Mediaboss Marketing

Social media is a great way for businesses to connect with their customers especially if they are out in rural Maine during a pandemic.

Maine farmers arent strangers to social media, but the pandemic made the need for a robust and responsive social media presence even clearer for many of them. Farming organizations over the past few years have offered more social media training, and Maines farmers have reaped the benefits.

Abby Sadauckas, owner of Apple Creek Farm in Bowdoinham, said social media has been important for her farm to attract new customers and communicate with existing ones, too. AppleCreek Farm is, admittedly, Instagrammable, with its stunning vistas, happylivestock and a charismatic Great Pyreneesthat shows her fuzzy mug in many posts.

If we went and looked at our posts by week and our sales by week theres a direct correlation there, Sadauckas said. We see an uptick in our weekly orders when we take time to do a post and use the Instagram feature where you can link directly so people can go right to our website.

She went from having no social media presence at all to having a Facebook page and Instagram with more than 2,000 followers each. The number of followers, though, matters less to Sadauckas than connecting with her existing customers. Social media, especially in a crowded marketplace, helps her stand out from the crowd.

You want to connect with your customers and justify why theyre buying from you, Sadauckas said. It has enabled us to really engage and activate the folks that follow us. Even though sometimes it feels superfluous, it does feel like when it works it is a benefit to our farm.

Some newer Maine farms have even started out with only a social media presence online. Angela Baglione, co-owner of Seek-No-Further Farmstead in Monroe, said when they started their business in 2019, the only online presence the farmstead had was on Facebook and Instagram.

They were both super helpful in getting our name out there, because the use of hashtags meant local people were finding us even if they were doing a general search for local farms, Baglionesaid. I think social media is a great way to make your farm feel personal and specific to your customers. Giving them the sense that you are their farmer and this is their farm by showing up on their newsfeed alongside their friends and family members is a great gateway to familiarity.

Baglione said they were able to build their online presence through personal familiarity with the platforms. But Sadauckas and other farmers have taken advantage over the last few years of social media training for farmers offered through a number of Maine-based organizations, like the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets.

Emily Buswell, program associate at the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets, said her organization has been offering social media training for the past four years or so. It is usually done in the winter when farmers have a little more downtime.

Buswell said most of those who show up to training are new farmers trying to break into the scene and attract customers, but the demographics can run the gamut.

Quality photography is especially important for Maine farms on social media enough so that people like Kelsey Kobik have been able to make a career out of it. Kobik is a farm photographer who has hosted workshops about teaching farmers to take better quality photos on the fly, even with their phones. She also runs the social media page for GoransonFarmin Dresden.

The pandemic changed a lot of Maine farms relationship to social media, allowing them to communicate much more readily with their customers in order to get them products, as well as posting public health regulations for the markets they serve.

Farmers were giving more frequent updates about things; a lot of markets throughout the state started using a preorder system so they would let people know when orders were open using their social media, Buswell said. The pandemic encouraged farmers to use that as the quickest and broadest way to reach their shoppers and supporters.

Before the pandemic, Sadauckus said she would sell all of her produce at farmers markets. Social media allowed her to quickly transition to having an online store where customers could shop and set a location for pickup.

It really helped us onboard a lot of new customers, Sadauckas said. We saw a pretty significant jump in sales in 2020.

Even though the Maine farms that have put in the time to work on their social media presence have seen results, Tori Jackson, chair of the Maine Farmer Resource Network and extension professor for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maine, does not think every farm needs to commit to social media going forward. Farmers raising crops and livestock for the wholesale market might need it less than, say, a farm looking to build a fan base for agritourism.

It totally depends on who their customer is, Jackson said. There are some businesses that this wont necessarily make sense for and others where it would be a missed opportunity to not take advantage of it as, quote-unquote, free marketing.

More articles from the BDN

Originally posted here:
More local farmers relying on social media to help survive the pandemic - Bangor Daily News

Digital transformation is changing the traditional workplace

Digital transformation is changing the traditional workplace, forcing employees to deepen their technical skills.

These skills, in addition to a growth mindset, can help you fill the skills gap and create more job opportunities for yourself. With rapid digitalization, technical skills such as digital skills and data analytics are becoming increasingly important.

And with the further development of the digital landscape, the qualification requirements are also increasing.

Hence, it is crucial to have basic digital skills and ongoing technical skills to keep up with the latest developments.

Regardless of your industry, these are some of the most common technical skills employers look for and tips on how to acquire them.

