You won’t have to leave the app to explore a geotag on a Snap due to the new Snapchat Context Cards feature. Snapchat announced this feature last week to enhance users discovery of information about locations. This feature further engages users all while remaining in-app. If you’re curious or intrigued by a location tagged in a friend’s Snap Story, now you won’t have to go look it up elsewhere. Continue reading
Category Archives: SocialMedia
The Psychology of Color Impacts Customer Engagement
According to Entrepreneur, the psychology of color greatly impacts marketing and branding. Messages are in the colors companies use in their products, and ultimately, colors play a major role in consumer purchasing. Continue reading
Barstool Sports is Partnering with ESPN
Barstool Sports is partnering with ESPN for the first time ever. Barstool is an off-the-wall, men’s lifestyle and sports media company. They have been producing content for over ten years. Initially the content was sports, sports gambling, and fantasy football. Eventually, the p
rint paper company (what it began as) grew into an online haven for sports fanatics and guy’s guys. Today Barstool Sports is a multi-faceted group that churns out content, through podcasts, daily video-streaming shows, a Facebook show, blogs, and social media. If they weren’t at least posing a threat to ESPN, they made it seem like it through their content. President, Dave Portnoy, has never had fond things to say about ESPN. For this reason many thought the partnership was strange. Continue reading
Why Micro-Influencers Drive Income
In the new age of social media marketing, we have seen a rise in micro influencers. Specifically how micro-influencers drive income to brands more than their larger counterparts. While many brands aspire to work with the big name influencers, the real money is in the ones with significantly smaller followings.
Online Retailers Now Accept Venmo Payments and Shopping will Never be the Same
PayPal steps up its game today with a new way to pay. Online stores now accept Venmo payments on retail sites where PayPal is accepted. Lululemon, Forever21, Etsy, and almost 2 million online retailers are participating in this exciting change (via CNBC). Continue reading
The Power of Citizen Journalism
The height of the digital age we live in has brought to light the power of citizen journalism. Crucial moments and crises are live streamed, recorded, and posted to social media seconds after they occur. Not only does this leave less room for lies and fabrication, it also gives the public direct access to news. Due to the nature of the way we use our smartphones, someone is always there to catch a crucial moment in real time.
Social Media’s use in Businesses
In recent years, social media’s use in business has shifted from important to imperative. There are a variety of different channels companies can utilize. These channels can be selected based on relevance to and needs of the specific company. There is something for everyone with social media. It allows businesses to meet people’s needs and interests. The top social media channels that businesses should consider are Facebook, Google +, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. All seven of these channels are popular and offer a broad reach. These platforms have demonstrated effective use by businesses in a variety of ways, from marketing to publicity to even sales. Continue reading
Snap is teaming up with NBC Universal to make Snap scripted TV shows
The parent company of Snapchat, Snap is teaming up with NBC Universal to make Snap scripted TV shows. This partnership is a major move in an effort to compete with Amazon and Netflix.
Target Joins Google Home’s Voice-Activated Shopping Service
Online shopping used to be the ultimate convenience. Now, we expect overnight shipping and suggested products. We expect to repeat a previous order with one click. Retailers that are not adopting these features will not stay relevant in the online marketplace. In 2016 Google released their first smart speaker, Google Home, to compete with the Amazon Echo. Here is how they put a twist on one of the most highly-anticipated features: voice-activated shopping.
Facebook Order Food Brings Facebook Into The Food Delivery World
Facebook can now bring friends together for dinner! Last week, Facebook announced its newest feature, Facebook Order Food. With this announcement, Facebook broke into the food delivery world. However, rather than attempting to compete with other food delivery apps, Facebook Order Food is coming at it in a different way.
Snapchat Teen Usage Continues to Lead
The world of social media is competitive. It is hard to get ahead, and stay ahead, with so many different platforms. The competition does not seem to faze Snapchat. Numbers don’t lie, and the latest numbers show us that Snapchat teen usage is at an all time high. Why are so many teens choosing this platform over all others? Can the company maintain their success, or is it simply 15 minutes of fame? Continue reading
Instagram Updates Once Again with New ‘Poll’ Feature
The only thing that remains constant about social media, is the fact that it is constantly changing. Last month it was Snapchat next week it could be Facebook, but this week it is Instagram. Instagram has updated its features by adding a poll aspect to its Stories.
