Ask anyone who works in social media (because it really is an employment option, I promise!) what their biggest pet peeve is, and I can promise it will be the misuse of social media, followed by grammar mistakes. So in 2013, let’s all make a few social media resolutions together:
Stop posting your Instagram photos to Twitter – it’s a pain to click through. Twitter has photo filters now, too.
Edit the caption on your Pinterest posts. If you don’t have a kid, don’t keep the caption, “totally doing this for little Billy!”
Don’t like your own status. Ever.
Use proper grammar on Facebook. You don’t have a character count or excuse.
Be smart. This goes for company accounts, too. Hurricanes are not good excuses to shop, and it is never okay to mock a tragedy.
If a status becomes a conversation, take it to your timeline or messages. Or just expect no one to ever comment on your status again. Your choice!
Don’t drink and Facebook. Drink and Tweet instead.
Remember, you can remove someone from your Newsfeed without unfriending them. It will save you plenty of headaches.
For the love of God, STOP USING HASHTAGS ON FACEBOOK. If that means you have to create two messages in Hootsuite/Sprout Social/ETC, by all means, do it.
Are you making any social media resolutions this year? Personally, I’m trying to cut back on texting.
OK – I may take some heat for this, but as a social media manager, I literally spend 8 hours a day with Facebook and Twitter open on my desktop. I see EVERYTHING. So, I’m going to sum up the top 5 most ridiculous things I see:
1. “Going to X/Hanging with X”: OK – Isn’t that what foursquare is for? It drives me nuts to see a Facebook status say “going to the grocery store” or “hanging with my friend.” It’s the old-fashion (as in 2009) rule, if you don’t have anything interesting to say, don’t say anything at all.
2. Photos of themselves: Seriously, that was cool in 2005. Stop with the Instagram pictures of you posing in a mirror, or in a tanning bed, or in your car. It makes you look conceited and gives people the impression that you’re an attention whore.
3. “OMG this is so #Freaking cool, I’m going to post it from @Hootsuite to Facebook, too!” Learn to differentiate your networks. It kills me when I see this on a personal account, but brands? Good lord.
4. “LIKE if…” That is the quickest way to get me to defriend you or unfollow your brand. Just don’t.
5. Chain Letters: Why can’t these things die already? I still haven’t died from the letter I didn’t send in 7th grade. I found true love after midnight. If you found yourself posting something you forwarded when you were 12, STOP.
What pet-peeves do you have with social media? Comment below!
The Super Bowl has come and gone with a close win by the Giants, minor middle finger mishap during half time, and enough new commercials to fill a weeks worth of American Idol. While it wasn’t the best year for the #BrandBowl, there were some lessons to be learned.
1. Dogs can sell anything. This seasons top ads had one thing in common – no, not an exceptional strategy – they all used dogs. From Volkswagon’s preview ad “The Bark Side” to the beloved Bud Light rescue dog Weego, this seasons ads created a real dog-eat-dog world. Below are some of my favorite publicized pooches.
Bud Light: WeeGo the Rescue Dog
Sketchers: GO RUN Mr. Quiggly!
Volkswagon: The Dog Strikes Back
2. Betty White’s Still Got It: OK – this can be up for debate with some, but I still love Betty White, and her appearance in NBC’s “The Voice” spot was priceless.
NBC’s The Voice: Vocal Kombat
3. #Hashtags #Sell: #MakeItPlantinum and #SoLongVampires started off the first quarter. Tying in the Twitter hashtags boosted online traffic for the brands who used it. My favorite? #MarryBacon
Jack In The Box: Marry It
4. You Mess With American, Clint Eastwood Messes With You: Step aside Chuck Norris. Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” campaign took another one of America’s icons, Clint Eastwood, to show that halftime doesn’t mean the game is over. America, eff yeah.
Chrysler: It’s Halftime America
5. We Love Beer. This is something we all knew, but Budweiser’s “Eternal Optimism” proved it.
Budweiser: Eternal Optimism
6. At a loss for strategy? Throw in everything you possibly can. Kia included Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and Chuck Liddel. Samsung used The Darkness, Miranda Kerr and a stylus (seriously, a Stylus?) Did it work? Personally, I’ll take my iPhone any day.
Kia: A Dream Car. For Real Life.
Samsung: Galaxy Note
7. Twinkies will Survive 2012. OK – The first thing that was said when this commercial came on was “interesting choice of song” by my boyfriends dad. Little did we know that the song would just ad to the hilarity. It should be noted that I was raised on Ford trucks, but I always appreciate someone having the balls to call out their competitor.
Chevrolet: 2012
You could also talk about the (terrible, lip synced) halftime “performance,” the fact that Coke & Pepsi should just stop producing bad ads, or the unfortunate idea of leaked ads (it wasn’t nearly as fun to watch ads I’ve already seen), but I’d rather just post a few more videos. Which was your favorite?
M&M: Sexy and I Know It: How can you not chuckle at that?
Budweiser: Flash Fans: This was aired in Canada, but gained ridiculous digital recognition.
NBC Sports Network: The Next Ones: Obviously I’m going to like an ad with kids and hockey in it, but overall I’ve loved the NBC Sports campaign. And that child in the Flyers jersey is absolutely precious.
