As the new year begins, it is nice to look back at 2010′s social media trends to predict the future. This year Hubspot created an infographic showing how companies are using social media. The most shocking fact for me on this infographic was that Pepsi, for the first time in 23 years, will not buy ads for the Superbowl telecast. Instead, Pepsi has invested that money into social media marketing! What is the most and least surprising to you??
Copyright R. Finkelstein
Over Fourth of July weekend, I took a bus to New York City with my friend Nicole. We visited another friend who was participating in the Dance New Amsterdam’s (DNA) New York Summer Dance Intensive that I attended last summer. DNA was closed on the 4th, so we took 3 classes in a row on Friday; 6 hours of dance! While that seemed like a good idea at the time, on Saturday we were in a lot of pain.
Before heading to NY, I researched my classes online and found DNA to have the most extensive social media efforts of any dance studio or company. Not only does DNA have Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, a blog and a Facebook page, DNA has their own social network, DNA World! DNA World allows you to connect and network with friends, dance teachers, choreographers, bloggers and dance administrators. DNA World also has forums for discussion about dance and DNA, as well as pictures and videos. The DNA World blog is used for listing upcoming events, classes, dance news and articles, and special offers.
Other dance companies and studios are slowly making their leap into the world of social media with Facebook applications and blogs. Many dance companies and studios have Facebook pages and groups. Facebook is much easier to update and maintain than a blog. Through Facebook, arts organizations can easily reach their audience and update with YouTube and news. Broadway Dance Center, Joy of Motion and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre have Facebook pages.
Dance Place, located in Washington D.C., has a blog, Twitter, as well as a Facebook Page. There are not many comments or followers on the blog (same with DNA’s blog), possibly indicating the dance world has not turned into avid social media fans yet, even though I know the audience is online. I believe those organizations testing blogs are still experimenting with what type of content to include and how often to update. It is exciting to see so many arts organizations take risks to stay current, especially in this tough economic situation.
I am especially interested in dance, but I found this video about how an orchestra has used social media to garner more attention. Listen for the different tools they use and how people are responding to their efforts.
Do you know of any other arts organizations, theaters, museums, dance companies and etc. using social media as part of their marketing campaign?! Let’s talk about how your organization is using social media. How are you making it work and what difficulties have you struggled with?
One of the most important things I learned about having a successful blog is to remain consistent with your updates. So why didn’t I listen to that advice? What happened? Unfortunately, it seems that finals, a service trip to New Orleans, a beach vacation and work got in the way of keeping up a blogging schedule.
Now my summer has calmed down a bit and I can jump right back into my adventure with blogging.
I started as social media intern for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) about three weeks ago. IFPRI is a non-profit organization supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IFPRI seeks, “to provide policy solutions that reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition.”
So far I have researched how IFPRI and other development organizations, like The World Bank, are using social media. Studying the best practices for social media, I have learned how IFPRI can improve their strategy over time to lead to more successful use. IFPRI currently has a blog, a Facebook Fan page, a group on LinkedIn, and a YouTube channel. Like many companies, people and organizations, IFPRI jumped into social media without formulating a concrete strategy. My goal for the summer is to map out how IFPRI can use their applications more effectively and efficiently.
I will post what I have learned and may even have some of the IFPRI communications staff guest blog and share their opinions on IFPRI and the transition to the wonderful world of Web 2.0!
