Inside the Profession

Friday Five: This Week in Social Media

From week to week social media platforms change and evolve. On a personal level it can be difficult to keep up with these changes. However, from the perspective of a communications professional, it can be nearly impossible to keep track of everyplatform, their features and the tools measuring their results. Once you finally get comfortable with using a platform for your company or client, it morphs into something different seemingly overnight.

Friday Five LogoIn this week’s Friday Five – an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary – we will take a look at news of the week from various social media platforms. We’ll discuss Twitter’s play to get marketers to pay, Pinterest’s latest strategic hire, Facebook’s quest to track users over multiple devices and a (Non-Millennial’s) guide to Snapchat. We’ll also examine the steps to writing an effective social media policy.

Twitter Uses War Room to Coax Marketers Into Spending (AdAge)

Sometimes a bird starts tweeting immediately after hatching. That’s the goal with Twitter’s newest venture, Hatch. AdAge sat down with Ross Hoffman, Twitter’s director of brand strategy, to learn more about Hatch, a service where Twitter pairs a company’s ad team with marketers to devise a strategy in advance of a large event.

Hoffman explains: “Marketers ultimately want two things: they want impact and innovation. Can we do something that’s truly special and rises above the rest? Can we measure the efficacy of it? We work with the brand [and] agency in those weeks and months leading up to a day where we’ll have one to three pretty good ideas about where we’ll be going. As opposed to getting in the room and saying, ‘We’re gonna leave this room with greatness.’ We want to do that ahead of time.”

Learn more about Hatch via AdAge. Is this a service you would be interested in? Sound off in the comments section.

Pinterest has hired its first media partnerships manager. Why now? (Gigaom)

Do you use Pinterest to promote your published posts? Like many who are using the platform for promotional purposes, you probably have witnessed Pinterest’s amazing referral potential. At a time where Pinterest has established itself as a major marketing tool, the company hired its first media partnerships manager, Robert Macdonald.

A media partnerships manager may seem strange for an image sharing site, however, Gigaom’s Carmel DeAmicis explains why it makes perfect sense: “Although the media focus might seem confusing at first – Pinterest isn’t exactly the place where people share the latest news and viral videos – on deeper reflection it makes sense. Much like Twitter and Facebook’s feed content largely comes from media organizations, so do the images pinned on Pinterest. To keep people engaged and grow its user base, the company needs media organizations to target their content to Pinterest’s audience.”

Read the full article via Gigaom.

Snapchat Explained (By a Non-Millennial) (Business 2 Community)

Do you consider yourself social media-savvy but just can’t get a handle on Snapchat? When Snapchat-loving Millennials explain the platform, it can be even more confusing. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Laura Donovan, contributor to Business 2 Community, shares her guide to Snapchat, and her reasoning on why communicators should get on board.

According to Digital Marketing Ramblings:

  • There are 100 million active users monthly
  • 58% of college students using Snapchat would purchase a product from a brand that sent a Snapchat coupon

See more Snapchat facts and tips via Business to Community.

Facebook to unveil new ad platform to track users across multiple devices (ZDNet)

Synergy has become increasingly important as social media users are accessing their networks via phones, tablets, computers, and now maybe even watches. Facebook is looking to capitalize on this trend by tracking users across all of their devices—not just their PCs.

Charlie Osborne of ZDNet explains Facebook’s new platform, Atlas: “Atlas is also expected to help marketers understand which adverts Facebook users view, decide to interact with, and which ads influence purchase decisions effectively. The platform not only collates data from Facebook itself, but also third-party applications and services which show Facebook ads.”

Do you think the information obtained by Atlas will help you prove Facebook’s worth? Read the full article for more details.

A practical guide to writing an effective social media policy (The Next Web)

Social media may provide a direct line to your target audience and help you get your message out. It also can cause major problems if used the wrong way by your employees – whether they are using their personal accounts or a company account.

Brian Honigman suggests a strong social media policy. Keep the following suggestions in mind when creating yours:

  • Incorporate your company culture
  • Don’t underestimate the value of common sense
  • Don’t discourage social media use

View the full list via The Next Web.

Rosanne Mottola is public relations manager for the Public Relations Society of America.

About the author

Rosanne Mottola, APR

Rosanne Mottola, APR, is public relations manager for the Public Relations Society of America. She is an adjunct professor of public relations at St. John’s University, Staten Island. Mottola obtained a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from New York University in 2010. You can connect with her on Twitter @RoeMoPR or on LinkedIn.

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