Scheduled & Designed

Remi Leibovic

Social Media: 17:194:546:90

Dr. Kristen Koehler

November 13th, 2022

Posting content less than a decade ago was done at the moment. There were no

scheduling applications such as Hootsuite to ensure that at a certain time a post would be posted

on a certain platform or across different platforms. In the first place, tools such as Hootsuite have

taken audience management and presence management to the next level in terms of convenience

and reliability. Also, by researching niche audiences helps companies know what their

followers/customers want to see and engage with. In addition, these practices can have a negative

impact on young audience members/social media users, as everything they see is designed and

scheduled. The definition of authentic and original content on the internet has changed.

Everything on social media platforms from major brands, influencers, to small businesses is

scheduled and designed to appease and attract followers/customers.

In the first place, tools such as Hootsuite are used by advertisers to schedule out content

across different platforms at times that audiences are the most active. Hootsuite has achieved

much success for being the best social media content scheduling tool. According to the

presentation, “Digital2022_TopTakeaways_Q3JulyStatshot'' Hootsuite states that it gathers it’s

data from over 200 countries and global regions. To quote, “With the latest data from 230

countries and territories, it offers a truly global look at online activities and foresight into our

digital future to help your business gain an edge in 2022.”

(Digital2022_TopTakeaways_Q3JulyStatshot, 2022). It is obvious that Hootsuite uses the data

collected from its user to obtain these statistics. At the same time it demonstrates just how

popular and essential Hootsuite is to the advertising and social media industry.

Hootsuite even encourages marketers to learn different skills such as video editing stating

that in 2022 video content is here to stay. Marketers are the new content creators or one might

say content creators are the new marketers. The demand for relevant content on social media has

pushed for advertising agencies to partner with influencers and other brand adjacent external

partners. In this, “Digital2022_TopTakeaways_Q3JulyStatshot'' the company states that,

“Become a video-editing machine. In the age of short entertaining videos, marketers have

everything to gain from learning even rudimentary video editing skills. If you haven’t already,

now’s the time to give it a whirl.” (Hootsuite, 2022). Furthermore, a company’s social media is

just their mission statement and brand in action. Dribble is a highly regarded design website

where designers not only showcase their design portfolios but where the latest news about design

trends become posted. According to the article written by Renne Fleck on Dribble, “A guide to

design‑led content marketing (& why your brand needs it)” he states that, “Quality design is

easier to digest, more likely to be shared, and more memorable.” (Fleck, 2019) Which is true

when it comes to engaging with followers and gaining new ones. What are the main takeaways

of a profile or page? Can a user learn something from following it? Can a user gain something

from following it? What does this page specifically do for the user to become a follower? These

are the sorts of questions that go into a content strategy plan which encapsulates design-led

marketing strategies.

In addition, Fleck also states that design-led marketing can strengthen not only a brand's

online presence, but it can also reaffirm its current standing. To quote, “Design-led content

marketing will affect every type of content you produce: landing pages, product pages, your

checkout (in fact, your entire website), email campaigns, social media marketing, and paid

advertising. As such, it takes a strategic approach so that the whole customer journey is bound

by a consistent and recognizable design.” (Fleck, 2019) Even though graphic design tools are

more accessible now than it was a decade ago, good design is still hard to find. Yet, it plays such

an important role in brand recognition online. Zohar Dayan of Forbes Magazine states in his

article, “Visual Content: The Future Of Storytelling” that, “the result has been a shift in content

consumption preferences, and 91% of consumers now prefer interactive and visual content over

traditional, text-based or static media. To stay current, businesses in every industry are striving

to meet the mounting demand for visual content as they revise their multi channel content

strategies.” (Dayan, 2018) Followers are ultimately customers. Brands are not participating in

social media to build community and foster wholesome relationships. They are there to interact

with customers and find out exactly what they want from them. That is why in 2022 users can

see that visual content, specifically video content is what is being pushed.

While video content can have spur of the moment origins, it is no longer created that way.

Especially for major brands when videographers are working on producing reels, shorts, and

TikToks. Also, video content has to be directed and intentional when it comes to representing a

brand. For example, if an athletic brand is creating a video, they will want to demonstrate their

clothing, fit people, and perhaps play a sport that they sponsor. In addition, they might want to

add in their latest trend or their newest partnership with an athlete. This can be considered

design-led marketing.

Researching niche audiences helps companies know what their followers want to see and

engage with. Apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram are being utilized by companies to “chat”

with their customers or audience members. Hootsuite stated in its report, “Remember: 64% of

people say they’d prefer to message rather than call a business. Plus, offering social customer

care gives your business the opportunity to automate some more tedious parts of

the process. (Say it with us: “Chatbots are my friend.”).” (Hootsuite, 2022). Having things such

as chatbots set up to engage with customers can help a business not only answer customer

questions but overall research what their customers are asking for. In business, a company needs

to give what the customer wants and is looking for. Engaging with customers across different

platforms can look different per platform. For example, going live on Instagram or doing a poll

on Twitter. It all depends on where audiences live. Companies are able to target their customers

by which platforms they are most active on. Demographics such as age play a major role in

deciding which social media platform a brand wants to grow on.

