Social Media for Venezuelan Change

The country of Venezuela is in turmoil. With widespread chaos and social unrest, the internet has become a sanctuary for many Venezuelans, inside and outside of the country, to vent their frustrations and support. 

It has been recently reported that the government has shut down Twitter and most other points of communication for the average Venezuelan. As a global society, should we have a call to action by spreading their message for them? What are your thoughts? Is Social Media the protest of the current day? We may not be able to run the streets of Caracas in support but can we do it digitally?

-Edmund McCombs

Social Media at Work?

There's always a sense of anxiety about it. You're sitting at your desk, you're anxiously longing to log-in to Facebook and check out something, but your boss is just right there. Right there over your shoulder waiting to catch you! But, wait - this article here starts to break down Social Media myths and says that it actually may be ok for you to get "social" at work.

The article goes on to explore the idea that maybe your workplace wants you to be active online. But, the tricky part is that some users stated that their workplaces wanted the user to represent the business on Social Media and that, can be a slipper slope. Now, this is the point in which you need to set up the parameters around your personal Social Media accounts! Some of the respondents also said that their workplaces asked them to share their personal Social Media details on the company's professional sites. To me, that is going way too far and just asking for trouble. One drunken tweet, one mildly inappropriate status update and your job is on the line - this will benefit no one!

While I think you should be allowed to use Social Media at work, I do not think it should ever be used on behalf of the company, but I also think that you should ever mention your work on Social Media. Sure, it is a part of your life and something we all do but, honestly...I don't care to know too many details of my friends' working lives unless it is on LinkedIn - the appropriate channel for that information.

So, proceed with caution! Keep work at work and your Social Media sleuthing to a minimum. We all have personal traits that may not be in line with perfectly sculpted corporate images and, that's ok! Just be sure that those two worlds don't collide like Justine Sacco learned the hard way!

-Edmund McCombs

Social Media Advertising? $500 Will Do!

Curiosity was getting to me and I was beginning to wonder just how much money flowed into Social Media advertising and where it was all going. Doing a little search, it lead me to this article which outlines the ad spend ratio of each site and where best to spend your cash.

Reading the line, "with online advertising spend overtaking TV advertising spend for the first time" really solidified, in my mind, the need to include a small advertising budget with my clients when they sign up. I think for some small businesses, $500 right off the bat can be nerve-wracking because perhaps they feel that it isn't a tried and tested manner to get a proper return-on-investment. But, the great thing with Social Media is that you can literally spend $5 and see how far it will get you from an advertising perspective.

You can target the exact audience you are looking for and you can decide how your money is spent. It's an amazing tool and many people have gained leaps and bounds beyond their initial investment.  If you're curious to learn more, check out: www.brandemconsulting.com and we'll talk it through.

-Edmund McCombs

Connect Like a Celeb

I read this fascinating article on forbes.com (check it out here) about how big brands could take a cue from celebrities when it comes to growing and engaging with their followers.

For me, the biggest take away is the point of being authentic. Nothing is more important to me than authenticity, whether it be on a personal or professional level. We are human beings that are curious, inquisitive, emotional and if a brand wants to connect with me, I need a level a realness that hits one of those targets. Engage me, excite me or make me feel something that no other brand of your type has.

I feel so often that corporations become densensitized entities and people can't relate. If they could only harness their humanity while blending in the necessary aspects of corporate jargon and responsibility, I think they'd be surprised at how far it would take them with the average consumer. Nobody wants to read sterile yet perfectly polished information about a brand on Social Media unless it connects somehow. Finding that balance can be hard, but it's definitely possible - sometimes you just need a little help along the way.

-Edmund McCombs