Digital Marketing or Social Marketing

Marketing teams use data collected through digital channels to determine campaign performance and develop new strategies. And the skills required to create such marketing campaigns and strategies. Technologies like keyword optimization, social media marketing, and improving user experience and engagement can help with this.

Coding

Coding isnt just for tech professionals, many roles require coding skills these days, including compliance and risk management, digital marketing, and quality assurance.

Coding changes the way you see the world and teaches you logical problem-solving skills.

It can take a lot of time and resources up front, but you can learn the basics of coding relatively quickly and apply them to your work. Java, SQL, Python, and Ruby are some good programming languages to learn.

Cloud

Most companies are moving from traditional infrastructure to the cloud to work remotely, improve collaboration and connectivity, and increase data security.

Cloud computing products have enabled us to work seamlessly from anywhere, anytime in the world, with some cloud services geared towards unique business needs and operations being agile and adaptable

Experts for navigating various cloud systems are considered to be more suitable for work because they have an attitude of enthusiasm for learning.

Artificial intelligence

AI and machine learning (ML) can help you deliver more relevant, personalized, and innovative products and services. Daunting at first, but you dont have to learn the technical aspects of AI development.

What you need to know is how using AI and machine learning would affect your work.

Chatbots, for example, often use AI and ML to improve their conversations and save costs in the long term.

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The 5 most important digital skills you will need in 2022 - GhanaWeb

At the public service agencies CNA spoke to, coming up with mascots requires long-term, cross-platform planning.

A successful campaign goes beyond creating a new mascot. It must also be packaged with a carefully curated line-up of programmes and initiatives that will appeal to our target audiences, said PUBs Mrs Keng.

With Water Wally and Sally, PUB partnered the South Korean educational entertainment company Pinkfong to release a dance-along music video called Turn off the Tap!In the video, Water Wally and Sally imparted water-saving tips to Pinkfong and other characters from the Baby Shark family.

PUB also collaborated with local author Adeline Foo to develop a storybook series titled The Adventures of Water Wally & Sally.

The power of storytelling and music are harnessed so that the messages are conveyed with further nuance and depth, added Mrs Keng.

Where tourism is concerned, mascots also have longevity from a branding perspective, and enable STB to tell Singapores story beyond our shores, said Ms Choo.

When executed well, mascots are a powerful marketing tool. They put a face to a campaign, and add personality to brands, making them more relatable. A well-designed mascot goes a long way in branding when applied appropriately on websites, social media campaigns, live events, she added.

Mascots are also more accessible and likeable, bringing out human attributes such as empathy, curiosity, joy and humour, while conveying messages in an effective and authentic way.

Since his debut, Merli has starred in other tourism projects, such as appearing next to Koreas mascot Hojong as part of a cartoon series marking STBs new partnership with Korea Tourism Organisation in November 2021.

And there is no lack of engagement approaches across different mediums for LTAs Thoughtful Bunch, including meet-and-greet sessions at MRT stations pre-pandemic, contests, events and collaborations with their partners.

We collaborated with local brands like Yakun and PeelFresh to have the characters on coffee cups and juice packs to bring their messages into everyday life for our adult commuters. And for those who are more tech-savvy, we introduced WhatsApp stickers and Instagram filters, said Ms Lim.

Fans of the Thoughtful Bunch can also buy merchandise thats developed and sold under local brand Knackstop, which houses a collection of creative and practical merchandise inspired by the daily experience on buses and trains in Singapore.

But while mascots have traditionally been used for long-term branding, Marketing Interactives Ms Manjur added that many global companies are moving away from using mascots as they dont want the mascot to be more recognised than the brand.

As a result, they may turn towards short-term use of mascots to drive excitement.

Well-known mascots do make a splash in campaigns for brands once in a while for nostalgia, and can add a feel-good factor for short bursts of campaigns of four to eight weeks long, she said.

The International Olympic Committee mascots, for example, appear during the Games season and add excitement, but arent in consumers faces all the time.

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IN FOCUS: Singa, Water Wally, Hush-Hush Hannah - the Singaporean obsession with mascots - CNA

A swearing-in ceremony for incoming Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and the city's nine council members is set for Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Washington Park.

The ceremony won't look like past ceremonies, typically held at Music Hall before a large crowd of friends and family.The event was moved outside, a nod to COVID-19 safety protocols, and will require anyone attending to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Pureval, along with members of the incoming council, are expected to ride bikes from City Hall to the ceremony, along with representatives from Tri-State Trails and Groundwork Ohio River Valley.