Apple Face ID Adding More Security to iPhones Than Ever Before
The new iPhone X has said goodbye to home buttons and Touch ID, and said hello to their newest feature–Apple Face ID. In late December, Apple released this new iPhone in honor of their 10 year anniversary. They have improved the camera, updated the software system and improved the phone’s security, specifically with this new Face ID feature. Continue reading
Influencer Marketing Campaigns and Their Power Over Consumers
According to a recent survey conducted by Forbes, 84% of marketers plan on executing at least one or more influencer marketing campaigns within the next 12 months. What is influencer marketing, exactly? And why is it such a powerful element in the marketing industry? Continue reading
The Next Frontier of Social Media: Banjo
The latest and greatest development in the frontier of social media may just be a company called Banjo. Why haven’t you heard of it? Until recently, the company and its app have been kept tightly under wraps for a big reveal worthy of the impressive nature of the technology. But get ready, because this new form of social media may very well change the world. Continue reading
Why Google Plus Is Failing
Many people are familiar with the social networking platform Google Plus. 
The basics are pretty much the same as every other networking site, but why don’t you know anyone who uses it? There are many questions surrounding the enigma that is Google Plus. With the name and reputation it possesses, everyone wants to know why Google Plus is failing. Continue reading
Shopping on Instagram with the Instagram and Shopify Integration
For Instagram users who are also online shoppers, you’ll want to be aware of the expanded Instagram and Shopify integration. The goal of the integration is to make online shopping a seamless and enjoyable experience. With e-commerce constantly growing as a channel, the integration becomes a powerful tool for brands to grow their brand and connect with mobile shoppers. Continue reading
Apple and Samsung: The Tech Industry’s Frenemies
Two of the largest tech giants, Apple and Samsung, are more closely related that people may believe. What started as a small negotiation between founders, has developed into a multi-billion dollar relationship. The relationship between Apple and Samsung will grow even closer when the iPhone X is released in November.
The Netflix Problem: Why the streaming service could change Oscar rules
The current mood of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is feisty due to industry changes with the rise of streaming services. Last week, the Academy held a members only meeting for the second time in its 90 year history to discuss what they deem: The Netflix Problem.
Students use Social Media During the SMU Power Outage to get Midterms Canceled
Tuesday evening, the SMU power outage caused an uproar among students as they attempted to study for midterms through a displacement period and lack of Wifi. A petition quickly swept through the campus more virally that anything the college has seen in its recent memory. The ability to get almost an entire student population to sign a petition in under three hours shows the close online network of students on college campuses.
Around 4:30 pm, the SMU power outage took out all the lights and wifi on campus. Working quickly, SMU sent out emergency messages demanding everyone on campus and in the dorms evacuate immediately. The messages requested students relocate to United Methodist Church in Highland Park, claiming that they were prepared to house students overnight. The SMU power outage had taken out the entire campus’ network including wifi.
The SMU Power Outage and Evacuation Caused Outrage Among Students
The problem these displaced SMU students faced was without access to the library the internet. Even those off campus did not have access to any SMU website. Due to this, for many students, studying became impossible. Many students with midterms the next day faced immense frustration at the loss of time to prepare for the upcoming test. In response to the overwhelming outrage, a particular student, Will Jones, started a petition. The Change.Org petition titled, ‘Cancel SMU Classes on Wednesday, October 4th Due to the Evacuation’ spread quickly among angry SMU students.
The petition met its original goal of 500 signatures within minutes. Students started sharing the link on their Facebook pages. Within 45 minutes the petition reached the new goal of 2000. By then the story was gaining traction. People were posting links to Snapchat and Instagram stories, urging every SMU student they knew to sign. By 10 pm over 5,000 people had signed the petition. With an undergrad population of 6,000, this was hard for the provost to ignore. While the administration did not cancel classes, they did send out an email urging all professors to cancel midterms for the following day.
The takeaway from this event is the power that social media has between students in a college. At some point, almost every single student at the school saw the petition and signed it. The ability for students to quickly connect online to one another turned out to be the driving force in this powerful movement. Shareable items such as these have the visibility of an entire campus. With the right content, these posts can have an immense response rate to their call to action. This fact is key to keep in mind while starting future movements on college campuses.