In the last few years, there has been a major rise in podcast popularity. Podcasts have been around for a while, but now they are becoming increasingly popular with Generation Z. Teenagers follow their favorite influencers on social media and love to keep up with their weekly podcast!

With Digital Communication Speakers to Keep an Eye on

Staying ahead of future digital trends can be a challenge, which is why keeping a close eye on several digital communication experts can be transformative. Following several of these pioneers in the industry can keep you ahead of the rest of your competition, and most importantly keep your content and conversations interesting. 

Understanding Human Connections

Before we can predict future digital trends, it is critical to first understand human connections that move us forward. Just because our world has gone digital does not mean we can forget the power of truly understanding human relations and how to create personal connections with our audiences. Bryan Kramer, the CEO of PureMatter is an expert in social media but he is also adept in understanding human-to-human connections. Check out his book, There is No B2B or B2C: It’s Human to Human #H2H, to better understand the many facets of why and how communication today needs to be adjusted to keep up with our ever-evolving and fast-moving social and digital world.

Predicting the Future

Rohit Bhargava, the CEO of Influential Marketing Group and creator of Non-Obvious is an expert that’s not only easy to connect with but someone who can also teach you how to accurately predict future digital trends. His book Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future answers how you can predict the trends that will change your business. Or if you’re short on time but still want the answers on trends that can change your future check out his SXSW 2019 lecture “7 Non-Obvious Trends Changing The Future.”

Understanding Strategies

Once you have the future digital trends down, now you can start implementing your digital strategies. If you want to better understand well-tested and current social media strategies for excellence, look to Corey Perlman. There is never a dull moment with Corey’s interactive speeches. His latest book, Social Media Overload takes a deep dive into how to find out where your customers and prospects are spending time online, ways to outperform your competition on Google, common website mistakes, and much more.

TikTok is the social media platform on everyone’s radar. The video sharing platform has established new celebrities, trends, and ways of consuming content. TikTok however is unique to other social media platforms; organic content succeeds. 

TikTok has made an effort to diversify itself from other social media platforms that are inundating their feeds with advertisements. The video sharing platform primarily serves its users content from individuals they don’t know. As a result, the success of individuals and trends is based on the users own opinions. This type of organic TikTok content can be achieved in multiple ways, such as through the use of influencers or relevant brand engagement.

Organic Content from Influencers

Influencers on TikTok spread awareness about a product through organic content in a manner that resonates with their audience. TikTok also allows “micro influencers” to grow a platform due to this model. As a result, brands are able to gain awareness and high levels of conversion to their website. Thus, greatly differing from traditional social media advertising. Recently, this can be exemplified through Alix Earle, a TikTok influencer who gained notoriety through her “get ready with me” videos. During these videos, she would share what products she was using while applying them. Earle and her videos went viral and sold out many of the products she used. Due to her style of organic TikTok content, she was able to increase the visibility of many brands to TikTok users. 

Organic Content from Brands

In addition to TikTok influencers, brands can organically engage on TikTok as a traditional user. They are able to jump onto trends and act as an individual would, not as a brand. Brands are also to organically engage with their audiences through comment sections. A strong example of a brand’s success in organic TikTok content of this is Duolingo. Duolingo is an educational app that helps users learn new languages. The app may sound boring and run of the mill, but through the use of organic TikTok content, they have become highly relevant. Duolingo uses their mascot to participate in trends, create funny content, and users their account to interact with other TikTok users. This has led the platform to achieving high levels of awareness and support. 

TikTok is constantly evolving and thus creating organic TikTok content will also have to evolve. Brands must pay attention to user behavior to stay relevant and succeed. 

It is no secret that TikTok has quickly become a marketing machine in the digital communication world. Brands are turning to TikTok to capitalize on the platform’s unique algorithm and increase brand exposure.

Digital Communication has made its mark on our modern world. Where would we be without emailing, instant messaging, websites, texts, and videos? How will we get back to the basics of digital communication? It has elevated education, business, and politics and ultimately changed how we operate and collaborate. It is ever-evolving, and new elements are coming to the surface every day.

Social media marketing is the fastest-growing platform for promoting one’s brand, product, and even themselves.

Digital marketing allows people to promote their businesses in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. However, mastering the digital marketing world can be tricky and ineffective if executed poorly.

Let’s dive into the nitty gritty of what NOT to do when marketing your brand on digital media and some tips on avoiding making these mistakes.

Cockiness is NOT key. 

Think of that one girl in the back row of your high-school history class. The one who was constantly talking, flipping her hair, snapping her gum, and flirting with Johnny. She might have been the center of attention for that forty-five-minute class, but people couldn’t wait to get away from her. Avoid being this girl. Promote the best parts of who and what you are because something great may be underneath that obnoxious surface. Do not flood your page with overwhelming and unwanted attention that will drive followers away.

Blocking out the haters.

