear. 

All of the posts and pictures on the front page of those searches, and the majority of the following two or three pages, are content that I have posted on the internet.

If someone searched for me, they would be able to easily find my social media accounts, and no compromising or embarrassing content, which I do not post to begin with.  

Although the image results from these searches quickly devolve into images that I have pinned or that aren’t related to me, the first few images are consistently my profile pictures.

Among other Google Alerts I have set up, I have alerts set for “lydia clinkscales” and “lydiaclink.” Although the only notifications I receive from these alerts are of content that I have recently shared, it is reassuring  to know that I would quickly find out if something else was posted about me.

My Klout score has consistently stayed in the 55 to 57 range throughout this semester.

Before this semester, my score was consistently in the 53 to 55 range during the summer. 

There was a clear improvement in engagement when my friends returned from summer break.

The majority of my engagement and influence takes place on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As this pie graph from Klout shows, over a third of my engagement takes place on Facebook. 

Instagram and Twitter are the second and third platforms that I am most influential on.

I have tiny slivers of influence on LinkedIn and Klout, and none on Google+ and YouTube, which makes sense as I am not active on those accounts.

My blog is not very popular, as I am still trying to solidify the main goal of my blog. I am currently building up the amount of content I have on the blog, and once I find my actual niche, I will increase my promotion.

Page views of my blog were at an all-time high in March 2015, with the inconsistency of my posting reflected in the inconsistency of page views.

While I tend to cross-post content across platforms well, there are not many calls to action. 

(Why is that important? Check out my blog about it).

Because most platforms have space for one website link, my accounts direct traffic toward my blog of my website.

My website hosts my blog and directs people out to my social media accounts, but if people do not take the extra step of looking at my website, they may need to use google search to find my other accounts.

Fourth: What should I focus on?

Here are six goals I want to focus on and how I plan on accomplishing them

1. Establish my blog as a credible source of information

-> Create a bank of content that I can work from to share content at consistent times

-> Narrow down the topics I cover on my blog, so the content itself will be more consistent

-> Interact with other bloggers with curated content and guest posts

2. Present a more consistent image of myself across platforms

-> Update information on all accounts at the same time

-> Blend the tones I use to interact with my two audiences, to present a consistent tone

-> Use more calls to action that connect my social media accounts

3. Engage both of my audiences more equally across social media platforms

-> Engage with content that is both fun and professional at the same time

-> Cross-post across all platforms when the format is applicable

 4. Be able to present my social media accounts as my resume when applying for a job

-> Consistently update my bio and about sections on all platforms

-> Curate my older content to remove broken links and incorrect information

5. Have a more influential voice on Twitter

-> Engage with brands on a consistent basis

-> Look for relevant conversations that I can engage with

6. Increase my engagement with followers

-> Post more interesting content across my social media accounts

-> Use calls to action in the majority of my posts to guide audience interaction

Off to check my social media accounts,
The Purple Writer

DAM, let's talk about that.

I mean the other kind of DAM.

D igital
A sset
M anagement

Digital:

There are multiple forms of creating, storing, and using content. 

The digital space is generally the best medium for most content today. 

It is easy for multiple people to access and translates across different devices, regardless of where you are (as long as you can access the internet).

Asset:

Whether it's your personal art or content owned by the brand you work for, there are all kinds of assets you want to be able to access again.

Management:

Having access to your assets in the digital sphere makes it easier to produce consistent content across platforms and time periods. 

You want to keep track of what assets you are using and check through them on a regular basis to keep them relevant and up to date.

Conclusion:

Whether you are working on maintaining your personal brand or overseeing several teams of social media teams, its important to curate a good portfolio of assets in the digital sphere.

It will make your life much easier.

United Breaks Guitars

It's back!

Here's another post about the "United Breaks Guitars" case study.

I know I've written about or mentioned it a few times, but this is a new take, looking at other aspects of United Airlines and this viral video.

First: a quick and informal audit of United Airline's social media.

@United has a conversational and entertaining tone on its social media platforms, specifically Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.


As an example, the brand's recent posts have featured their new first class seats.                                                                                                                                                      
The brand tries to be funny and engaging while explaining how the new seats have been improved, and why these features are important.


United is most active on Twitter but does a good job of cross-posting the same content on Facebook and Instagram as well. 

The major campaign images and posts appear on all three platforms, while extra details and more posts will be seen on Facebook as compared to Instagram, and on Twitter as compared to Facebook.

United also does a pretty good job of listening to their audiences and followers on social media.                                                                                                        

Their responses are not generic or boring but are instead tailored to individuals, with the same caring and fun tone as their posts, and are signed by the team member responding.


They respond to comments, posts, tweets, and mentions, with usually only a few hours delay.

Now: what if this video was made today?