Then the new administration is planning toget to work. Pureval already announced Councilwoman Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney will be vice mayor and said he would recommend former Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp serve as interim city manager while a national search is done to replace departing City Manager Paula Boggs Muething.

Councilman Greg Landsman will chair council's Budget and Finance Committee and that committee is expected, as soon as during a special meeting Wednesday. to consider Curp's contract.

As they prepare to serve, a little about the new administration.

Aftab Pureval

Party: Democrat

Age: 39

Neighborhood: Clifton

Pureval is Cincinnati's first Asian-American mayor. He most recently served as former Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, winning that seat in 2016, the first Democrat to do so in 100 years. He ran for mayor against fellow Democrat Councilman and former mayor David Mann, winning 66% of the vote. He is a lawyer, who previously worked at Procter & Gamble.

Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney

Party:Democrat

Age: 65

Neighborhood:North Avondale

Kearney is a lawyerand the co-founder and president of Sesh Communications, which publishesthe Cincinnati Herald. She wasappointed to council in March2020to replace Tamaya Dennard. Kearney will serve as vice mayor, a position selected by Pureval and announced last month. She will also chair council's Healthy Neighborhoods Committee.

Jeff Cramerding

Party:Democrat

Age:48

Neighborhood: West Price Hill

Cramerding is a labor lawyer and West Side activist. He was part of a grouprecently helping chart the local Democratic party's future. He serves on the West Price Hill community council and is a founding member of Price Hill Will, a community development corporation. Cramerding has worked on numerous campaigns and is a leader in the county Democratic Party.

Reggie Harris

Party:Democrat

Age:39

Neighborhood:Northside

Harris is a retired professional ballet dancer, trained clinical social workerand licensed therapist who currently serves asthe director of community lifefor the Community Builders,a nonprofit affordable housing developer.He is also the founder of InContext AdvisingLLC, where he has worked withlocal and nationalnonprofits, educatorsand health care providerson issues related to mental health, LGBTQequalityand social policy.He was appointed to the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Boardby the Hamilton County Commission in January 2020 and currently serves as the board chair for Equality Ohio. He will chair council's Equitable Growth and Housing Committee.

Mark Jeffreys

Party:Democrat

Age:52

Neighborhood:Clifton

Jeffreys is an entrepreneur, who formerly worked atProcter & Gamble for 16 years. He is an elected trustee for the Clifton Town Meeting and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation. He also is a founder of Go Vibrant, the largest network of urban walking routes in the country. He's the son of an immigrant and husband to Pamela,a pediatrician on the west side. Hegrew up working poor and worked hisway through college in construction and as a janitor. He'sspent the past dozen years creating equitable opportunity in Cincinnati:bringing athletics to hundreds of CPS kids, making thestreets safer to walk and bikeand creating the GoVibrantscape at Smale Park.

Scotty Johnson

Party:Democrat

Age:59

Neighborhood:Mount Airy

Johnson was a Cincinnati Police officer for 33 years and was the president of the Sentinel Police Association, a group of black officers whose mission is community policing. Johnson worked behind the scenes on the Collaborative Agreement between the police department and citizens after the 2001 civil unrest. He is an elder at Christ Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Ministries in Walnut Hills. He will chair council's Public Safety and Governance Committee.

Liz Keating

Party:Republican

Age:37

Neighborhood:Hyde Park

Keating was appointed in December 2020 to replace P.G. Sittenfeld, who was suspended from council after being indicted on federal corruption charges.She is the marketing director for the Jim Stengel Co., a marketing and consultingthink tank. She's the daughter of the late Bill KeatingJr., a lawyer who was known for his community involvement, and the granddaughter of former Enquirer publisher and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating,who died in May.

Greg Landsman

Party:Democrat

Age:44

Neighborhood:Mount Washington

Landsman runs a consulting firm called the 767 Group that focuses on education and child advocacy work. He first won election in 2017. While on council, he worked to pass aneviction-prevention program. Prior to council, Landsman was bestknown for his work on the Cincinnati Preschool Promise campaign.

Meeka Owens

Party:Democrat

Age:43

Neighborhood:North Avondale

Owens graduated from Purcell Marian High School before getting a bachelor's degreefrom Miami University, and a master's degree ineducation from Xavier University. She works on contract as a Social Responsibility Officer with the Hamilton County Board of Health.An organizer at heart, she co-foundedthe Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative.She teaches a dance class at the YMCA. She will chair council's Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee.