You might be tempted to block the negative comments that come your way. However, not every comment needs to be “SLAY QUEEN.” The point of social media is to be interactive with your audience. It is not just the creator that has the right to voice their opinions. Learning when and how to respond to negative comments is vital in digital marketing. Responding to the hater might protect your reputation and resolve the issue rather than putting a bandaid over a bullet hole with that pesky block button.

Double, triple, quadruple check. 

There is nothing more unprofessional than posting about your new bikini line with the tag #summerwhere. A surefire way to embarrass yourself and lose the creditability of your fanbase is forgetting to SPELLCHECK. Why would I buy a bathing suit from somebody that failed to use basic grammar? This mistake leads me to question the brand’s legitimacy and write it off as a scam before I admire the adorable floral one-piece in the picture.

1+1=10,000

The last but certainly not least rule is measuring your metrics. This does not mean looking at which post has the most likes, comments, and views. Going into cruise control the second a post hits ten-thousand views will not keep your stats up. You need to download social media monitoring tools that show you day-by-day how your viewers engage AND disengage with your posts. Cut the time of thinking about what to post in half by using the data that tells you exactly what the people want to see! Use applications like Keyhole, rewardStyle, and Buzzlogix to track how people interact with your business in real-time.

Social media may be daunting but manageable if carefully and attentively used. Learn how each platform works and what content works best on which site. You will quickly realize where you need to step it up and where you need to simmer down. Just keep calm and post!

Who is She

TikToker Alix Earle has quickly begun to rise in popularity because her audience finds her relatable. She currently has 4.2 million TikTok followers and is known for being relatable to young girls in their twenties. She lives in Miami, Florida, and attends the University of Miami where she posts content of her getting ready to attend parties and events in Miami where she uses her favorite makeup products. Alix’s followers have quickly begun to purchase her favorite products and use them too. Here is how she does it:

TikTok has created a space for influencers to create authentic relationships with their followers. By creating a personal relationship with those that follow them through 30-60 second videos, influencers have made their followers more likely to want to purchase a product they love or use. On other social media platforms, it is harder to create a personal relationship with only photos and a caption. TikTok allows influencers to talk and respond to their followers creating two-way communication between them that is unlike other platforms. Because TikToker Alix Earle is relatable, she has created a following that finds her trustworthy, and in turn, they purchase the products that she promotes. 

Because Alix started her content promoting what she truly loved and showing her real personality, she has created a following that finds her relatable and trusts the products she now promotes. Although her content has begun to have more partnerships, she continues to promote the products she loves without working with the brand showing her audience that she only shares products she loves. Because TikToker Alix Earle is relatable, she has created a following that allows her influence to sell out products.

The importance of having your brand illustrated on all major social media platforms and having a uniform social media vibe across all platforms. 

We all have that one brand we love! Loyal customers will do just about anything to be updated on releases, partnerships, and anything new happening in the company. One of the easiest and most effective ways to convey announcements is through social media posts. To reach all customers it’s crucial to have a presence on all major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and Youtube. The first step is creating those accounts. Secondly, you must have a uniform social media vibe. The feeds should follow a similar pattern and have the same look. 

Let’s dive into the importance of a presence on multiple social media platforms. You want to be able to reach all groups of people who reside on different social media platforms. The biggest thing is you’re missing out on millions of people if you just rely on one social media. Mark Hewitt writes “it’s important to experiment with new social media channels as well as their features in order to stay relevant  to your current and future customers”. You can check out more of his ideas here. For your brand’s socials to stand out you must have a uniform social media vibe. It will make the platforms synonymous but available to all groups.

Many popular brands are realizing the importance of having a social media presence on multiple platforms and are also utilizing a uniform vibe across all of them. Here are some companies that are amazing at social media. Let’s look at chipotle for example. Chipotle has Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Here is an example of a Uniform social media vibe on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The same post across all three platforms.

Social media has become a huge part of our lives. Brands must be evolving and changing with the times. Create the accounts, achieve a uniform vibe, and become a booming business. 

The Power of Unleashing Digital Communication

Digital communication can help you unlock new audiences that you never thought existed. Social media consists of blogs, microblogs, social networking, social news, online communities, podcasts, video sharing, messaging, and streaming videos. PR practitioners may think a social media strategy is straightforward and the same for every channel. However, each social media channel was not created the same. You can no longer get away with copying and pasting the same copy of your Facebook post to your Instagram post.

Why can’t I Copy n’ Paste?

There are two completely different audiences and social media come in all shapes and sizes. Once you match the right channel to your certain audience, you are golden. For instance, if you are trying to reach an audience of 65 and up it may be useful to know that 50% are on Facebook, while only 13% are on Instagram. If you are trying to reach ages 18 to 29 it may be a better use of your time and money to use Instagram over LinkedIn given 71% are on Instagram and just 30% are on LinkedIn. Check out this Pew Research article and this social media demographic blog to learn more.

