March Madness

       As we all know, Social Media is huge amongst teens and young adults. This age demographic is also a huge audience of March Madness. We have also seen how important social media has become to sporting events. People love the ability to engage with and add to the conversations that are going on about current events. What better time to engage with an event than the premier college basketball event in the country, the March Madness.

      The hashtag MarchMadness can be seen throughout the broadcasts of all games. You can find it scrolling on the on court screens, above the billboards, and in many other locations. They are trying to make it as easy as possible to add to the conversation. This even is known for being one of the most social events in our day. People fill millions of brackets and put them in pools with friends, families, employees, and even random groups. People follow the brackets like nothing else we have seen. The brackets have given people a reason to watch and pay attention. This has therefore translated into a huge social media presence.

     People are now able to follow games on Twitter, because of the vast number of people tweeting about them and creating trends. Everyone has opinions, and therefore with sporting events everyone wants to talk about what is going on. As the games go on and we get closer to the Final Four, it will be interesting to see what the impact will be for the main sponsors. Will the sponsors like Coke and AT&T begin to increase their twitter presence knowing that a majority of the audience will be engaging with the event on both television and social media. Will they adapt or stick to the mainstream television ads to drive customer engagement. Be on the lookout to see how these sponsors use this huge social event to interact with their audience.

     One great example that has already seen great feedback is Coke Zero's "It's Not Your Fault". It uses a possible every day occurrence in offices around the US and puts a spin on it. I believe it brings the product into the middle of the social event that is taking place. Take a look and tell me what you think:

Social Media and You

     People use social media for many different things. It can be used to update people on your life, find out about other people's lives, or even find places or things you may like. Social Media is an outlet for people to connect with others and express themselves as much as they want. The things we post and tweet about give others an insight into our lives and our minds. Because of this, people can use these channels to be funny, persuasive, informative, or just frank. These different purposes are examples of what many people struggle with. How do I use my social media? Will people actually like what I post? How can I contribute to the conversations and not just add chatter?

    These are the questions many people and businesses are running into as they begin developing their social media strategies. I believe there is a thin line that can be balanced by both companies and individuals when looking at their social media channels. To have a successful channel, businesses and people must know when to add to a conversation and not just create chatter in the space. Businesses must create a character and personality to their social media channels that can be relatable for people to want to engage with. This is why it is easier for personal social media channels to create engagement. People know what they are going to get, whereas a company must create the character.

    M&M's is a great example of a created character. Their marketing strategies use their M&M characters to engage with the customers. Ms. Green is their current spokesperson on twitter, and she is a sassy and to the point personality. This allows the company to use this persona to engage the audience. Having this distinct personality makes people want to engage, because they know what to expect and can interact with what seems more personable. They use jokes, ads, videos, discount information, and recipes to engage with the audience. They balance the jokes and sassy sayings with informative information like recipes and videos, so the business can be grown. This balance is key to keeping their social media presence alive and engaging.

   The same principles that companies use should be used by individuals. Don't just add chatter to the space, try and be unique and engaging. Add to the conversations going on and create materials that those around you may like. See your social media as an outlet to let others know what interests you or creates questions. What is funny to you, or what makes you tick are both great things for people to use in their pages. Be you and express to the world things that are engaging to you!