Nowadays, it can be difficult to make new friends or build relationships with others. Why? The Coronavirus (COVID-19), of course! However, with the help of mobile devices, we can change that. With a simple search through one’s app store, a variety of apps to connect people are offered! As such, here are two fun mobile applications.

Bumble BFF

To promote community and make new friends, Bumble BFF is one of the first options to highlight. This app is offered by the same creators of the famous dating application, Bumble, but supports meaningful friendships. After the user creates their profile, they can narrow down potential friendships through similar interests and hobbies. Because of Bumble BFF, there are raving reviews of finding the perfect workout and travel buddy, or even stories of bringing people together. This includes an excited and newfound soccer team.

Interestingly, users on Bumble BFF have agreed that it is harder to make new friends during COVID, and turned to this app to build those much-needed relationships. And, unlike Bumble, women, and men have the ability to make the first move to make new friends and build relationships.

Hey! Vina

Another option in fun mobile applications is Hey! VINA. As featured in Cosmopolitan, ELLE, and even InStyle, Hey! VINA is on a mission to connect a supportive and empowering community. Though it’s meant as a female-only application, Founder and CEO, Olivia June, takes pride in promoting a “by women, for women” approach. She also believes in the simple idea that one friend has the ability to change an individual’s life in a positive way.

Taking root in 158 countries, Hey! VINA is a helpful app to build one’s #girlsquad and make new friends. With its simple interface, women can easily swipe and connect. This application is even offered on both Android and the Apple store.

It might be difficult to make friends in these uncertain times or to even try to build relationships. However, with our growing advancements and fun mobile applications, we still have opportunities at our fingertips. For times like these, digital communication is an asset in connecting with others.

Businesses, organizations, and even influencers understand how integral social media and marketing can be. However, it is more than just a simple post and hoping for the best. In fact, there are some factors to keep in mind when planning content creation. Here are some helpful tips to follow for your social media goals.

Knowing Your Audience

Before one starts hyping their products or promoting themselves as an influencer, they must know their target audience. Essentially, your target audience is the people you want to purchase your items or to click that follow button. To narrow them down, one should focus on age, demographic, gender, interests, or the like. From here, an ideal consumer can come into focus. Another great way to understand the audience is to socially listen.

For a business, the ability to socially listen allows businesses to know what is trending, what consumers like, and what may need to be improved upon. Surveys, polls, collaborating with influencers, and real-time communication are great ways to gain insights. Plus, this can lead to a competitive advantage over like-minded organizations or brands.

Setting Up Content

Depending on the ideal social media application the demographic uses, it’s time to outline the content strategies and marketing. Merely posting photos and hoping for the best is not enough. To build a relationship with one’s audience, the content should spark interest, engagement, discussion, and answer the “why” of the business or mission. Through the use of great content like infographics, podcasts, and videos, audience traffic is possible and so is the potential for success.

However, it’s understandable that life can get in the way. That said, when planning content creation, the content should be prepared in advance. This can guarantee an active account, engagement, and relieve the stress of coming up with material on the spot. Apps like Planoly, PLANN, Follow Cop, and more, are ideal ways to keep your content creation schedule.

Keywords

The audience has been established and great content is coming to life. However, to increase visibility, one must determine keywords to complement the posts. With Instagram, as an example, the platform uses keywords to boost engagement with its targeting abilities. When determining keywords, it’s integral to not be lost in a sea of other posts. So, creating unique and custom keywords is recommended. Though it might be difficult and time-consuming, the end result of planning content creation will be worth it for any determined business, influencer, or aspiring social media guru.

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has greatly impacted the way people interact and communicate. In fact, many applications have launched and found purpose in this social distancing world. These platforms include captivating podcasts and networking opportunities that positively influence one’s personal and professional development. Luckily, here’s a look at two growing applications.

Clubhouse

Clubhouse is an audio-based app that includes engaging discussions, networking opportunities, and interesting podcasts.

Though it was launched in 2020, Elon Musk and other celebrities increased Clubhouse’s awareness. With their influence, the number of users increased from 3.5 million to 8.1 million in just two weeks!

With the benefit of being free, this app is becoming an absolute must-have. However, there are some drawbacks. For example, Clubhouse is invitation-only. As such, users can only access it by a friend or connection. Though the exclusivity is enticing, it does isolate Android users since it’s only for iPhones.

Fishbowl

Another networking app that promotes professional development is Fishbowl. It may not be exclusive, but this growing app allows users anonymity. As such, people are more willing to ask questions about handling situations in the workplace, exchange ideas, and learn from successful leaders. Plus, they even post a calendar of what to expect from upcoming live guest speakers in 2021.

Available to both Android and iOS users, Fishbowl has gained positive reviews and influenced a sense of giving back to the community.

