Author: ryanpeg99

When it comes to social media influencers they tend to be the best logical solution for a brand to promote their products. And it works, I for one follow a handful, if not two handfuls, of influencers. To me the most notable influencer I follow would have to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He collaborates a lot with Under Armour, and every time one of his new line of clothing is released I rush to buy something, whether it is a hat or t-shirt. Another influencer that I follow is Will Smith, he gives constant updates on his day to day life but he also finds a way to incorporate small businesses. For instance one post promotes a husband and wife owned and operated photography called @creativesoulphoto. And in no way did they pay him to do that, it was just a kindness in his heart.

When it comes to this type of marketing, I would have to say that it is more successful than traditional methods of marketing. Social media is all over the world, it is accessible in a mere second and can reach anyone that has access to internet. The great thing about it is the speed, you don’t have to wait a prolonged period of time to see the ad on television or in a newspaper/magazine. And you can choose you want to represent your company, so you can reach different demographics that you didn’t think about before. There are so many different strategies that are deployed in to this marketing method. From product placement to building a rapport with your consumers. These influencers use current trends and pop-culture to help promote the product. Just like Zach King, he uses his “magic” to create fun content for everyone to watch, but he also finds a way to promote some products. Just like during Easter time, the most popular candy then is Peeps. Zach King created a video using Peeps turning it into a real baby chick.

These influencers have a major role to play in this type of marketing platform. They are able to produce a type of following that modern day Hollywood has been dreaming for. Just like Kim Kardashian West and her 134 million followers on Instagram could easily promote a single piece of jewelry in 1 hour than it takes traditional methods in a single week. They have this way of being the best of the best. But just as hard the worked to build their image, it can be undone in an instant. That is the problem with this type or marketing, a beloved superstar can become hated and it could hurt the company. This perspective gives the people to view a company as more than just a company looking for money. Like I said, the company’s perception is always easily changed as time changes. And with the proper influencers that company/consumer rapport could easily grow exceptionally.

Back in 2015, a mother calls Tampa International Airport (TPA) about her son’s stuffed tiger. But rather than just picking it up and tossing it into lost and found, one employee goes above and beyond. He takes the tiger and went around the entire airport photographing the toy, and proceeded to make a book for the child when he returned. Little deeds like that show us as consumers that big companies like TPA truly care about your patronage. And it is a very big reason they deserve it. They performed exceptionally well to accommodate a disgruntled customer, and ensure that the issue was taken care of appropriately.

Looking at the social experience, you could say it was a huge success. Not only was the issue addressed when the customer returned, but they added an incentive to reassure the child that everything was okay. Although that the story book was never needed, it was a thoughtful and generous gesture of goodwill that is needed in every workplace environment. But not only at a workplace, but everywhere in general. We could all learn form that employee, to make this place a better one for all of us to live and be a part of.

If you were to look at their social media page you would see that they waited for the family to make the first move. They simply replied thanks, but not long after that it sparked a whole movement, where their act of kindness became a huge headline of a story. It even picked up overseas in areas such as Germany, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, and more. On their page that story was shared among 3,000,000 people, each of which supported the story, and nearly 100,000 people had an impression on that. It also sparked up different stories of how TPA was really kid friendly, with one father saying how his child still has the plane that was given to him by one of their employees.

If believe that everyone would agree that nothing different would of or could of happened to make that experience more “efficient.” The airline did the right thing by staying out of it and letting the customer and employee speak about what happened. They let the story build from the outside through the eyes of the thankful parents. That whole move set set in motion their national and international recognition among future and past customers.

As for now TPA is giving constant updates on their Facebook and Twitter page. They allow for recommendations and reviews from any and all consumer. They have updates on events that is taking place at their airport. Like a few days ago they hosted Busch Gardens in one of their terminals, where you can spin the wheel to win tickets to Busch Gardens, they even had a sloth there to brighten everyone’s day.

Where to begin. Well to start off I would have to say the social media platforms that I use the most would have to be Instagram, and Snapchat. But what are they? Instagram as most of you know is a blog of it’s own means. As in it is a photo blog, people post and share their pictures to share with the world. But since it’s original publication, Instagram has grown and change. They now have stories and Instagram TV, a fun way to watch longer videos than what is allowed on an original post. And it is interesting, because if someone create a video for Instagram TV and they have a large enough views on it they can earn money. Now lets look at Snapchat, it is sort of like Instagram but with a twist. Anything you post will disappear after 24 hours. It is sort of like a messaging app but with pictures and videos. But enough about what they are. Time to move on.

Have you ever had a reaction to any type of social media? I know have, like when I use Instagram. I see all things my friends are doing, or I learn a new exercise or two. Maybe even a new dish I could try to recreate. That is what a consider a positive reaction to it all. But I also have negative reactions, like when I use Facebook. I don’t know why but every time I go on there I get bombarded with different forced ads. Or a really annoying relative I have been trying to avoid. And trust me I have a few. That is why I try to stay away from Facebook. But I also get negative reactions on Instagram to, like seeing my crush has a new boyfriend. Now my semi-tolerable 4 year old nephew, whom I love to death recently decided he wanted to be “famous.” And with that my brother went along with it and they decided to create an Instagram page for him, and for some reason they tasked me for promoting the page and making sure he gets more followers. I do not know why, but they just did and I didn’t even have a say in it. He actually makes some fun videos, I would be lying if I said he didn’t, and I’m not saying that because he is family, I would tell them if it is not funny at all in fact. But being forced to promote the page is just one of those negative reactions I get. If you are interested in seeing the page it is: Jay_Jay0829. And if you like what you see like and follow. If not no problem.

I guess you could say that my needs are satisfied using one social media platform over another. For instance I prefer Instagram over Facebook. Because of the whole family member thing. And I prefer Snapchat over Instagram because it’s real time messaging. And who doesn’t love having your friends send embarrassing pictures of themselves that they wouldn’t post anywhere else, to you their closest friend.

Receiving emails from companies was one of the worst things I ever signed up for. Every day I get an email from about 15 different stores. Sure I enjoyed the discount when I first signed up but it is not worth having your email reach capacity. But what gets me every time is the deals they offer in those emails. Rather than paying full price I really prefer paying about 25% off the total purchase, or buy one get one free. Those are the emails I look for, because they hold the most value. And you know what most companies do when they want to market to you specifically. They track your web searches and recent purchases on sites like Amazon. I know this because it happened to me. I bought a few things for my phone through Amazon Prime. After I purchased it I googled what is a better razor. When I was all done with that I opened up Instagram, and scrolled through a few post. And what appears before me low and behold an ad from Amazon, for phone cases, screen protectors, and razors. I thought it was a coincidence, so I tested it out again a few days later. I went to Amazon to saved a pair of Adidas sweatpants, and a pair of Under Armour shoes. Finally I went to Instagram again scrolled through a few post. And it was there again, an ad from Amazon for different pairs of Adidas sweatpants and Under Armour shoes. They use cookies to track your purchases and search results to advertise what they believe you want most.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton