Category: Social media

New sheriff in town

Posted on by Brian Lee

We knew that YouTube is the No. 2 search engine behind Google, but did you know that it recently took over the top spot in another category? A new study from Adriot Digital showed that 68 percent of TV viewers surveyed said they consume video content from YouTube, compared to the 51 percent who consume from live television and 48 percent who prefer Netflix.

So what greater impact does that have? Well, with the recent change of viewed video content, brands should obviously focus their advertising content outside of live broadcast television, such as on their own YouTube OneChannel.

Or, brands can produce ads and place them before other videos on YouTube. According to the Adriot Digital study, 24 percent were more likely to watch the ad videos depending on the advertisement itself. Just make sure you know who your target audience is and make your messaging reflect it.

How AEC Companies Can Use Social Media

Posted on by Brian Lee

Even though architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) companies are primarily B2B, it doesn’t mean they can’t be active on B2C-based social media platforms. A strong social media presence can brand your staff, promote your work and connect with prospective clients.

Here are seven social media platforms your company should consider using:

1. Facebook. Instead of using Facebook for customer acquisition, as many B2B companies mistakenly do, consider using the most popular of all platforms for recruiting purposes. After all, your firm is only as good as the people in it. Showcase other employees, post job openings and talk about the culture at your company.

2. Twitter. In 140 characters, share content that’s relevant to your followers. The content can take the form of photos, videos, podcasts, white papers, articles, presentations and the like. The key is to reduce your non-value tweets–such as press releases, new hires, awards, etc.–because seriously, your prospective clients don’t care.

3. Tumblr. This blog also is the ideal social media platform for telling the “story” of your project. Through content and photos, the before, during and after of construction is collected for clients and prospective clients to see in one place. Firms should consider the archiving element of this platform since it is essentially a portfolio of the firm’s projects and ideas. It also can be used to publish your case studies.

4. Instagram. It’s a simple concept. Take a photo or video, apply a filter and publish it to your account. The non-professional aspect of Instagram can actually be very appealing to viewers since it gives a “behind-the-scenes” feel. Your company’s Instagram feed can reveal details of a project that may not have been picked up on in an official brochure or website photos.

5. Storify. Let’s say you’re hosting an event, such as a grand opening of one of your projects. You can aggregate posts from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to create a recap on Storify. In other words, you’re documenting what is being said before, during and after your event  through visuals of the posts.

6. Pinterest. Businesses can share and pin their favorite images of projects. Architects, engineers and builders can share design ideas, provide tips and showcase their work through pins and repins. Clients can also link their profile to yours, driving more website traffic and gaining credibility with prospective clients.

7. YouTube. With a YouTube One Channel, your business can display past, on-going and future projects through quick videos or commercials that can easily be seen on a computer, mobile device or tablet. A brief description of the video can be added to give the viewer better context of what they’re watching. Any broadcast news or awards coverage featuring your company can also be uploaded onto your YouTube channel.

Good and bad #hashtag practices

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

Last year, according to the Interbrand 100 list that reveals the world’s top 100 brands and their activity on Twitter, 97 percent of the brands posted at least one tweet that included a hashtag. It seems that nowadays, we can’t think of social media without the usage of them. Whether it’s highlighting a significant event (#WrigleyField100) or a type of conversation (#tbt), the hashtag is a great social media marketing tool.

However, have you ever read a post with too many hashtags? Or ones that just don’t have any relevance? Here are some examples of good and bad hashtag strategies in branding your social media messaging.

Bad practice: #Hashtag #Every #Single #Word #In #Post. Hashtag over-usage is a common error in social messaging, sending some readers to skip over the post entirely. Studies show that brands that post two or more hashtags in one post miss the mark on connecting with their audience.

Good practice: Use targeted hashtags. When posting, think about your brand and use a handful of targeted hashtags that align with your brand’s identity. You should receive more interaction as a result.

Bad practice: #DontMakeOneThatIsTooLongAndConfusing. This just looks bad. Keep your hashtags short and sweet, easy to spell and easy for consumers to remember and retype.

Good practice: Do your research. Think big picture. What will your consumers see in their feeds if they click on your hashtag? Do your posts work in conjunction with the message you’re trying to convey?