Among the growing options for social media outlets, Facebook
and Twitter are among the most popular. There are two organizations that are
utilizing these tools in their own way and for their own purposes…
Volunteers of America is a nonprofit volunteer-driven
organization that currently has about 11,750 Likes on their Facebook page and
3,724 followers on Twitter. VoA uses these sites to spread awareness of their
organization and highlight the good work they do for people every day, both as
an advertising medium and a way to recruit more volunteers. The posts and
tweets themselves usually use a combination of pictures and words to either
make a point about the importance of volunteering or to create a discussion to
drive traffic to the page.
The posts and tweets that VoA uses are very specific and
focused on three main areas: general background of the organization, stories
about individuals the organization has helped, and showcasing partner
organizations and celebrities affiliated with or relevant to VoA. Based on the
wide range of topics, they try to reach audiences of all ages and backgrounds,
including veterans and teachers. The relationships they forge with people and
companies are highlighted on both sites which lends to the perception of how
far reaching Volunteers of America really is.
Red Lobster is a national chain of seafood restaurants that
currently has almost 3 million Facebook Likes and 83,328 Twitter followers. They
use both sites essentially as another outlet for advertising their food, their
current commercials, and their special seasonal promotions. They rely heavily
on pictures and amusing quotes to showcase the types of food and food quality
they offer. In addition, they also highlight the patrons of the restaurant by
posting and retweeting quotes and pictures of happy people enjoying their meal
at various locations.
Due to the slightly higher price tag of the food and the
advertisement of alcoholic drinks, Red Lobster’s audience tends to be adults
and senior citizens. They try to keep their fans involved with the site by
starting discussions and sometime offering coupons and specials. They also have
a “fan of the week” style contest where a picture of them is posted on the main
site with fanfare. In both of these cases, Facebook and Twitter appear to be
somewhat in sync with the posts. The goal is definitely to keep traffic coming
to the site to further the advertising of the company and keep Red Lobster in
the minds of people looking for a place to dine out.
The whole point here is that there is no black-and-white, correct or incorrect, way to utilize these social media tools. Each company has their own agenda in using these sources and they each do it well.
The whole point here is that there is no black-and-white, correct or incorrect, way to utilize these social media tools. Each company has their own agenda in using these sources and they each do it well.
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