How social media changed teens’ lives forever

Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in today’s interconnected world, attracting more users every day. At the forefront of this movement are teens—a Pew Research Center study stated 92 percent of teens report going online daily, making them the most active social media participants of any demographic.

“For people entering college next year, social media will be ubiquitous—next year’s freshman class will have largely been born in 1998,” said Paul Booth, associate professor of media and cinema studies at DePaul University. “They will not remember a world without YouTube, Facebook or Twitter … They’re certainly more ‘plugged in’ than earlier generations because that’s the world they grew up in.”

As a result of this ubiquity, teens have seen a monumental shift in nearly all facets of adolescent life.

Changing relationships

Lyons Township junior Elly Cooper said she thinks that social media often detracts from face-to-face communication.

“I think it definitely makes in-person relationships harder because of people’s attention given to their phones or devices instead of their boyfriend or girlfriend,” Cooper said.

Beyond diminishing a couple’s time spent together, some think there’s a greater possibility for things to get lost in translation over social media.

“You also lose a more personable experience because if half of your relationship is over social media, you don’t really know how the other person is reacting, and it may not feel as intimate as other relationships,” St. Charles East junior Sienna Schulte said.

Though there may be a greater risk for disconnect in teen relationships over social media, some argue that bonds are more easily initiated and accessible through the online platforms.

With this accessibility, teens are able to generate relationships with anyone, regardless of location. St. Charles East senior Beth Kaplan met her long-distance boyfriend of a year through social media. He currently lives in Scotland, but with the help of social media, they’re still able to frequently communicate with one another.

“I can feel close to someone that I’m talking to via FaceTime,” Kaplan said. “I can be miles away from someone and feel like they’re in the room. Social media has made this virtual intimacy a reality.”

While social media has made it possible for some teens to grow closer together, it can also cause problems in the event of a breakup. St. Charles East senior Jake Battista said his ex had an anonymous Twitter account that she used to share the details of their breakup with her followers. Battista said he didn’t know about the account until a friend showed him.

“Relationships are personal and the problems that occur in the relationships don’t need to be broadcasted to everyone. You know?” he said. “It ain’t cool. And it definitely makes you lose trust in people.”

In light of this dilemma, Facebook recently introduced a tool to help make it easier to separate from an ex. When a user changes their relationship status to single, he or she is now given the option to see less of that person in their feed and keep Facebook from automatically suggesting their name in tagging.

Tricky parenting

M.J. Wallace is the mother of two teens, one of whom is a Cary-Grove junior. She said she thinks social media is beneficial in the way it keeps people connected.

“Family out of town gets to see as they grow up (with) activities being posted like choir, plays and stuff,” Wallace said. “Family out of town used to have to miss performances and then never got to see it.”

On the other hand, Wallace said she recognizes the danger in how much teens post on social media. Future employers or college admissions officers can search and find whatever kids put online. Despite this reality, she said she doesn’t actively supervise her kids’ social media accounts but she does try to be aware of what’s going on.

“I don’t have time to monitor their social media things, but I am on Facebook so if I do see something that’s a little inappropriate, I will give them a call to take it down,” she said.

Wanting to be ‘liked’

The rise of social media has granted more opportunities to meet new people and begin relationships, but it also has changed the way teens view themselves and compare each other.

This trend made news recently when 19-year-old Instagram star Essena O’Neill announced that she was quitting social media because it made her miserable and obsessed with appearing perfect online.

Negative posts or comments also can do great damage to a teen’s self-esteem. According to a Livescience Health study, about 23 percent of teens report being targeted in some means over social media.

“I’ve seen social media lowering a teenager’s self-esteem,” adolescent therapist Kathy Catenacci said. “They can’t escape the constant barrage of negative posts, how they should look, dress and act without being able to escape it for very long.”

In particular, anonymous apps such as Yik Yak function as incredibly large and easy outlets for cyberbullying and targeting. The app allows users within a five-mile radius to create and add to discussion threads about anything and everything. Cooper said that teens targeted anonymously on these sites can’t help but feel embarrassed and hurt.

Opening new doors

On the other hand, Lyons Township junior Armin Korsos takes advantage of the feedback he receives over social media. Korsos runs his own YouTube channel and uses the reactions and comments to his video—positive or negative—to help him improve his channel for the future. Through social media, his videos reach people across the world.

“Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world in a way that has never been possible before,” Korsos said.

Nonetheless, Korsos recognizes the distraction that social media has become.

