Social Media and Marketing

Professional Social Media vs Personal Social Media

Social media is another world, many of us spend hundreds of hours a month scrolling, posting, chatting, liking and watching. When social media first surfaced it was used as a personal platform to connect with others across the globe. Now it is used equally by people and companies as a professional platform. Heidi Cohen, marketing professional, founder of Actionable Marketing Guide and author describes personal social media as a way to engage with family and friends, regardless of location. With the seemingly endless amounts of social networks, contacting friends and family overseas, interstate and even down the street is instantaneous, straight ford and affordable.

Once social media first hit screens in 1997, personal usage increased consistently and noticeably peaked in the 2013. Reports from Social Media News documented 3 billion active Australian users in 2013, with the majority maintaining multiple accounts on a variety of networks. According to Jessica Milner, Traffic Lab SEO and account manager, companies began to capitalise social media to advertise and market their products and services in 2009.

YouTube began allowing advertisements in seven different formats in January 2009 and by October 2009 paid advertisements were receiving over one billion views per day. As companies tracked social medias popularity, business accounts blossomed allowing professionals, companies and cooperation’s to advertise, communicate and educate social media users. In 2014 Instagram launched business accounts which incorporated a dashboard interface for analysing impressions, reach and frequency related to ad campaigns and individual ads.

By 2018 Google received 61,000 search queries a month regarding influencer marketing. In 2020, Nick G from Review 42 reported that more than 50 million small businesses use Facebook Pages to connect with customers and 90% of marketers increased the exposure of their business through social media marketing with 75% reporting increased traffic.

Considering this information, it is clear that professional social media and personal social media is vastly different. Although they both share certain characteristics such as messaging, media sharing and status updates, professional social media is about targeting an audience to promote, advertise, educate and communicate with current customers and reach new ones.

Can social media be an effective marketing platform for your chosen profession? Why or why not. Is social media currently being used by the industry you are planning to be working in?

As an aspiring international relations communications officer or a foreign correspondent, social media is an effective communication and marketing tool for a number of reasons. Firstly, social media is an applicable tool to relay important announcements regarding international issues, travel bans, international disasters and political matters. Government departments such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) already utilise social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Important announcements are shared via these social networks as well as marketing their departments current achievements, educating the public on national and international matters as well as advertising job opportunities.

Much like DFAT and ASIO, Australian news channels such as Seven Network, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Nine Network and Network Ten use social media accounts effectively. Until February 18, 2021, Australian News corporations utilised Facebook heavily to relay breaking news stories to thousands of Australians as well as local, interstate and national news. However due to Facebook banning the sharing of any Australian news, after recent legislation changes, many corporations will only utilise other social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The discussed professions, departments and corporations market their roles, achievements, employees and opportunities which demonstrates their values, ethics and morals to the public. This type of marketing through social media furthers their support network and helps improve their communication with the public.

References Used:

Cohen, H., 2021. Social Media: Professional VS Personal - Heidi Cohen. [online] Actionable Marketing Guide. Available at: <https://heidicohen.com/social-media-professional-vs-personal/#:~:text=Professional%3A%20Social%20media%20is%20your,regardless%20of%20their%20current%20location.> [Accessed February 2021].

Esposito, E., 2021. Professional vs Personal Social Media Profiles. [online] Shaun Nestor. Available at: <https://shaunnestor.com/professional-vs-personal-social-media-profiles-differentiate/> [Accessed February 2021].

G, N., 2021. Latest Social Media Marketing Statistics in 2020 [Updated]. [online] Review42. Available at: <https://review42.com/resources/social-media-marketing-statistics/> [Accessed February 2021].

Hitch, G., 2021. Facebook has 'refriended' Australia, government says, as platform reverses ban on local news sites. [online] ABC.NET. Available at: <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-23/facebook-reverses-news-ban-on-australian-sites-media-code/13173984> [Accessed February 2021].

Jackson, N., 2021. Infographic: The History of Video Advertising on YouTube. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: <https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/infographic-the-history-of-video-advertising-on-youtube/242836/> [Accessed February 2021].

Kemp, S., 2021. Global Digital & Social Media Stats: 2015. [online] Social Media Today. Available at: <https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/global-digital-social-media-stats-2015> [Accessed February 2021].

Khaimova, S., 2021. A Brief History of How Instagram’s Business Features Have Evolved. [online] Perfect Search Media. Available at: <https://www.perfectsearchmedia.com/blog/brief-history-how-instagram%E2%80%99s-business-features-have-evolved> [Accessed February 2021].

Milner, J., 2021. The History of Social Media Marketing. [online] SEO Traffic Lab. Available at: <https://www.seotrafficlab.com/blog/the-history-social-media-marketing/> [Accessed February 2021].

Montgomery, E., 2021. The Evolution of Social Media for Business. [online] Three Girls Media. Available at: <https://www.threegirlsmedia.com/2016/08/04/evolution-of-social-media-for-business/> [Accessed February 2021].

Ramshaw, A., 2021. Social Media Statistics for Australia (Updated December 2020) - Genroe. [online] B2B Marketing. Available at: <https://www.genroe.com/blog/social-media-statistics-australia/13492> [Accessed February 2021].

Undercover Recruiter, G., 2021. Personal vs. Professional Social Networks. [online] Undercover Recruiter. Available at: <https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/personal-vs-professional-networks/> [Accessed February 2021].