If Dave had flown on United Airlines today and complained about his guitar being mishandled, United would probably respond quickly and tried to help him in any way they could.

United's customer support has obviously come a long way in seven years and provides much better customer service today than they did when this video was created. 

Hopefully, the initial complaint would not be ignored or overlooked so he would not feel driven to create the video at all.

But if he did create this video today, in our digital age, I believe it would have received a different response.

The Hispanic imagery might be considered mildly offensive to some people, but that would not affect its popularity to a big degree, as the internet is filled with various degrees of offensive content that is popular.

No, the big thing that would affect this video's popularity is the fact that there have already been so many viral videos.

This video was revolutionary in its time, becoming essentially the first truly viral video.

But today, it could easily be just another funny video.

YouTube is filled with music videos, comedians, social commentary, and mixtures of all three. So while this video would probably garner some good attention today, it would likely not be a viral sensation.

Important takeaways:

Thinkers: Don't be afraid to try something new. 

You never know when your brain child might become huge and inspire multitudes of people, so don't be afraid to be the first.

Brands: Be ready to respond to anything.

Whether or not you believe claims or complaints, it's important to react quickly with a prepared team and a unified front. Even if you're facing a false claim, little things can have a big impact.



Planning to look at other case studies now,

The Purple Writer

Baking with alcohol is fun.

I made some alcoholic cupcakes this past weekend.

More specifically, I made White Russian Cupcakes using Kahlua and Vodka!

A friend came over to make some brownies, and while they were in the oven, I went to Pinterest to find a cupcake recipe to whip together. I saw this recipe and just had to make it.

I love this recipe, and when I took them to class, everyone else also loved them, so I decided I should reshare this recipe with the world!

I got the recipe from the great blog Baked Perfection, which also has recipes for Pina Colada Cupcakes, Mint Julep Cupcakes, and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.

Now, before you get worried about my using alcohol in cupcakes, I will share what was noted alongside the original recipe: while Kahlua is 20% alcohol by volume, vanilla extract is 35% alcohol by volume.

Therefore, while I put alcohol in the frosting, it was actually less alcohol by volume than the normal vanilla buttercream frosting I make.

White Russian Cupcakes

This made 36 mini cupcakes and 8 regular cupcakes for me.

Oven temp: 350 degrees Fahrenheit

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) of butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup Vodka
1/8 cup Kahlua
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


-> Cream the butter and sugar
-> Add the eggs
-> Mix in the vanilla, milk, Vodka and Kahlua.
-> Add the salt, baking powder and flour.

-> Bake in cupcake liners (approximately 10 minutes for mini cupcakes and 20 minutes for regular cupcakes, but this will vary between ovens and other variants, so keep an eye on them)

Now, you could eat these cupcakes alone, and they would be fine. However, this buttercream frosting is fantastic, so you shouldn't skip it.

The frosting would also probably taste great on top of fudge brownies. . . not that I would know. 

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp Kahlua

1 tbsp Vodka (optional, but recommended)

A pinch of salt

-> Beat the butter until it's creamy

-> Add salt and powdered sugar (slowly, so you don't get a cloud of sugar all over)

-> Add Vodka and Kahlua

-> Taste and adjust as you see fit.

The result:

These cupcakes are delicious and perfect for basically any occasion.

Planning to make these cupcakes again soon,

The Purple Writer

The Sam's Club approach to social media.

This post was written in collaboration with Lyndsey Walton.

We conducted a social media audit of the Sam’s Club brand in class recently. We looked at the platforms they are active on, the content they post, and how they interact with their audiences.

Platforms

Sam’s Club is active on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Instagram, and have inactive accounts on YouTube and Pinterest.

The brand posts four to seven times a week on its active accounts but has not posted anything for several months on their inactive account.

Sam’s Club has a mobile app but only current members can use this app, so it does not engage with prospective consumers. 

We also don’t know if the app interacts with other platforms.

Content

Sam’s Club does an excellent job producing original content and cross-promoting it on their platforms. 

For example, when they had samples of Sea Cuisine’s fish tacos, they posted an enticing picture in their posts, mentioning the brand @SeaCuisine on applicable platforms.




We did notice that Sam’s Club posted a video about tailgating gear on Facebook but not on YouTube. 

This seems like a missed opportunity of easy cross-promotion.

Interactions

Each Sam’s Club post has a call to action (CTA), encouraging their audiences to engage with the brand. Most of the CTAs are to visit local Sam’s Club locations and try samples or buy products.

Instead of responding to individual posts or tweets, Sam’s Club generally asks those with questions or concerns to directly message the brand so they can respond privately and with personal answers.

Sam’s Club maintains a very professional and concise tone on social media. They use short sentences to convey clear messages, although the brand does use hashtags on Instagram to keep content relevant in current discussions.

