How many different social media accounts do you have? I’m guess there are even a few you have forgotten you signed up for. I’m certainly guilty of this, checking out something new then losing interest as it fails to gain participants or just doesn’t appeal to me (and can someone please explain Snapchat to me). This really isn’t a problem, when Josh or I decided to quit a platform. We are our own brand yes, but few people look for us outside of this blog, instead we get found on those networks. There isn’t going to be a great deal of capital lost from Josh taking a break from Twitter when we aren’t on a business to consumer program. However a larger brand, let’s say my employer must be a bit more strategic.
There was a great deal of buzz around the marketing department when MRA decided to start an Instagram account. This would be a companion to their existing presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These other accounts are managed by multiple members of the team who coordinate and monitor the content. Instagram in an increasingly popular and powerful platform for brands. So why would you want to wait to join in? Well, one major reason to be strategic is time. Until an organization has a plan for who will manage and when content will be added, it’s best to wait. There is also the element of listening that must be attended to, who is going to then monitor this new account and interact with followers?
Another reason to wait and evaluate the usefulness of a particular platform, is having the right content. Will the managing team members be able to gather enough appropriate and engaging material to make the efforts rewarding. Speaking of reward, what can this particular platform give an organization, the return on investment. If one employee is going to be dedicated to only monitoring and managing social media accounts, what is that cost and the cost of tasks that must now be reassigned? Are these social interactions going to lead to new business? There are certainly a number of industries and business that won’t see any benefit from platforms like Facebook or Instagram. A mobile experiential firm is not one of those. Without the right combination of presence on media platforms we could easily look outdated to a protective client. Many firms seeking these kinds of services aren’t necessary going to find a vendor on Instagram but they might be engaged enough to make an inquiry.
By having a presence on selective social platform, firms like MRA can give prospective clients great insight into how we do business and what we provide. While Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all placed that MRA shares a mixture of information about their business and the industry, Instragram is becoming a place to get to know the people behind the projects.
**For my regular readers this post has a slightly different format, as it is part of my coarse work for SNHU.
Keller, K.L. (2013) Strategic brand management: building, measuring and managing brand equity. Pearson Education, Inc. Fourth Edition
Kumar, V., & Mirchandani, R. (2012). Increasing the ROI of social media marketing. MIT sloan management review, 54(1), 55.
Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press.
Streatfield, B. (2015, December 23). “Rise of a tech giant: the history of Instagram”. The Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-video/12064686/Rise-of-a-tech-giant-the-history-of-Instagram.html
The Roving Van Gelders 
I use Facebook and Pinterest. There are just so much time that I want to devote to the computer. I would rather be outside.
Most social platforms are mobile