“People begin to forget that social media isn’t a necessity to live,” he said. “Yes, it helps people connect with their friends and stay updated on what’s going on, but it’s not all necessary.”

Social media has forever changed teens’ lives, making them more connected—and disconnected—than ever before. But for everyone labeling social networks a social disaster, Booth said it’s just the latest change in technology.

“And in 60 years, when a new form of communication technology comes out, people who are teens today may look at each other and think about how much better it was when people were texting and sending emojis back in 2016,” Booth said.

Source : http://bit.ly/1P6N1ma

9 Social Media Marketing Mistakes Startups Should Avoid

Beginnings are difficult for startups, more so for startups trying to make their presence felt on social media platforms. While it is a fact that social media marketing can help accelerate the growth of your startup, damaging your online reputation is easy if you don’t do it right.

This shouldn’t put you off the idea of taking your startup online though: you only need to make the right efforts to see your brand gain followers on social media. If you’re planning to use social media to take your startup to new heights, here are 9 mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.

Not Having a Plan

Social media marketing is not about getting online and posting all you can about yourself and your startup. Before you make your presence felt online, it is imperative for you to have a social media strategic plan in place. Your social media efforts need to have a solid foundation and a strategic plan that outlines your goals and details your resources will be just that.

Get in touch with your lead sales and marketing members and identify your target audience. Also discuss how you plan to engage with them and how you’ll measure your success. List down your social media marketing objectives and be clear about how your social media campaign will augment your traditional marketing plans. Lastly, appoint specific people to put your social media marketing plan into action.

Not Being Committed to the Plan

If you’re not committed to your social media marketing plan, your social media accounts will end up being inactive, which will in turn, create a bad impression. Keep in mind that not having a Twitter account or handle is a lot better than having your last tweet date back to a year.

Your social media marketing plan is not a sprint; think of it as a marathon. If the results are making you impatient, tweak performance by analyzing metrics, adapting to audience behaviors, and tracking competition. Don’t let your enthusiasm fade; if you focus on your strategy and put in required efforts, your social media marketing plan is sure to work.

Selecting Random Platforms

Given the rise in the number of social media platforms, you might think it necessary to market your brand everywhere. However, all social media platforms have a different purpose and a different set of users. Subsequently, you’ll have to have a different social media marketing plan in place for each platform.

The key to marketing effectively on social media platforms is defining your target customers. Once you know who your customers are, selecting the right platform for your social media marketing plan will be easy.

Advertising on the wrong platforms will only be a waste of time and money. For example, you know that LinkedIn is primarily used by employers and job seekers, so advertising something that isn’t even remotely connected to recruitment or job vacancies on this platform will obviously not show positive results.

Consider using LinkedIn if you are a B2B company or if you want to establish yourself as a thought leader. Twitter can help you connect with like-minded thought leaders, join on-going conversations, and broadcast messages to followers. A social media marketing strategy based on SEO tactics will do great on Google+, while Facebook and Pinterest are great for sharing highly visual content.

Being All over the Place

As mentioned, all social media platforms have a different purpose, and as such, require different marketing plans. Being a startup, you might not have the time and energy to come up with engaging content for several platforms. Moreover, you don’t need to post on platforms that won’t get you desired results. So stick to picking a couple of social media platforms and trying your best to make your presence felt there.

Posting at Inappropriate Times

Simply knowing who your target customers are isn’t enough; you also need to know what time zones they live in and at what time they are most active on the social media platform of your choice for your posts to be noticed.

Take Facebook for example: a post shared on this platform has an average lifetime of about 23 hours in the Newsfeed section. If you share something when your target consumers are asleep or away at work, you lose out on those precious hours. Needless to say, sharing content during the peak hours will definitely get your brand noticed. So determine your sweet spot before you post and gain the upper hand easily.

Posting Too Often

While not posting consistently can be bad for your business, posting too frequently can also be a deal-breaker. Think about how annoying it is to see posts shared by a particular person all day- you certainly don’t want to annoy your target audience, do you?

Get the balance right: posting something once or twice in a month can cause your brand to become invisible, and sharing a dozen posts a day is way too much. Find out what works for your brand and stick to it.

Boring Your Audience

It is possible to bore your target audience without even knowing it, so be wary of what you’re posting at all times. Talk with your audience and get them engaged in a conversation, attract eyeballs, use humor, and ask genuine questions and give intelligent answers.

In addition to this, don’t be robotic; showcase your personality and you’re sure to engage more users. Aim to sell your brand without actually selling- you want to be on people’s minds, not forgotten the minute they log off.