Impressions

While Sam’s Club does a great job cross-promoting their original content, we would encourage the brand to utilize a more personal touch, like hashtags and more public engagement with their audience. 

Because Sam’s Club is a retailer and most of the brand’s posts are about products, we also think Pinterest would be an ideal platform for this brand to develop and be more active on.


Ready for us to present our analysis,
The Purple Writer

Why do brands post the same thing on different sites?

Have you ever followed one of your favorite actors, brands or musicians and then been annoyed because they post the same information on everything?

I’m talking about the same post showing up on every social media platform, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and email.

You might have a friend who posts the same picture on Instagram and Facebook every day. That can get old pretty quickly, right?

Thankfully, I follow enough people and brands that this really isn’t an issue for me.

My feeds are full of content and I’ll generally miss the repeated messages unless I’m actively looking for them.


But that’s exactly why cross-channel promotion exists.



What is that fancy term, you might ask?

Cross-channel promotion just means the same content or message is posted on multiple platforms.

The majority of people are interested in multiple brands and only check social media during short breaks in their busy schedules.

This means that it can be harder to get someone’s attention, so brands may need to have their content or message show up multiple times for their audience to actually see and engage with it.

There is a nice summary in the Retargeter Blog which explains that users interact with the different social media platforms in different ways.

It is important to understand the unique qualities of the different platforms you have a presence on, and tailor your message for each of those platforms, to create a “far-reaching strategy that users can truly engage with.”

Another important element of promoting your content on multiple channels is to include links. 

These links can be for your accounts on other social media platforms, back to your blog or other relevant blog posts, as long as they provide a way for your followers and audience to connect and engage with you.

As Lori Pendleton stated in her blog post about cross-promotion, “you have to push [your content] out to multiple channels so it's seen by as many people as possible.”


So if you have a message that you want your followers to see, go ahead and post the same content on all your sites.

Just make sure you tailor your content to fit the individual platforms you’re posting on and include links to your content and other platforms.

Make it easy for your audience to engage with you.


About to post on Facebook,
The Purple Writer

Review of The Killing Zone

Created in 1953 by Ian Fleming, James Bond has appeared in numerous books and movies.

He was too large of a character to disappear after Fleming's death, so several authors have been authorized to write continuation James Bond novels.

One man, however, decided to self-publish his fan fiction and pass it off as an official book in 1985.

Looking beyond the legal problems and expected oddities of a fan-fiction which was self-published and falsely claimed to be licensed by Glidrose Publications Ltd, The Killing Zone  does a good job of keeping in line with its official James Bond counterparts.

Jim Hatfield's The Killing Zone is now infamously known as the Unofficial James Bond Novel.

The Killing Zone starts with Bond's friend and colleague Bill Tanner being killed, followed by M.'s journey to the Carribean to pull Bond from retirement.

Bond travels to Mexico to take out Klaus Doberman, the drug lord who killed Tanner, and comes across several familiar faces.

• Felix Leiter, the American agent who has helped Bond on several cases
• Major Boothroyd, also known as Q, who provides Bond with plenty of guns and gadgets
• Paul Huggins, a former British Secret Service Agent who had turned and worked for SPECTRE before coming to Doberman
• Fuji Chen, a ninja hitman with a knack for customizing guns
• Anya Amasova, the KGB agent who alternates between hating and loving Bond in the film The Spy Who Loved Me

Bond's main love interest of this book is named Lotta Head, and while that name is worthy of one of Fleming's "Bond Girls," the prejudice and discrimination is greatly toned down from what would be found in an original Bond book.

James Bond is older in this book but is still faced with several action-packed scenes in The Killing Zone, including:

• Fighting with spear guns while scuba diving in Mexican waters
• Firing heat-seeking missiles which are built into Bond's Porsche
• Crawling through cacti in the dark to booby trap Russian soldiers
• Racing speedboats across the Mexican coast
• Wrestling on slippery clifftops
• Invading an impenetrable fortress
• Dangling from a helicopter in the sky

The Killing Zone definitely has enough action, sex, and death to fit in alongside official James Bond books. 

Hatfield' story is obviously a fan fiction, but it is still better written than some official James Bond novels I've read and heard about.

For a hurriedly written novel which was produced without support or funding, Hatfield's The Killing Zone does a good job of capturing the essence of James Bond and placing him in a new adventure while interacting with several favorite characters from his past. 

I think this book is definitely worth a short read, especially for Bond fans.

It's available online in several places, so why not check it out for yourself? 

Excited for SPECTRE to come out this fall,

The Purple Writer

* To get more information besides the thoughts in this short blog post, check out this summary by The Book Bond, who owns one of the remaining physical copies of The Killing Zone.

** You can also check out my Prezi version of this review.

*** Feel free to contact me and ask for my full review of this book. It's only 4 pages, but has quite a bit more detail than I could fit in one blog post.