Business Communication Skills for

Managers
Module 10: Social Media
Common Social Media Platforms
Learning Outcomes: Common Social Media Platforms
10.1 Identify common social media platforms used by businesses
10.1.1 Describe the primary use of Facebook
10.1.2 Describe the primary use of Instagram
10.1.3 Describe the primary use of Twitter
10.1.4 Describe the primary use of YouTube
Facebook

• Facebook primarily serves to connect people,

which makes social media ideal places for
companies to connect with their customers in a
way that feels personal

How can I start a Facebook Marketing campaign?

• Watch video by Amy Landino to see how!
Instagram

• The top users of Instagram tend to be individuals interested in creating a personal brand.
• This interest in a personal brand has grown as celebrities have become increasingly popular
in advertising
• Endorsements from a celebrity’s Instagram account seem more genuine than a TV ad or in
the newspaper
Twitter

What is the appeal of Twitter?

• quickly and concisely reach an audience
• includes images and videos in your tweets
• Hashtags help you to reach a larger audience
• Twitter was originally created as a business tool!
YouTube
Pros:
• Ease of use
• Integration with other social media and websites
• Massive audience

Cons:
• Data capturing and privacy concerns
• Sheer size and volume of content requires careful placement
• Creating videos requires unique skills and tools when compared to business writing
Discussion

What are the positive and negative sides of using social media for your business?
Additional Social Media Platforms
Learning Outcomes: Additional Social Media Platforms
10.2 Identify social media platforms that are typically less frequently used by businesses
10.2.1 Describe the primary use of LinkedIn
10.2.2 Describe the primary use of Pinterest
10.2.3 Describe the primary use of SnapChat
10.2.4 Describe the primary use of Google Plus
LinkedIn

LinkedIn focuses on recruiting and finding talent

Individual users build profiles similarly to a personal resume, and are able to search for new
jobs and work

Quick and easy strategies for recruiting on LinkedIn:

• If you find a candidate that looks perfect, you can send them a request to connect alongside a message,
explaining the position that you think they would be interested in
• If you have a 2nd or 3rd level connection, you can ask the person you’re connected to if they can make
an introduction, and move from there
• If you’re doing a lot of recruiting , it might be worth it to get a premium account
Pinterest

• Pinterest is an excellent platform for viewing and disseminating content organized visually
by theme
• Users can search for things, as well as “pin” things to their own boards (the boards are
essentially folders of content)

What are the drawbacks of using Pinterest?

• Limited gendered audience
• Perceived usage is based around DIY projects, not products
• The interface is comparatively confusing and difficult to navigate
Snapchat

Snapchat is largely oriented to Millennials and Generation Z

• it is most useful for businesses targeting this demographic!

Snapchat ads are short and to the point

Filters placed on Snapchat pictures can overlay a brand message or promotion

Interestingly, Snapchat marketing appears to be more effective than other common platforms.
Google Plus

Pros of Google Plus: Cons of Google Plus:

● Potential for a large audience ● Relatively low usage
● Local SEO ● More manual work to integrate with
other social media platforms
Discussion Question

What are some positive and negative consequences of using Snapchat to reach your
customers?
Selling Your Products
Learning Outcomes: Selling Your Products
10.3 Use various types of social media to increase your sales
10.3.1 Use social media to announce a product launch
10.3.2 Use social media to spotlight products
10.3.3 Use social media to announce a sale or event
Product Launch

Number one reason to use social media is to bring attention to a new product or service

Various tactics when announcing a product or service launch

• Design a hashtag, organize a countdown, develop consistency across platforms, have clear call to action

When choosing which social media platform to use, consider target audience and type of
message
Spotlight Products

We work to use real, compelling, and authentic narratives to promote interest in our
organization, given product, or to increase interaction between customers

Key questions:
• Is the message or post authentic?
• How easy have they made it to interact?

Netflix and Kohls do a good job of

• Using humor
• Highlighting possible outfits
Sales and Events

Advertising a Sale:
• Creates interest and excitement by spotlighting size of sale or highlighting reason for sale

Features to Increase Sales:

• Unique features to promote sales, such as embedding a “buy” button or link in social media
message
• Pinterest has different tutorials, reaches to Millennial or Generation Z, Snapchat uses similar
features
Building Your Brand
Learning Outcomes: Building Your Brand
10.4 Use various types of social media to build affinity with your customers and make your brand
stand out
10.4.1 Use social media to cultivate community
10.4.2 Use social media to create a sense of affinity
10.4.3 Use social media to announce company news
Cultivate Community

Loyal customers blur line between internal and external

Issue of authenticity with social media is challenging, as some

exchanges may be hollow or misunderstood

It’s important to be transparent with messaging

Have a goal of having more meaningful exchanges on social

media
Create a Sense of Affinity

Affinity is “a liking to something, often naturally or spontaneously”

Creation of narrative or story is related to affinity and authenticity

Difference between the three words

• Affinity: spontaneous liking to something
• Authenticity: natural realness
• Story or narrative: compelling description about person

Storytelling organizations describe a great story, and attempt to use that story to energize
customers
Activity

With a small group, make a list of products that have succeeded with creating a
community or brand affinity with you.

In your list, write a short description of the product and detail what the company has done
well to include you as part of their community. List which social media platforms they’ve
used, and what they’ve done to cultivate brand affinity.
Company News

Change in senior leadership, ownership, or other large non-product or service oriented

announcement

Organizations cross a divide between external and internal customers and integrate everyone
into an audience

Customers themselves drive company interaction, and in doing so they integrate into company
business

Loyal customers may talk about company items on their own social media
Practice Question

Liam is in charge of communications at the large company where he works. The current
CEO is retiring, and the company is ready to announce her replacement. Why might Liam
choose to make this announcement over social media?
a) If Liam has successfully created a community among his customers, and affinity for the
the brand, those customers may talk about company items their own social media
b) Seeing social media posts about internal company changes may help drive sales at the
company.
c) Announcing a change like this over social media reminds consumers that your company
is working hard to their serve their needs.
Quick Review

What are common social media platforms used by businesses?

What are social media platforms that typically less frequently used by businesses? And why?

What are various types of social media that you can use to increase your sales?

What are various types of social media that can be used to build affinity with your customers
and make your brand stand out?