Self-Promoting

If you only talk about yourself and your company, people are bound to unfollow you. Instead of putting your company in the limelight, focus on your target audience. Talk about things that interest your end users and you’ll end up engaging them in interesting conversations.

Furthermore, don’t be too aggressive in your approach. Build your brand’s reputation by empowering and educating your target audience instead of being a salesman.

Giving Users a Reason to Laugh

The worst thing you can do for your brand is to give your target audience a reason to laugh at you. Avoid gaffes by thinking about your posts and taking the time to analyze probable outcomes.

Most importantly, proofread all your posts and ensure there are no spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. If you happen to make a mistake, accept it and try to resolve it instead of hiding from it. Note that deleting an erroneous post won’t help- someone out there is sure to take a screenshot.

Additionally, refrain from giving canned responses to negative comments. Acknowledge issues and be genuine when engaging with users.

Conclusion

Social media mistakes have the potential to put a company out of business. As a startup owner, you can only be too cautious about what you post online. So put adequate thought into your social media marketing plans and ensure you don’t end up making the mistakes mentioned in this post.

Source : http://bit.ly/1OhqEKP

7 Ways For Startups To Build A Strong Social Media Following

If you’re a startup, operating on a limited budget, it becomes essential to focus your marketing on low-budget marketing strategies that are proven to work. You need to make every penny count.

Social media is essential to any new startup’s marketing plan because it offers free and low cost ways to promote a new website. Social can work better than techniques like SEO to build traffic in the initial states of promoting a startup.

Here are seven ways that startups can build a strong following on social media.

1. Create buyer personas

Buyer personas are an inbound marketing strategy that help you hone in and focus on the right target audience. With a limited marketing budget, the last thing you want to do is to throw money away on marketing to an audience that is not interested in your products or services.

Creating a buyer persona will help you focus only on those people that are likely to purchase what you have to offer. When creating your buyer personas for potential customers, you need to list:

• Their job and demographic information
• What a day in their life looks like
• Their challenges or pain points
• Places where they access the information they want
• Their most common objections to making a purchase

Understanding all these aspects of your buyers will help you focus your marketing and content to appeal to the right buyers at every stage in the sales funnel.

For example, this is what a buyer persona might look like for a startup like BigBasket.com.

2. Create a responsive website

With a majority of internet users now accessing the web from their mobile devices, your startup website needs to have responsive web design and be easily accessible on all mobile devices.

Google’s “Mobilegeddon” update made having a mobile-friendly site a ranking factor in the Google search results. That means, if you hope to use SEO to get traffic to your website, your design needs to be responsive, so it adapts to any mobile device that it is viewed on.

The alternative is creating a mobile app, which is an expensive proposition for a startup, and not really necessary if your website is responsive. If you use WordPress to build your website, it is easy to download a free or low-cost theme to make your website mobile friendly.

3. Create a social presence on select channels

One of the biggest misconceptions startups have is that they need to build a presence on every social network. This only means you’ll spread yourself thin and remain unfocused in your marketing strategy.

While I would recommend creating an account on all social networks, just to make sure no one else takes charge of your brand name, you need to focus your efforts only on those networks that your buyer persona is spending the most time on.

For example, for the Busy Mom Persona above, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram might be the best networks to focus on because these are thenetworks most frequently accessed by women. The more focused your efforts, the mbore successful your social media marketing campaign will be.

4. Invest in social advertisements

The fastest way to build a strong following on a network like Facebook is with paid advertising. Facebook Like ads can grow your following, while Promoted post ads can boost engagement on your best content.

Facebook advertising is still relatively low-cost, especially if you’re advertising to an audience in India. For just a few rupees a click, you can grow your network to thousands of targeted fans and followers.

On Twitter and Pinterest, it is still easy to build a following without advertising. But if you’re in a hurry to grow your numbers and get your startup in front of more people, explore Twitters follower ads and Pinterest’s Promoted Pinsoptions.

Set aside a budget for social media advertising and you will be able to build a strong social media follower base in a much shorter time.

5. Start a blog and post regularly

While your social media profiles are your outreach posts, I highly recommend that you make your blog the hub of your social presence. Publishing a regular blog is great for SEO, and also provides you with original content to post on your social networks.

Make sure your blog is setup to capture leads and emails from blog subscribers. There’s no point sending traffic to your blog, if you’re not generating targeted leads that you can add to a follow-up email campaign.

