Social Media Personality Profiling For Business

It’s the epidemic that’s defined the 21^st century. Everyone has it, it’s shared amongst us and spreads like wildfire…yes, social media has pervaded all aspects of our day to day living. Everyone knows the scare stories about how over-exposure to the internet can be damaging to our health and personality, but let’s turn it round and think about how different personalities can affect social media. Everyone’s different – just take the fascinating Myers-Briggs personality test from the clever folk at Quistic. For business owners and social media managers, it may be interesting to think about specific personality attitudes and learn how certain stressors and energisers can help guide marketers in best engaging with their target audience.

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According to a recent article by Penelope Trunk, founder and CEO of the personality and career experts Quistic, everyone is motivated by one of three core desires: achievement, affiliation, or competence (or in simpleton’s terms: winning, relationships/affiliation, and craft). Think about what drives you: if you can understand and identify yourself amongst these three key motivators then you can better place yourself to succeed in business. The Myers-Briggs test places one’s personality on a sliding spectrum of 16 possibilities but somewhat worryingly, if, like myself, you are an ENFJ personality type it appears that you find “thinking is often your weakness”; however, it also advises to start writing a blog to further career prospects, so perhaps it’s bang on.

Certain City banks are already using personality profiling to better engender brokering partnerships and deals – if a client is particularly data-focused they will match them with a similarly data-minded broker, or match more ‘blue-sky-thinking’ companies with their own optimists. Understanding how to improve communication across different personalities is a useful and insightful business move.

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You might think that marketers should be sensitive or empathetic or have a keen eye for detail or a creative spark or an appreciation for deadlines; in fact, they need to be all of the above, and more. A split personality is perhaps encouraged in the marketing world, and even more so in the social media marketing world. You have to be able to tap into the different mindsets of your varied audiences, understand which channels will best speak to which personalities and create content that appeals to a variety of character types. Your strategy needs to speak to multiple personalities, thus you need to be able to adopt multiple personalities.

Everyone knows that social media is a great way to market your business; obviously you understand what your business is about, but do you really understand your customers? For all you social media managers, and there are a lot of you – five million‘social media experts’ at last count on LinkedIn – here are a few personality traits that you might wish to nurture when marketing a business online. The thinkers at Hubspot suggest that in order to better engage with your business’ customers, you should become: 

The informant – tell your brash reader what they need to know. And don’t beat about the bush.

The inquirer – appeal to the quieter members of your audience by asking them questions, and encouraging a climate for engagement with considerate content.

The helper – for the busy-bodies who are never satisfied you must provide top-notch customer service and answer questions and complaints directly.

The thought provoker – show the curious members of your target market that you are open to dialogue and debate, and that you are the go-to-expert for knowledge in your specialism.

The class clown – appeal to the jokers with some classic slap-stick humour.

The entertainer – this applies to everyone. Everyone likes, and needs, to be entertained. So be interesting.

The go-getter – and for those personality types that your business hasn’t yet tapped into…go and get them on board.

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It’s no longer enough for a business to market itself along outdated ‘buy me now’ call-to-action commands; with the advent of social media marketing, the emphasis is clearly on the social aspect. Everyone loves a good story, and this works to any good marketer’s advantage. Your blog and social media personality should be in sync, as this shapes how customer’s view your business’ character and will affect which personality types are more naturally drawn to your company. People come to expect a certain tone from your business, so keep your online personality consistent across the multiple channels. Social media is pre-disposed to helping you nurture and expand your business – people buy things from people they trust and respect, so let your honest and knowledgeable personality come to the surface.

Obviously social networking engages the interests and activities of more narcissistic individuals as opposed to those less motivated by peer approval; introverts and extroverts use online communities differently according to their need to be people-oriented and outwardly social. Nearly 60% of extroverts use Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn for professional purposes, while 47% of introverts shared the sentiment; although there is clearly a difference in the figures, it’s good news for marketers as it shows the popularity of social media in general. Studies into how different personality types use the internet consistently show that, despite minor fluctuations, on the whole all personality types are using social media for business and professional purposes.

Although there are obviously nuances and dynamics to be considered when marketing on social media, and those marketers who can most intricately manage these will be rewarded, overall the vast majority of your target market – be they introverts or extroverts, shy or narcissistic, thinkers or feelers – are using and responding to social media for professional purposes, and  it follows that it is a useful and successful channel for marketing.

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Social Media Now A Part Of School Curriculum

OCR Includes Study Of Social Media In Sociology Course

Social media is to become a part of the school curriculum, following an announcement from the OCR Exam Board that it will take into account ‘how people are responding to the new rules of the digital global village.’ Students will now study and be tested on social media, online security and privacy, and the culture of selfies.

