Visual Communication: Social Media LO1

Visual Communication:  Social Media

For a painting and decorating firm newly starting out, they may use Facebook as one of their social media platforms.

The purpose for using Facebook would be to promote their business and generate interest in the products they have to offer.  They could also use it as a means of communicating with new and potential clients.  It is an easy place for people to access information about their company. 

One of the main reasons businesses use social media, in general, is because it is a relatively cheap or even free service and has the means to reach a wide audience.  Even on a global scale.

Pinterest may also be useful to a painting and decorating firm, as it is largely visually based, it would be appropriate for a business wanting to promote services such as painting and wallpapering.  For this type of service, potential customers are going to want to see evidence of the firm’s work.  Text alone, won’t convey what it is they are trying to sell.

Also, because Pinterest allows you to Pin posts from external websites, potential customers don’t need to be looking for ideas solely on the Pinterest website.  When they do Pin something from the firm’s website, this is then shared with all the followers of that Pinterest user.  Thereby enlarging the potential customer base.  Pinning also ensures people have a record of viewing the firm’s online material.  Meaning it is more likely they would look that up again in the future.

When it comes to personalising these platforms, on Facebook you can upload a profile picture and a cover photo.  Both these images should be relevant to what the organisation does.  For example, the profile picture could be the company logo and the cover photo could be of the products they sell.  In the case of a painting and decorating firm this could be the wallpaper and paint they use/sell.

On Pinterest, you can also upload a profile picture.  You can also link your Pinterest account to all the other social media services you use, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc.

Both these platforms have an about section, where information about the organisation can be added in more detail than what may be initially seen on the home page.  This can include the history of the company, location, opening times, contact details, pricing et al.

Ways in which the firm can connect with other users could be something such as the Like function found on Facebook.  By liking a page or post, a Facebook user will, as a result, share that like with their friends.  The same goes for getting people to follow a Facebook page.  The more followers a business has the more potential customers they will reach and engage with.

Other methods that can be used to help the business engage with its customers could be something as simple as uploading an image.  This could be a photo comparing the before and after of a job that has been completed.  Thus showcasing their skills.  By adding a comment underneath, this could encourage users to engage further by clicking on the post to see what else has been said.  Comments can also give the firm the opportunity to answer people’s questions and find out what is popular and what is not.

If people like what they see, they may decide to share it.  Their friends will then see that content and may decide to like and share it as well.  This, again, will help the firm connect with more users and in turn develop its customer base.

Pinterest works in a similar fashion, where the content you like is pinned to a board, which others can then see and pin to their own boards.

Tools that can be utilised in Facebook include uploading albums, where the firm could showcase a particular brand of paint or wallpaper that is currently popular.  They could create an event.  Inviting people to come and view what it is they have to offer.  For example, this could be an invite to something like an Ideal Homes exhibition.

Another tool they could use, could be sharing the posts, websites or status updates of other users.  For instance, people following something like Dulux paint, may come across the firm’s website because of a post they have shared from the Dulux website.

On Pinterest, one tool that is available is pinning to a board.  The easiest way to describe it, is to imagine you have a cork board on your wall, where you will put up or “pin” the things you like.  When someone sees your photo on Pinterest they will “pin” it to their board of interests, online. They’ve basically kept a copy for themselves.

In turn, if their friends or followers see it and like it as well, they can “repin” the photo to their own board.

Photo don’t always have to be pinned, a user can simply “Like” it, as you would on Facebook.  Comments can be added as well.

Finally, like anything in business, social media requires a certain amount of etiquette.  There are unwritten rules that any business should follow.  These include:

·         Having a complete profile – Name, address, contact details, opening times etc

·         Always keeping the page up-to-date.

·         Having a professional cover photo and appropriate name.

·         Being consistent in all your social media profiles, i.e. same name, same logo etc.

·         Using proper English.  Colloquialisms or “text speak” should be left for personal communications only.

·         Never using profanity or terms which could be considered offensive.

·         Not being discriminatory.

·         Never posting images that have inappropriate content, such as nudity, drug use or alcohol misuse.

·         Not answering queries within an acceptable time frame.

·         Only discussing matters which are relevant to the business and that are not of a private nature.

·         Not airing personal views which could reflect badly on your organisation or those employed within it.

·         Not publishing personal contact details of employees or customers.

·         Not constantly asking for likes or comments.

·         Not spamming people’s inboxes.

·         Communicating with customers via the business page and not your personal page.