Your blog is an essential component of your sales funnel, so invest some time and effort in publishing posts that target the challenges and pain points of your buyer personas.

Publish content in multiple formats, like video, infographics and PPT (Slideshare) to reach those customers who prefer consuming content in these formats. Spend some time learning how to make your content stand out from the clutter.

6. Invest in social customer service

Social customer service is such an important aspect of social media today, that it’s no longer an option whether you should invest in it or not.

On average, 40 percent of customers complaining on social media expect a response within an hour, and 32 percent expect a response within 30 minutes. It would be wise to hire a dedicated social media manager to answer queries immediately.

Social networks like Facebook have even introduced features that display how quickly customers can expect a response from their favorite pages. If you respond to 90% of messages and maintain a median response time of 5 minutes for all replies sent, your page will qualify for a “very responsive to messages” icon.

As a new startup, you can build an advantage over more established competitors if you show your fans that you are super responsive to their queries and concerns.

Facebook also allows Page admins to reply to comments left on their Page with private messages. This can help you respond to personal requests and handle customer-specific information more effectively.

Facebook’s “Saved Replies” feature gives you the ability to use canned messages when communicating with potential customers on your page. This can help you cut down on the time you spend responding to frequently asked questions.

On Twitter, response times have to be quick, or else customers are likely to complain and spread negativity about your brand. To learn how to create a social customer service program that gets results, read the 2015 Definitive Guide to Social Customer Service.

7. Hold contests and promotions

The best way for a new startup to build visibility and buzz on social media is with the help of contests and promotions. Offering free versions of your products, discounts, or prizes, can help you get a lot of new followers and fans in a short amount of time.

Spend some time coming up with a creative idea for your contest. Use videos to announce your contest, and upload your videos directly to Facebook, so you can benefit from the viral nature of Facebook shares.

Use social ads to advertise your contests and promotions to a targeted audience of buyers. Contests and promotions can create a lot of positive publicity and word of mouth for your brand on social media. 

Source : http://bit.ly/1m7mazL

5 Lessons Young Entrepreneurs Mostly Learn the Hard Way

Starting a business is hard, and the difficulties often are compounded when you’re a young person beginning the entrepreneurial journey. There are many moving parts and resources you need but may not have access to.

Here is some advice I wish I would have known as a young entrepreneur.

1. You don’t know everything.

Young people, in general, struggle with a know-it-all complex. We may hear advice but too quickly dismiss it because we think we know what we should be doing. This can be a huge mistake.

Not all advice is beneficial, but wisdom from those that have gone before us is invaluable. No one can go back in time but learning from other entrepreneur’s mistakes is one way for us to avoid potential roadblocks. Be willing to at least listen and see if the advice can be beneficial for your business.

2. Don’t waste money on material possessions.

It feels good to own nice things. There’s nothing wrong with a nice place to live or a cool car, but material possessions will come and go. You can’t take them with you when you die. Eventually, they will bore you.

Entrepreneurship offers you benefits that extend far beyond the material. The chance to live a life of freedom and make an impact in people’s lives is priceless. The chance to live a life free of financial stress and to see the world is worth more than what you drive. Save your money and spend it on the things that you’ll look back on later in life and smile about. Choose experience over stuff.

3. Filter who you let in your life.

Who you allow in your life will either help or hurt what you’re trying to create. Negative people will feed into your doubt, fear, and self-limiting beliefs. Starting a business is hard enough without someone looking over your shoulder and pointing out what they think is “realistic.” Surround yourself with people who will lift you up and be the support you need to push through failure.

4. Stay humble.

Success can be something that encourages you to keep going, or it can go to your head. Having people share what you do and send you emails saying how great you are can easily make you think you’re bigger than you actually are. People connect with an entrepreneur they know, like, and trust. When you go around bragging about how great you are or how much money you’ve made, you will repel people.

5. Embrace what makes you unique.

Many young entrepreneurs waste time trying to be like someone they look up to. They conclude the key to their success is copying another successful entrepreneur. It’s not. When someone wants to do business, they will hire or buy from the original, not the clone.

People want to connect with you. They want to hear what you have to say and see how you can make a difference in their life. Embrace what makes you an entrepreneur. Dig deep and be honest. Just because a strategy or tactic worked for someone else rarely assures it will work for you.

Being an entrepreneur is hard, but it’s worth the struggle. You get the opportunity to live life on your terms and spend your time doing what is important to you. To get to that place of freedom, absorb these lessons from someone who’s been there.