The decision applies to sixth form students studying Sociology for AS and A level, a combined number of around 80,000 students each year, and will take effect from September 2015.

Source: googleenterprise.blogspot.com

OCR is one of England’s largest exam boards, and this decision is sure to have an impact on the way in which the study of sociology is considered across not only different boards but beyond – 7,000 people graduate with a degree in Sociology from UK universities every year.

It is not just Sociology which will be affected. Those students who study Sociology for A level go on to a wide range of degree courses, and by including a discussion of social media at this relatively early stage such thinking is sure to inform disciplines like history, literature, and even more traditionally science-based subjects like psychology.

The course will look at traditional sociological concepts such as identity, power, and community through the lens of social media, bringing a modernity and immediacy to the subject which is seen by some to be lacking. OCR’s subject team manager, Victoria Hunter, said that the board has ‘brought [their] syllabus bang up to date with exciting new content that tackles some of the biggest issues facing societies today,’ and hopes that this move will reverse the trend of Sociology being seen by some as a ‘soft option’ for A-level students.

Source: learnforlifeenterprise.co.uk

The use of social media in the actual process of education has been acknowledged for some time, with students using services like Facebook and WhatsApp to communicate and co-ordinate projects and even to stay in touch with teachers outside school hours. Many courses, particularly at university level, take place wholly online, and so for students to have some grounding in not just the practicalities but the theory and history surrounding social media would be apt not only on an intellectual but also a practical level.

This may be where the difficulty will lie as far as the individual student is concerned. Separating one’s personal experience of social media from a detached intellectual analysis of it will not be instinctive, and it is perhaps this – the ability to distinguish between social media as an aspect of daily life and its place within a broader socio-historical context – which will be of the greatest long term benefit to students.

Use of social media inherently encourages critical thinking, as the famous ‘Facebook gap’ between people’s real lives and how they present themselves online becomes an established phenomenon, and the codifying of this in the educational establishment is an important step towards widespread recognition of this fact.

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Social Media Playing A Part In The Rising Complaints Against Doctors

Doctors Under Fire On Social Media?

A recent report commissioned by the General Medical Council has revealed that a rise in complaints against doctors reflects the role of social media and negative press coverage of the medical profession as a whole.

Source: blog.cureus.com

It comes after the revelation that complaints by the general public against GPs doubled between 2007 and 2012, and as a result, a research team from Plymouth was asked to investigate the dramatic increase.

The numerics are stated in the report, and it is identified that the number of complaints went from 5,168 in 2007 to 10,347 just five years later.

Despite the numeric details, the report did not point to any specific cause for the rise in complaints made by the general public. Instead, it rather ambitiously chose to identify a number of trends that it says have influenced the general public, and correlated these trends with the rise in complaints.

The report suggested that patients are now more aware of their own health, and therefore have much higher expectations of doctors. This attitude results in a shift in power relations between the two parties, andultimately removes doctors from the pedestal.

As well as this, the report said that social media had a role to play in the rise in complaints, as it encouraged people to discuss their previous experiences with the medical profession. This has been conducted in dedicated public forums and this ensured that specific information about health care could be shared easily and accessed by all.

The biggest influence on the general public is the negative press in the media, and this is also highlighted in the report.

Whilst the media coverage of high-profile medical cases may have had an influence on the rise in complaints, the report also suggested that this also gave rise to more complaints that were not relevant to the GMC, which regulates GPs in the United Kingdom.

Source: pando.com

The lead author of the report, Dr Julian Archer, said that the report had produced “some fascinating findings.” He said: “they show that the forces behind a rise in complaints against doctors are hugely complex and reflect a combination of increased public awareness, media influence, the role of social media technology and wider changes in society.”

He added that “the report also indicated that there is much to do to improve the wider complaint handling system, so that complaints made by the general public about their doctors are directed to the appropriate authorities.”

The research certainly brings up some interesting points, without outlaying hard evidence. Social media gets a hard time in the report, as these conversations about healthcare were happening long before the birth of social media, but they were conducted in private.

The more sinister reason for the rise in complaints is the negative media influence, and a possible government agenda to privatise the NHS.

The mass media will always have great control over the general public, so it comes to no surprise that with all the negative press that surrounds the medical profession, people have chosen to complain. It is a subtle form of indoctrination, and maybe by citing social media as a heavy influence on people’s negative connotations towards doctors, the researchers have been indoctrinated also.

