Independence

As discussed in my previous blog posts, my internship schedule and arrangement is rather unconventional. I'm not technically working from the office and only need to check in with the regulated parties every now and then. It's very similar to working as a 'freelancer'. I have found that it actually works so much better for my current lifestyle. Am able to work the required job from different places and also at any time of the day. Independence is the main key here.

Probably by now, you'll recognise my blog posts by my overflowed work plate rants. But in this blog post, I want to make sure that all of these 'rants' were actually very useful for me to realise a very important aspect of my life and that is: I am actually a pretty independent person. Having to juggle a few adult responsibilities at once is not exactly easy - in my opinion anyways. But here I am, four weeks into my internship and juggling two 'full-time jobs'. I am alive and is relatively well. 

Having to work outside the normal working hours and from different places, it is easy to get distracted and the procrastination game is damn strong. However, I found that because I am busy, I stick to my daily plans and schedule a lot more. I am more on track with work. and life. As a 'new adult', I think this following meme is relevant:

Today is a Sunday of the public long weekend - but here I am, writing a blog post and finishing off my final work report for my internship placement, whilst listening to a webinar for work at my beloved rowing club. Long weekend? Holidays? Time off? Huh? What. Even. 

This is the new normal. 

The Importance Of A Good Social Media Strategy & Social Media Tips

The Importance Of A Good Social Media Strategy & Social Media Tips

Before you set out on your social media strategy it is important to know some things about your brand such as your:

• Vision Statement. 
• Unique Selling Proposition.
• Key Audiences.
• Communication Objectives.

These will help you develop your strategy and come up with tools such as your social personality (voice), key messages and language or tone. Once you have a social media policy with this information the next important thing to do is BE PREPARED! Do up a schedule every week with the images, comments and hashtags you want to post and on what days you want to post them. This level of organisation is something I have learnt very quickly doing my internship at Spacemarket. This is especially helpful when I leave and someone else has to take over.

Here are a few more tips and tricks I have learnt

Imagery

• Ensure photos are in focus. 
• Think about composition, watch what your audience likes and follow the trend. 
• Take time to crop and straighten images. 
• Product based photos should be close up, sharp, details and of high quality. 
• Photos of people should be candid, not structured. 

Instagram

Your posts should be image based with a short description. This is what people expect to see on their feeds so don’t make it too wordy, let the image shine!

One of my first posts for Father's Day

Hashtags

There is so much to know about hashtags and it is something I am still learning about. Here is a link that I think sums it up perfectly.

http://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-hashtags/

Facebook

Your posts should be more story based and give an insight into your brand or a personality. This is a platform that we use to introduce retailers to our publics and to build goodwill around their brands and the project.

Cadence

The best times to post are:

• 11.45am - to get people who are on social media on their lunch breaks. 
• 4.30pm - to get people as they are winding down from work. 

Dealing with negative posts comments:

• Ensure all posts adhere to the rules of engagement. 
• Hide any comments that contravene the rules in a serious way (threatening, bullying and harassment). 
• Block any repeat offenders or anyone who seriously flouts the rules. 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/nationwide-insurance/our-facebook-rules-of-engagement/234211289006

• Don't just hide negative comments because you don't like what they have said - this is a two way (social) coversation, Instead try to turn it around with some tongue in cheek banter. 

 Best,

      Gemma