 Your future is bright and full of opportunities that didn’t exist before social media and the Internet. Take full advantage by spending time each day learning what you don’t know.

Source : http://entm.ag/1LuQTeR

5 Tips to Build a great LinkedIn Profile .

5 Tips to Build a LinkedIn Profile That’ll Get You Noticed

How to stand out on the world’s largest professional network

NerdWallet

Building and maintaining a standout LinkedIn profile isn’t optional. It’s not even highly recommended. It’s mandatory—if you want to stand out. Because 95 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to actively search for and contact potential employees.

“If you don’t have a presence on LinkedIn, you stand a strong chance of being overlooked,” says Rick Sass, a career coach and LinkedIn expert at Lee Hecht Harrison in Bellevue, Washington.

Whether you just graduated or are on the hunt for a new job, you can make your life as an applicant a whole lot easier by customizing your LinkedIn profile. Use these five strategies and employers will be more likely to find and hire you:

1. Write an eye-catching, descriptive headline.

LinkedIn automatically defaults the headline beneath your name to your current job title. Set yourself apart with a more creative description.

“Define yourself using nouns that describe what it is you do and what it is you want to do,” Sass says.

Try not to default to your job title even if you’ve landed a fabulous first job. “Marketing analyst” might be the name of your position, but “Quick-thinking marketing pro with an eye for catchy, viral content” will tell a recruiter that he or she should learn more about you.

2. Choose a professional, approachable headshot and background image.

“The first thing people are going to look at is the visual,” Sass says. Your background image is an opportunity to share your interests. Choose a landscape photo of your favorite place to ski or hike if you’re outdoorsy, or a baseball diamond if you like sports. Avoid potential copyright issues by taking the photo yourself or choosing from Flickr’s Creative Commons database—ideally only a photo with a “commercial use allowed” license, to be cautious.

Your profile photo is even more important. Recruiters are 70 percent more likely to scroll down and read through your professional experience if you have a headshot on LinkedIn, Sass says. It should feature your head and shoulders against a white background. Make sure to smile; recruiters subliminally think to themselves, “‘I want happy, smiley, approachable people on my team,’” Sass says.

3. Use keywords in your “Summary” section. 

The summary is what makes LinkedIn better than a résumé. It’s a place where you can turn your unique educational and professional experience into a compelling narrative for employers.

“Unlike your résumé, your summary needs to basically tell me a little bit about your personality,” Sass says.

Tell recruiters what you love to do, what you do now and where you want to go next. If you’re looking for a graphic design job, say, “I am a collaborative, outside-the-box thinker who loves using design to make digital products come alive for users.” Format your summary into a few short paragraphs to make it more readable, Sass says.

Most importantly, add a section at the bottom of your summary called “Specialties,” he recommends. Employers search for potential job candidates on LinkedIn using keywords specific to the industry they’re recruiting for. Find keywords your employers might search for in job descriptions, on recruiters’ own profiles and on the profiles of candidates similar to you. If you work in marketing, for instance, the bottom of your summary could read: “Specialties: digital marketing, social media marketing and data analysis.”

4. Demonstrate transferable skills.

Your “Experience” section is the one closest to a traditional résumé. It’s where you’ll list all the jobs (both full- and part-time) and volunteer experiences you’ve had until now. After your summary and headline, Sass says, the titles in your experience section are the most important factors in LinkedIn’s results when employers search for candidates.

You can go into more detail about each job you’ve had than on your résumé, and it’s OK to use “I” and to maintain a slightly more conversational tone. Don’t be afraid to include jobs outside your field, Sass says. Speak confidently about the skills you developed in those positions and how they’ll apply to the job you want.

5. Show measurable accomplishments.

It’s great to tell employers what you’re good at, but specific, numerical accomplishments often say more than words can. Demonstrate to employers how your work had an impact. Maybe you exceeded a sales goal or you increased the number of social media followers.

LinkedIn also allows you to embed links to samples of your work in your experience section. Include in the position description what part you played in developing each project. Work samples are yet another way to make yourself stand out in the sea of job seekers on LinkedIn.

Take advantage of the space and flexibility LinkedIn provides to show what value you’ll bring to a potential job, Sass says.

“Traditionally you have to do push marketing with hiring managers,” he explains, meaning it’s up to you to get your résumé in front of them. “This is pull marketing. They’re going to find you, and you give them samples of your work and why you’re good at it.

Source : http://bit.ly/1EtMexb