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Head Over Heels For Social Media

W Hotels offers ‘social media concierge’ to live-tweet your wedding – for $3,000

Is this a story of modern romance or a case of social media taken too far? The wedding photographer is a staple at the big day – but a Social Media Wedding Concierge? 

The luxury W Hotels chain has taken the decision to offer a social media specialist as part of its wedding package, ensuring there’s someone on hand  to tweet, Instagram, Vine, blog and Facebook every precious moment of your day. Surely there are certain things you want to keep private? 

The deal (which only runs to the end of the year so get your names signed up quickly!) is offered by four of the hotels in New York, providing the happy couple with a social media expert who can satisfy all your networking needs from ‘live tweets and hashtags to Vine videos and Instagram filters, W’s Social Media Wedding Concierge will document the ‘I Dos’ and encourage guests to utilize a dedicated wedding hashtag for every one of their posts’. Right.

In the hotel chain’s marketing spiel, there’s also something about creating a Pinterest board ‘to inspire the couple’ and a Shutterfly book containing all the ‘social media highlights from the day.’ 

Live tweeting from the ceremony, Instagramming pics of the first dance and Vining videos of the reception – as well as thinking up a unique wedding hashtag – begs the question, who is going to pay $3000 for this, frankly bizarre, service? Perhaps the same couples who buy into this latest fad would also consider signing up to the new social media prenuptials clauses.

Is the W ahead of the game on this one, or is it simply an overpriced gimmick seeking to exploit people’s addiction to social media?

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Facebook Gives Out Free Wi-Fi

Critics are keen to knock Facebook – on ethical and financial terms, as well as pointing to clear decreases in organic reach – but it seems that Zuckerberg’s global vision isn’t in too much trouble just yet.
  

Facebook is moving ahead with its master plan to get the entire world online. Having co-launchedInternet.org a year ago, alongside technology giants Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, MediaTek, Opera and Qualcomm, the group aims to efficiently use data in order to make Internet access affordable to all businesses and people across the world.

The project’s homepage states that: ‘Internet.org is a global partnership between technology leaders, nonprofits, local communities and experts who are working together to bring the Internet to the two thirds of the world’s population that doesn’t have it’ – a genuine humanitarian mission, or does it hint at slightly more devious aims?
  

Source: rocketfishltd.co.uk

Yesterday, Facebook announced a pilot program that aims to provide free wireless Internet to students in the Rutherford County School District in Forest City, North Carolina— the same city that houses one of the company's massive data centers.  

It's the first time that Facebook has provided free Wi-Fi to students, and could be the first of many such partnerships to come if the program is successful.

The initiative builds on a previous partnership that saw 6000 school students receive a free laptop, courtesy of the social networking site, however half of these didn’t have wireless Internet at home – once again,Facebook has stepped in to save the day.

Offering free Wi-Fi to students may also help Facebook stay connected to the teen demographic it's been accused of losing. Those using Wi-Fi provided by Facebook won't be directed to a Facebook landing page, but if a teenager knows his wireless is a gift from Facebook, perhaps he'll be more inclined to use the service.

Although not on the same global scale as Internet.org, the essential theme remains the same – for whatever reasons, altruistic or otherwise, Facebook wants everyone online.

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#OurABC: Channel in Social Media Rebranding

ABC latest channel to tap into the social media buzz and paves the way for TV future.

The Aussie branch of ABC is under-going a fresh rebranding operation in the hope to promote channel/audience inclusion and interactivity.

ABC's main channels, ABC1 is the channel facing the new changes, starting with the new name of ABC. While the new name isn't anything to write home about in terms of creativity, the rest of the rebranding operationpromises to make waves.

The use of the hashtag #ourABC is the main talking point and the vocal point for the rebranding campaign; a campaign that the broadcaster has labelled "bold, simple, raw and real."

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The hope is that the new hashtag tagline will emphasise "inclusion, togetherness and connection"according to ABC's head of marketing and communications.

The channel's new image is also set to include new idents featuring everyday ABC personalities along with anew 'channel anthem' of 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' by Hunters and Collectors.

The rebranding coincides with their new look website which is set to launch on July 20th.

Speaking about the channel's new image, ABC's director of television, Richard Finlayson said that "Now more than ever, ABC Television needs to be relevant." 

With almost everyone sharing their thoughts and opinions online, it isn't hard to see the reasoning behindABC's new way of thinking. They are beginning to tap into where it's audience are coming from, and where they will go to express their opinions on the channels programming. It is a clever and innovative way of keeping up to date and relevant to their audience and it can't be too long before other channels across the world follow in ABC's footsteps.

