Examples in "Measure What Matters"

My favorite part about the book “Measure What Matters” written by Katie Delahaye Paine is the examples that are included. Throughout each piece of advice Paine offers is a series of examples that allow the reader to take the concepts being described and apply them directly to real life situations. These examples include listing different metrics to measure and different audiences to consider prioritizing. By reading this book, those entering the marketing and public relations world are given direct access to suggestions on where to being when measuring social media, and the examples assist them in choosing how to define certain aspects as they go. It truly is a helpful book.

Any text that gives readers examples is useful. Reading textbooks that are strictly concepts and lack real-world examples or applications is not effective. Paine goes above and beyond in her book by including not only a multitude of examples in each chapter, but also an explanation of each example and the benefits or applications of each. I believe anyone in the marketing or public relations field would find this book to be extraordinarily helpful when attempting to measure certain metrics on social media. I am thankful that I was able to read this book, as I truly believe it will assist me in my future. 

Helping an Individual Cabi Stylist Take Off on Social Media

My mom, Katie Vachon, is an individual cabi stylist who sells cabi clothes to women. Cabi is a designer line of women’s clothing that is presented in friends’ homes or by private appointment. The company has been around for 13 years, and it strives to change the way shopping works for women while putting an emphasis on customer service. Although my mom works for the company, selling clothes, booking appointments and everything else that comes with her position is on an individual basis, including marketing her business.

Because I have learned so much about social media this semester in my social media principles class, I am helping my mom expand her marketing on social media. Hopefully, if I can use the knowledge I have gained about social media marketing to reach more potential customers on social media, she will gain more business in return. Some tips I have given her include answering any questions a potential customer might ask via social media right away, and post pictures of the clothes she is selling in cabi fans’ group pages on Facebook. Over break, I intend on helping her further.

I am thankful this class has given me the skills to market via social media, and I am happy I get to share this knowledge with my mom. I hope it helps! 

Winter is Coming

This fall, students at Ohio Northern University have been blessed with some unexpected, long-lasting warm weather. Normally, Ohio experiences cold and snowy weather as soon as November begins, sometimes even experiencing a snowy Halloween. However, we have yet to see a snow fall that sticks to the ground, and the last week of November consisted of 60 degrees Fahrenheit weather. Unfortunately, the moment December began we were greeted with freezing temperatures. We avoided the inevitable long enough; winter is finally on its way.

Last winter, ONU got lucky with only a little bit of snow and relatively warm weather compared to past years. We got lucky again this year so far with the cold only just beginning to creep its way in now that it’s December. I’m worried that we won’t be so lucky when winter actually begins. I can’t stand the cold, and in my mind snow is only acceptable during the Christmas season. I’m praying for another mild winter, especially considering walking to class and receiving wind burns here on campus is not pleasant.

I hope everyone stays warm this winter!

Thanksgiving: It’s Not Just About the Food

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. I love the opportunity to get together with my family and eat tons of amazing food (stuffing is my favorite!). I also love how it kind of acts as a kickoff to the official Christmas season. However, it’s important that we remember this holiday is more than just an excuse to load up on yummy food—it’s a time to give thanks.

In all honesty, I believe we should be thankful every second of our lives. Even if you feel like you have nothing, you have something that someone would love to have. I promise you. However, since it is simply human nature to take things for granted sometimes, Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to focus on all the things you are grateful for and not take anything for granted.

This year—like every year—I will be going to my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Her husband always makes the most delicious turkey, and everything tastes spectacular. I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to, so I am excited for the dinner. Every year, my family and I try to name the things that we are grateful for in our lives and remember how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful country.

I was raised to be thankful, especially on Thanksgiving. However, I know how hard it can be sometimes for people to realize that food is not the most important part of this holiday. I urge you all to take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on all that you have and give thanks. This is a time of celebration, family and, reflection. While you’re giving thanks, be sure to eat as much food as you possibly can. It’s so delicious, and this day only comes around once a year after all! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

The Four Possible Goals of a Social Media Marketer

In Chapter 7 of “Measure What Matters”, author Katie D. Paine claims that social media marketers usually have one of four general goals in mind. These goals are as follows: sell products, launch new products, drive affinity between customers and the brand and, reach new markets and customers.

I found this information to be very interesting. Paine sorts all possible goals for a social media marketer into four general categories. She then gives helpful advice on what questions marketers may want to ask themselves based on their general goal. This can be useful, especially because coming up with specific objectives can be overwhelming sometimes. Crafting goals and objectives is one of the most important parts about getting measurement started on social media because without this step, you may not know what exactly you are looking for or what you want to take away from the measurements you’re about to make. For this reason, it is important to keep goals in the center of attention when measuring.

Paine has excellent examples of what to and to not do when social media measuring. These general goal categories she gives readers barely scrapes the surface of the advice she offers. I read several articles about her work when searching for pins about social media measurement on Pinterest, and I have noticed people calling her a “social media guru”. I plan on taking the advice she gives into my future career, and I know that it will one day serve me well. 

Facebook’s New Tab

This week, my phone automatically updated the Facebook app for me, and when I opened it after it finished I noticed a new tab had been added. This tab is labeled “Videos” and it is a timeline of strictly videos that are shared on Facebook. At the top of this tab, there are a list of the accounts I follow or like, and clicking on one leads to the most recent videos that account has shared. Below that section is a “Top Live” section in which a live video is being broadcast. The final section of this new tab is “Suggested for You” and it is a list of videos that Facebook suggests based on videos I have liked or watched on Facebook in the past. Beneath each video is the name of the person or account who posted the video, as well as a “follow” button.

Facebook has added several new features this year, including the “Sell” tab in which you can post pictures of what you want to sell with a price and people can buy them from you through the site or app. The Facebook app also moved the “Messenger” button from the bottom bar of the screen to the top left corner. The app has been revamped this year to say the least.

I am an avid Facebook user because of my involvement with Odyssey, and I use the app on a regular basis. I enjoy the renovations, although I don’t use them often. I never sell things online, and I prefer to watch videos in my “News feed” rather than watch them in their own section. Nevertheless, I believe some people will enjoy the changes the app has made and use them to their full advantage. 

Thanksgiving Break Has Finally Arrived

Thanksgiving break has finally arrived for the students of Ohio Northern University. On Friday, Nov. 18, those who were heading home for the holiday departed after classes. Some students even chose to skip their Friday classes to get on the road as quickly as possible. Many students were mainly excited to get home and see their families and pets, and I was one of these students. It had been a month since I had seen my dog or any of my family members, and I was eager to get home. However, I chose not to skip class because I had important assignments due on Friday and I knew I couldn’t afford to skip. I hit the road as soon as possible though, and I arrived at my house in Michigan by 5:30 p.m. I ran into more traffic than I had anticipated and it took me three and a half hours to get home when it usually only takes me two hours and 45 minutes. Although the drive was frustrating, it made arriving home that much more relieving.

While I’d like to say I’m going to make the most of this break and do as much relaxing as I can, unfortunately I will be stuck doing homework all week. I have several term papers I need to complete before returning to school so I don’t fall behind. However, I’m grateful for the allotted time I’m given to complete these papers and stay on top of my work. I know if I can complete my homework, I will be much less stressed when I return to school. Hopefully I can get it all done and still enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.

Ohio Northern students are lucky to have this long of a break. Most universities and colleges I know of only get Thanksgiving and Black Friday off school. While this means most of my friends from high school won’t be able to hang out until next weekend, it gives me a lot of time to focus on my homework and my family. I hope everyone has a safe and happy break! Happy Thanksgiving!