Viral Content: College is about the #memories

As I approach the end of my senior year, I started getting sentimental. I’ve done a lot in college and over the past few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on all that I’ve been able to do at Syracuse. Out of all the experiences I’ve had, being a part of University Union […]

Viral Content Marketing Campaign Conclusion

Imgur Content View post on imgur.com Twitter Webcard Who else is feeling #TGIF today? #Nhsmc#HumpDay#2MoreDays https://t.co/CroWNnzg4o — Bari Bressman (@barigbressman) April 6, 2016 Objective: I am marketing this photo to engage with my audience, with a funny, spirited, and uplifting photo, to drive engagement and conversations to my social media account and hopefully become viral. Results/Engagement View […]

#StopLongShowers2016 Viral Content Challenge Results

This past week, I had the opportunity to create my own viral content campaign through #NHsmc class, Social Media for Communicators. I was a bit skeptical at first, as I have always heard that there is no way to make something go viral. Frankly, it is up to the content consumers, not the creators, to […]

Sad Otto: Viral Content Challenge

We all can relate to feeling sad after our favorite sports team loses. That was the inspiration behind the Sad Otto, who couldn’t handle the heartbreaking Final Four loss and then the National Championship loss. Sad Otto The original tweet also focused on talking about the weather. This weather means a Sad Otto https://t.co/KSXwyhc5na #NHsmc […]

Could We Survive the Real Donald Drumpf?

Pretty scary right? It’s amazing what you can do with a People magazine cover and a new Snapchat filter. As the 2016 presidential election looms, morale can tend to get dragged down as the candidates harp on the negative issues America faces. However, as a fan of John Oliver and his satirical humor, his […]

Advice for politicians based on Media Richness Theory

Overall, the core idea of Media Richness Theory (MRT) is the richer and more personal communication mediums are, the more effective the communication will be; in contrast, the leaner and less rich media can decrease the effectiveness of media (Daft and Langel, 1983). To make the most effective use of this theory, there are ways […]

2016 Presidential Candidates: What Platforms Should They Use?

People are inundated with information from various media all day long. Between Facebook, TV ads, and real life interactions, it can be difficult to grab someone’s attention. With the upcoming election, how can political candidates grab the attention of voters? The solution is through social media platforms that voters are using, but which ones should candidates use to engage with voters?

Media Richness Theory

In 1980, Daft and Lengel created a theory of media richness. In essence, their theory states that different types of media have different levels of richness. Face-to-face interactions are the richest because individuals can receive direct feedback and read not just verbal cues, but the visual cues from a speaker’s body language (Daft and Lengel 1980). Studies show that only 7% of information in face-to-face interactions comes from what someone is saying: the bulk of information is delivered via verbal cues (i.e. intonation) and body language (Daft and Lengel 1980).

My Recommendations

Candidates are already aware the power face-to-face interactions have, but can not engage with every single voter that way. There are several social media platforms available that mimic face-to-face interactions and make it easier for candidates to communicate with voters. Here are my recommendations for social media platforms that candidates can use:

SnapChat- One of the best aspects of SnapChat is that it’s great for younger voter demographics. Millenials love SnapChat and its short video/photo format. It is also incredibly easy to provide live updates from events.

Well @Snapchat superbowl coverage is excellent. Much easier to care when you're embedded with the fans. Well played. #SuperBowlSunday

— Frank Whelan (@FWhelanMedia) February 8, 2016

Facebook- Using Facebook has several benefits. The new livestream video feature makes it possible for voters to watch candidates’ events live. In addition, Facebook Messenger for Pages makes it so voters can message candidates’ social media teams and interact with them directly.

Periscope– This app is now linked with Twitter so candidates can post live videos. It also makes it easier for news organizations from across the globe to access candidates’ content.

Periscope broadcasts now come alive within Twitterhttps://t.co/R346R1lgZb

— Periscope (@periscopeco) January 12, 2016

Clearly, face-to-face interactions are the best way to engage voters, but the social media platforms above can increase candidates’ reach in a similar manner. What other platforms or techniques would you recommend to the 2016 Presidential candidates?

Sources:

Daft, Richard and Robert Lengel. Information Richness. A New Approach to Managerial Behavior and Organizational Design. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University College of Business Administration, 1980.

Raedle, Joe. Image from Getty Images News.

Two Things The 2016 Election Candidates Should Look At

Recently, the 2016 Election has heated up with multiple debates and primary results. As seen clearly, social media plays an important role in this year’s Election, especially engaging public with timely updates, photos and videos. I, as a social media specialist, have two pieces of advice for this year’s candidates. First, so as to deliver information […]

What’s the Difference Between Classical Music and Art Music?

How to properly classify old people music. Not everything that has a piano or a string section in it should be called “classical”. This and other nitpicky comments from a pretentious music major.

What is the difference between Polaroid and Instax?

Polaroid One 600 Rossa to compare Fujifilm Mini 8. Both of them are great. Hope you like it.

Newhouse

SOCIAL MEDIA

Spring 2016