In the past, it has been brought up that advertisers know too much about social media

users. Things such as age, city, work place, and even social circles were once considered to be

private information. Now, things are much different because by viewing a user’s profile not only

can an advertiser see all of that information, but also track the other things that the user has

engaged with. For example, LinkedIn’s Activity area, where connections can see what a person

has been doing. Who’s posts have they commented on, which companies or thought leaders that

they follow, etc. Yet this public data helps marketers target consumers. In fact, Fleck states,

“Historically, marketers would focus on different channels separately, without a view of the

whole customer experience. Today, multi-tasking consumers have driven the need for

“omnichannel marketing,” where all marketing channels are integrated to meet the needs of the

customer at every step along their journey.” The way that brands show up on different social

media platforms overall strengthens the way that they present themselves to consumers. The

more a consumer behaves on a social media platform, the more that advertisers are able to build

accurate personas.

Influencers are marketing personas made real. In the Forbes article, “Why Buyer

Personas Are More Important Than Ever For Facebook Advertisers” by Ralph Burns he states

that, “One reason to create buyer personas is that they provide you with the audience

information you need to target the right groups of people online — which means you can still

advertise on platforms like Facebook and Instagram effectively. Buyer personas also give you

and your team a better idea of who your customers are, what makes them tick and why they buy.

And the better you understand your customers, the more equipped you’ll be to market to them

effectively.” (Burns, 2021) Influencers are these living buyer personas that can be partnered with

to push a product or a service. For example, skin care companies have taken advantage of the

influencer market and are using them as a way to directly market their products to niche

interested audiences. With things such as promotions and discounts, it influences consumers

even more to make a purchase. Now while a brand can build out a buyer persona and know their

customers it is still important to engage with those customers. They want their customers to have

good skin and display a lifestyle that reflects their brand values.

Buyer personas, influencers, and other social media roles are all designed to gain

attention and ultimately convert to a sale. This is where social media design and scheduling can

have a dark side. Most of what people see on social media is designed and planned by a company

or brand to drive followers. Collaborations and partnerships with external influencers to push

products can also have a negative impact on young social media users. To quote from the class

reading by, Amber L. Ferris, Erin E. Hollenbaugh, and Paul A. Sommer, “ The researchers

state that SM addiction results from one’s strong motivation to use SM despite the

consequences that result for individuals' “other social activities, studies/job, interpersonal

relationships, and/or psychological health and well-being” (p. 4054). As per the definition by

Andreassen and Pallesen (2014), SM addiction is the result of the combined effects of

motivation, use, and consequences.” in the academic literature, “Applying the Uses and

Gratifications Model to Examine Consequences of Social Media Addiction” (Amber L. Ferris,

Erin E. Hollenbaugh, and Paul A. Sommer, 2021). The younger generation is aware of the

harmful effects of social media but still continues to use and engage with it on a daily basis.

While some young users proceed with caution and rationality, some do not. It is hard to

compare reality to a constantly updated and strategically placed design plan. Even in the article

by Amber L. Ferris, Erin E. Hollenbaugh, and Paul A. Sommer, it is stated that young people

who kept their real life social connections and interactions found social media to be a

“hindrance” in their lives. (Amber L. Ferris, Erin E. Hollenbaugh, and Paul A. Sommer, 2021).

At a certain point it just does not become real. Users can clearly see the plan that is laid out by

advertisers and brands. It is hard to distinguish between what is considered organic content and

staged content. Organic used to mean that it came from a creator naturally and organically. Now

most content is manufactured to push products and to gain larger audiences.

In conclusion, The definition of authentic and original content on the internet has

changed. Everything on social media platforms from major brands, influencers, to small

businesses is scheduled and designed to appease and attract followers/customers. In addition,

researching niche audiences helps companies know what their followers want to see and engage

with. Also, tools such as Hootsuite are used by advertisers to schedule out content across

different platforms at times that audiences are the most active. Hootsuite has achieved much

success for being the best social media content scheduling tool. While these statements have

been previously made they remain true. The internet of today is not about community building

and engagement but of algorithms and people who are pressuring others to conform to a lifestyle,

idea, product or brand. All content is designed and scheduled to post at specific times when

followers are active and willing to engage. Of course the way to reach more audiences

organically is getting harder on social media due to apps wanting their business profiles to pay

for overall reach, however that is not stopping brands from collaborating with influencers or

other third party partnerships. It is important to stay grounded while scrolling through social

media and understand that most of it is there for a reason. Just a scheduled and designed reason,

to get a user to engage with it.

References:

Burns, Ralph. “Council Post: Why Buyer Personas Are More Important than Ever for

Facebook Advertisers.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21 Apr. 2022,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/12/02/why-buyer-personas-are-mo

re-important-than-ever-for-facebook-advertisers/?sh=f1ac725423ce.

Dayan, Zohar. “Council Post: Visual Content: The Future of Storytelling.” Forbes, Forbes

Magazine, 2 Apr. 2018,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/04/02/visual-content-the-future-of-st

orytelling/?sh=5a11573b3a46.

Ferris, A. L., Hollenbaugh, E. E., & Sommer, P. A. (2021). Applying the Uses and Gratifications

Model to Examine Consequences of Social Media Addiction. Social Media + Society, 7(2).

https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211019003

Hootsuite. “The Global State of Digital 2022 July Statshot Top Takeaways.” Hootsuite.

“Digital2022_TopTakeaways_Q3JulyStatshot_en.pdf” from class

Renee Fleck in Process Dec 11, 2019. “A Guide to Design-Led Content Marketing (& Why

Your Brand Needs It).” Dribbble, 11 Dec. 2019,

https://dribbble.com/stories/2019/12/11/design-for-content-marketing.