COVID-19 may have greatly impacted the world and put a hold on our lives, but our digital communication has evolved. At our fingertips, we have the ability to mature in a virtual world with inspiring individuals to listen to and new connections to make. There’s no doubt that we should take advantage of these new applications.

The influence of Generation Z (Gen Z) has become powerful in our modern world. Surpassing Baby Boomers and Millennials as digital natives, digital communication is an integral part of this social generation. Gradually gaining the buying power, a business and organization must cater to their target audience. With this in mind, how can businesses digitally market to captivate their growing consumers of Gen Z?

The Gen Z Power

Though Gen Z may strive in digital communication, they do have a poor attention span of only eight seconds. With everything at their fingertips, complete with a bombardment of daily ads, it’s understandable. However, that doesn’t diminish their ability to make or break the potential of merchandise sales. After all, Gen Z has been at the apex of “cancel culture.” With a quick post, review, or LIVE video, brands have found themselves at the mercy of this generation. The goal? Hold brands more accountable.

This social ethos stems from Gen Z’s desire to leave a positive impact on the world. As detailed in “What’s Your Strategy For Attracting Generation Z,” organizations are held to a higher standard in which 94 percent of Gen Z participants believe social and environmental issues should be addressed by companies (2017). There is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) that must be highlighted. As an example, in the midst of a crisis, a company should take responsibility or even advocate for its younger audience. This could be a public apology and company change like the former Aunt Jemima pancake syrup or advocating for change like Nike’s support of Colin Kaepernick.

Authenticity

Ultimately, the end result of a company should focus on authenticity. With today’s pop culture and influencers, this can be fulfilled. A few influential Gen Z babies that are taking the world by storm include multi-talented actress, Zendaya, makeup guru, James Charles, and even YouTube vlogger, Olivia Guinnulli. These media influencers not only represent the rising generation but also represent themselves as real people. To further the success of a business via media, a story for the brand is imperative. When posting content, excitement should be palpable by the audience. This offers a chance to be a part of the brand itself or the experience. Donald Miller’s “Building a Story Brand” offers great insight on storytelling for a business and to gain customers to be a part of it. And for social media, eye-catching content that is interactive, fun, and raises awareness, is a plus. After all, by promoting authenticity in a product, Gen Z’s buying power is influenced.

In our ever-evolving world of digital communication and varying platforms, connecting with others is as easy as point, click, and post! But the amount of time, energy, and know-how can be overwhelming to a social media amateur. Especially, when promoting a brand or public figure. Luckily, here are some insights into success concepts for one’s social media presence.

Branding

We all are probably familiar with the phrase “consistency is key.” As emphasized by Forbes, consistency assists in laying the foundation for one’s brand building. This consistency in style, aesthetic, logo-design, and hashtags has the potential to become a recognizable name to one’s audience. Brands like Nike, McDonald’s, and Whataburger fulfill this with memorable designs and catchy slogans.

However, classics like Coca-Cola launched a #RefreshtheFeed campaign (2018) to reboot with a positive twist to promote optimism and kindness. Whereas, Lay’s took the world by storm in their 2019 Lay’s Smile Campaign. This campaign optimized success through product packaging, influencer partnerships, and storytelling. It’s even detailed in a case study of more than 750 influencers. Throughout their revamp, Lay’s stayed consistent in their products, mission, and hashtags to ensure public interest and engagement.

Engagement

Like Lay’s Smile Campaign, marketable branding comes with the need for engagement. To better understand this, one must analyze their current engagement. Platforms like Sprout Social can offer a detailed summary throughout various applications (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like) to better understand analytics and know what suits the audience. This can assist in narrowing down specific times to post, what content the audience prefers, and how to creatively evolve by creating the fear of missing out (FOMO). This FOMO and fun engagement are a result of giveaways, limited-time products or offers, brand partnerships, and celebrating holidays or a company launch.

Relevance

There’s no doubt that social media has grown within the professional field and has transformed lifestyles since the early 2000s. With the fast pace of technological developments, it can be difficult to stay abreast of trending styles and customer expectations. One cannot choose to stay stagnant in their own feed and refuse involvement in trends. Failing to stay abreast of the happenings of the world can lead to its demise.

As such, signing up for specific blogs, sites, or choosing keywords via Google Alerts can be helpful tips to compete with a platform’s algorithm. Furthermore, by publishing consistently, partnering with influencers, and targeting the right audiences, the brand will become notable and memorable. Some great partnerships with beloved celebrities include Justin Bieber and Calvin Klein, Michael Jordan with Nike, and Jennifer Aniston with Diet Coke or Aveeno, and the list could go on.

In the end, branding, engagement, and relevancy are just a few concepts to keep in mind when posting or redefining a platform. For more information on branding and setting oneself apart from others, look into IU Kelley’s School of Business Professor’s Tedx Talks.