Reported by Max Shapiro Edited by the Flatiron Hot! News Editorial Staff
Last evening, Trenton Kenagy and Jessie McGuire from brand design and strategy studio ThoughtMatter gave a very informative lecture about how to make the most out of social media when it comes to promoting your business. Kenagy and McGuire showed how using social media should be treated like an actual conversation. It should feel natural and clearly convey what you are trying to say. They quoted Bertram F. Malle: “Without the ability to construct explanations, human social behavior would be a series of actions and reactions, driven mostly by powers and resources.” According to McGuire, what this means is, “For us to understand why we’re having the conversations we’re having, we need to understand the types of relationships we want to build.” Kenagy and McGuire highlighted how over time our society has become more and more social, with countless ways for us to instantly communicate with each other. And so it would be foolish not to use these outlets to their full potential to help spread word about your business.
They then went on to talk about the art of conversation. In real life, you don’t just walk into a place and announce yourself to everybody. You assess your surroundings and decide to whom you want to introduce yourself. You may offer something about yourself, and in return that person may do the same. A conversation isn’t pre-planned-—it’s spontaneous. So, as stated before, the key to fluid social media communication is to treat it as if if were a face-to-face chat. But how do you build a conversation? Kenagy and McGuire explained the three steps: Educate (helping that person understand something they might not have known before), Entertain (connecting with someone by letting them understand who you are), and Engage (building a relationship based upon this connection).
There are dozens upon dozens of communication outlets out there (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and many more), and many people feel like they have to do it all. But really, the type of social media you use depends on the type of business. Kenagy and McGuire went on to give multiple examples of how different SM programs are used by different businesses. Facebook can be used for community building, while Twitter is about learning new information in real time. For example, a local food truck uses Twitter, a real-time-based service, as they travel from location to location. Kenagy and McGuire explained how ThoughtMatter uses Instragram, a largely visual-based service, which makes sense being that they are a brand design and strategy studio. They went on to point out some things you should avoid when utilizing SM such as “link dropping” and only talking about yourself, as well as tips that can help you, like trying unique ideas and taking advantage of crowd cultures.
Overall, it was a very interesting lecture that had a lot of great tips. If you’re a business owner, you should definitely follow this advice.
NYC Theater News
Why Social Media Matters: ThoughtMatter’s Presentation on Utilizing Social Media for Your Business
Reported by Max Shapiro Edited by the Flatiron Hot! News Editorial Staff
Last evening, Trenton Kenagy and Jessie McGuire from brand design and strategy studio ThoughtMatter gave a very informative lecture about how to make the most out of social media when it comes to promoting your business. Kenagy and McGuire showed how using social media should be treated like an actual conversation. It should feel natural and clearly convey what you are trying to say. They quoted Bertram F. Malle: “Without the ability to construct explanations, human social behavior would be a series of actions and reactions, driven mostly by powers and resources.” According to McGuire, what this means is, “For us to understand why we’re having the conversations we’re having, we need to understand the types of relationships we want to build.” Kenagy and McGuire highlighted how over time our society has become more and more social, with countless ways for us to instantly communicate with each other. And so it would be foolish not to use these outlets to their full potential to help spread word about your business.
They then went on to talk about the art of conversation. In real life, you don’t just walk into a place and announce yourself to everybody. You assess your surroundings and decide to whom you want to introduce yourself. You may offer something about yourself, and in return that person may do the same. A conversation isn’t pre-planned-—it’s spontaneous. So, as stated before, the key to fluid social media communication is to treat it as if if were a face-to-face chat. But how do you build a conversation? Kenagy and McGuire explained the three steps: Educate (helping that person understand something they might not have known before), Entertain (connecting with someone by letting them understand who you are), and Engage (building a relationship based upon this connection).
There are dozens upon dozens of communication outlets out there (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and many more), and many people feel like they have to do it all. But really, the type of social media you use depends on the type of business. Kenagy and McGuire went on to give multiple examples of how different SM programs are used by different businesses. Facebook can be used for community building, while Twitter is about learning new information in real time. For example, a local food truck uses Twitter, a real-time-based service, as they travel from location to location. Kenagy and McGuire explained how ThoughtMatter uses Instragram, a largely visual-based service, which makes sense being that they are a brand design and strategy studio. They went on to point out some things you should avoid when utilizing SM such as “link dropping” and only talking about yourself, as well as tips that can help you, like trying unique ideas and taking advantage of crowd cultures.
Overall, it was a very interesting lecture that had a lot of great tips. If you’re a business owner, you should definitely follow this advice.