How do I monitor?

Meltwater, Sprout Social, Agorapulse, and Rival IQ are essential tools to help you monitor digital communication feedback for your company. What should I look out for? In general, ignore the lovers and haters because overcoming hate and love can be a fruitless activity. The ones in the middle are what you should pay attention to. In addition, try not to let your clients see the lovers and the haters. Discover the serial detractors and take action. Look for an issue that is heightening and take quick action before it turns into a paracrisis or a crisis. Remember to look out for legitimate problems, complaints, questions, and anything out of the ordinary. All of these simple monitoring strategies can ultimately save your brand. 

At the Bare Minimum

The minimum your company should be doing to keep digital communication king is having a website that provides quick information, think of it as a reference place. Write engaging blogs that provide conversations. Promote these blogs through all of your social channels. Provide feedback through comments, replies, DMs, shares, and emails. Customers are looking for a response when they go to your social media platforms. Lastly, include special channels such as podcasts and videos. 

Lastly, if you remember that digital communication is king, it can transform your brand by unleashing powerful new audiences.

How Locker can Organize your Online Shopping

Sometimes the most relaxing activity can be online shopping, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you might be ready to pull the trigger and buy a particular item. No matter the reason for not buying something online right now, there needs to be a suitable way to keep track of all the items one may desire over various platforms. Locker, an online shopping extension that works with Google Chrome, has solved the problem of how to save all the things someone wants to buy.

Support HerStory is a women-led and women-founded organization that partners with women-founded luxury small businesses. The organization partners with these women to promote products and create a marketplace. Created during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, founders Brittany Underwood, Whitney Rowell, and Tinsley Merrill came together to connect other women leading small businesses in a time of such disconnect. Now, they are partnered with over 50 women across the globe and their brands, including small businesses from Texas, New York, Cabo, Guatemala, and Africa.

Professional Communication: Communicating to bosses, co-workers and potential clients can be daunting! Here are some helpful tips to help you through your next line of professional communication.

As we are well into Spring, and graduations are upon us – it is now time to think of all the graduates in our life. Right now, is the time to find the perfect graduation gift for the special women in your life. Whether they are graduating from high school, university, or graduate school, Support HerStory has the perfect gift options. 

Support HerStory, the female-founded online marketplace has the perfect graduation gift for just about anyone. With little thinking, and just a few clicks, you can have a unique, yet special gift for your graduate. When you are scrolling multiple sites for the perfect fit for your graduate, online shopping can get overwhelming. Luckily, Support HerStory has a diverse selection of products that will please just about anyone. 

If you are looking for the perfect graduation gift for a young female who is about to graduate from high school, Support HerStory has just the right answer. Whether it be skincare or beauty products to take to college, or a new leather phone case from Leatherology for her summer adventures, there will be just the perfect fit. Support HerStory also has a plethora of gifts for the university graduate. As women who are graduating college and moving into new apartments in new cities, there is nothing more comforting and exciting that some home good gifts. Support HerStory has beautifully scented candles for a graduates new apartment, and even a small selection of travel luggage that will be perfect for future adventures. 

Support HerStory makes shopping for your graduate not only simple and unique, but also for a good cause. As Support HerStory supports female-founded companies around the world. Therefore, when you shop for your graduate – make sure to put your money and gifting towards a good cause, while also supporting the graduating women in your life.  

Support HerStory made their mark at the recent event, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Their collaboration with LoveShackFancy was a showstopper at the Austin based event where entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, and more gather together to explore the flowing creativity of these brands and organizations. Support HerStory and LoveShackFancy collaborated with Corazon Playero, the custom hat shop based out of San José del Cabo, Mexico. Their previous collaborations with Corazon Playero have been nothing short of a success, but this event was one you wouldn’t want to miss!

At South by Southwest, the Corazon Playero at the Support Her Story station offered customization to any of the hats they were selling! By offering this unique addition, Corazon Playero and Support Her Story received exciting recognition. Not only were they offering their exciting product, they had some celebrity guests! Entertainer and singer-songwriter, Shawn Mendes, stopped by at the Support Her Story pop up. Mendes’ appearance really brought a crowd to the Support Her Story and Corazon Playero shop!

Mendes and CEO of Support HerStory, Tinsley Merrill were a sight to not be missed at this year’s event! The two hit it off at South by Southwest as Mendes recognized the Corazon Playero hats. Merrill and Mendes were seen enjoying the hats together. Mendes spent some time at the Support HerStory pop-up learning about the mission behind the women-led company.

South by Southwest was a testament to the success we will continue to see for both Support HerStory and Corazon Playero. Not only was this a success for the two companies, but for all women-led businesses. As women continue to support women, these small female-founded businesses will only continue to grow and gain support. Support HerStory continues to add more unique and powerful female-led businesses to their online marketplace, that you will not want to miss!