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Become An Influential Figure On Social Media

Become the boss online

It is one thing committing to building a social media presence, but to become influential is a whole different beast of a task. Whether it be for the benefit of business you work for, or just for personal pleasure, being aninfluential contributor on social media feels good, but there are somethings you must do in order to reach this goal.

Source: digitalinformationworld.com

Focus on your expertise

Master a topic so that people trust your opinion. Make yourself the number one source of information in that specific topic and people will flock towards your profile. The key here is to go beyond the realms of just reporting news in a simplistic, journalistic manner, and create an opinion that will spark a debate in your community. Healthy debate is key here, so don’t make your views so strong that people feel that they are being forced into a belief, or even worse are suffering from attempted indoctrination.

Stay active

The biggest error to make when trying to establish yourself online is not staying active. In order to be taken seriously in a very competitive area, is important to make sure that you have social media activity going on day in day out. This ensures that your followers will see that you are constantly updating your profile, whilst dashing out the latest information. It also shows that you are a highly motivated individual, and your passion for the subject in hand is not just a flash in the pan. Even when it gets tough and the views are not coming in at the rate you want them to, persist and you will see the benefits in the long run. Remember that you are doing this for your followers who rely on you for quick, accurate information.

Establish a community 

Establish a strong community and it will take a lot to break your momentum. Seeking out other experts in your field and inviting them to your discussion will work wonders, as you will have created the most comprehensive debate in your topic. It shows supreme confidence, that you are willing to invite the competition to come and join your discussions, and sends out a message to them that you are the one to look up to in that market. If they do join up, they will no doubt attract a heavy following also, and in turn this could increase your fan base a huge amount.

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Share your content

Remember to share you content throughout social media. It is not just about Facebook and Twitter, so share to as many platforms as physically possible, and this way, your content gets widely read. Post the content publicly and then push it through social networks. By pushing your own content you send out warning shots that you have the ability to not only master a certain topic, but also create your own writing and opinions on it.

Creating a strong demeanour online can be tough as everybody is trying it these days, but with persistence and good knowledge of your niche, you could be influencing the social media congregation in no time.

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Social media a rendezvous for terrorists according to intelligence official

The Western world are now looking at social media in order to frighten its citizens, and keep them on guard. According to a top European intelligence official, terrorists have changed their management stye, and it is making them a more threatening prospect. In the past, decisions were left to be made by a top-down hierarchy, but now the decisions are being made by a collective “swarm,” and this has been aided by the power of social media.

Source: mashable.com

These are the words of Rob Bertholee, who is the head of Dutch Intelligence, and he further stated that up until recent years, jihadi groups operated through “vertical communication.”

“The leader spoke to his followers and then they would all do what he said,” Bertholee stated. He added thatthe rise of the Internet and social media have seen a rise in “horizontal communication” in these groups.

“So what we see now is what you could call a group dynamics, swarming, or the idea of swarming, where many individuals, without a visible leader, actually lead themselves and decide on themselves which way they go.”

“You know they all fly in a swarm, there’s no leader there. There’s nobody who says yeah we have a map and we have to go this way. But amazingly they all go the same way. That is what we see.”

Despite Mr Bertholee appearing to see “terrorists” as inferior to himself and his allies, by using language by degrading his fellow human beings, such as assuming that they only use a map when navigating, and expressing shock at the fact that there is no visible leader, he must take them seriously. Opposition to Western culture have become very competent in areas such as social media strategy, and technological advances.

The use of social media by opposition groups has bolstered fundraising and recruitment, and at the same time, has made life more difficult for figures such as Bertholee as they try and combat such groups both at home and abroad.

Source: spinsucks.com

“If you can single out a leader then you know where to attack, where to move, where to focus you attention to,” Bertholee said. “If you don’t have a leader, if you have a swarm that is self-guiding and self-deciding, it’s much harder to focus your attention, your efforts.”

These are fascinating words from Mr Bertholee, as he is merely acknowledging that people are using social media. This is the way the world works now; communication is made easy on a global level now, due to theimpact of social media on millions of people. Yes, there are people who want to cause distress and harm to others, but Mr Bertholee is another example of how people are being influenced by the media.

He uses animalistic comparatives and war rhetoric in order to make the reader believe that there is an army of insurgents coming to cause havoc on the lives of many. Whilst doing this, he paints a bad picture of social media, by asserting that networking is the biggest weapon for opposition groups, and if people take that in and choose to believe it, then social media as a whole will be viewed as a bad thing.

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