Victoria Parks

Party:Democrat

Age: 63

Neighborhood:College Hill

Parks recently served as Hamilton County Commissioner, appointed to replace Todd Portune before Portune's death. Prior to that, she was Portune's chief of staff. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 1976 to 1980.

Continue reading here:
Meet the new leaders: A little about incoming Mayor Aftab Pureval and the nine Cincinnati council members getting sworn in Tuesday - The Cincinnati...

With the influencer market for branded and platform deals projected to skyrocket to a whopping $28 billion by 2026, a major driver of success is coming from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. Anticipating tremendous growth over the next few years, now is the time for brands to really take stock in where influencer marketing is headed.

Today, everyone has a way to monetize their own content. The way that influencers are able to participate in brand campaigns has become vastly different now compared to five years, or even one year ago.

Influencers have a variety of platforms and options in terms of the communities that they build online. Amazon Live, Clubhouse, Spotify's Greenroom, Twitch-- all of these platforms give brands the opportunity to connect with large audiences, in real-time. From sports to gaming to live product demonstrations, the possibilities are endless. YouTube and Pinterest are the latest platforms to explore the benefits of monetizing creator content, despite YouTube seeing more monetary success than every other social platform solely off of brand deals via the "Creator Economy".

The term Creator Economy is everywhere these days, focused on by brands, marketers, investors, and content creators, but it is really only a subset of the "Attention Economy". Consumers give more time and attention to social platforms than ever before and of that, more time is given to content creators on platforms like TikTok and YouTube than anything else, even games. Brands pay to be where the attention is, content creators garner it and get paid for brand integrations. The ecosystem is accelerating and the way to hold consumers' attention is changing -- and now, so is the tech they use.

Every platform has its own diverse audience and best practices for success-- not to mention unique data sets. To fully grasp the journey that social media is on in terms of expansion, let's take a look at the technology that's revolutionizing the influencer marketing space.

How Tech Changes Will Amplify Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has become increasingly complicated as the pool of creators constantly shifts, with new entrants hitting the social stratosphere daily or others experiencing fluctuations in their popularity due to the rapidly changing news cycle.

Because of this, it's becoming a data game. Iexpect that traditional influencer marketing, which relies on simply having a database of influencers, will become less and less effective as brands will have to rely more on technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to increase the return-on-investment (ROI) of their marketing dollars.

These technologies are enhancing targeting across the marketing spectrum, so it's only a matter of time before it also dominates the influencer marketing ecosystem. The composite audiences of these influencers are like buying a TV channel, and multi-billion dollar companies emerged to help marketers make smarter decisions in that medium, the same is happening on social media.

Even when it comes to traditional social media, the amount of data that marketers need to sort through and make actionable can be overwhelming. Add live content and user comments to that, and it becomes near-impossible for marketers to make sense of all the information coming their way, in real-time.

If marketers can find a way to make that data applicable, and build a strategy around the insights they get, they will be able to target their audiences like never before and reach them where they spend the most time and energy.

For example, marketers can use natural-language processing to teach an AI algorithm how to understand the meaning and context of conversations, and to identify trends that will enable brands to better collaborate with influencers. Influencers and campaigns can now be identified through psychographics, key traits or attributions that target specific facets of consumers that brands might not have been able to reach previously.

This tech is constantly evolving with the continued growth and expansion of capabilities that social media platforms see on a daily basis. The changes driving increased users to social platforms isn't limited to advancements in technology though. New guidelines are emerging, allowing new names and faces to join the growing list of social media influencers seeking brand partnerships.

The NIL Movement Brings New Faces to Brands

In 2021 alone there have been some significant shifts in the influencer marketplace. Let's use sports as a case study. In July, the NCAA approved policy changes that have already greatly enhanced college athletes' ability to make money from their name, image and likeness. This means it's not just the top professional athletes that will be able to lend their name to brands; instead, as other governing bodies make similar moves, the pool of available influencers will be significantly larger.

College athletes also bring a newer audience to the arena. By partnering with a collegiate athlete, brands garner access to a younger audience, which can be challenging to do via traditional marketing methods. Gen Z consumers have generally been known to trust the opinion of their favorite influencers more than many other sources of information. The Gen Z audience wants to be inspired, educated, and above all, entertained. College athletes also bring capabilities similar to micro-influencers, in that they are able to potentially build a stronger community based on location or commonalities due to their university affiliation. This new rule provides strong motivation for brands to partner with athletes to reach a new pool of consumers.

It's also projected to go beyond major sports like baseball and basketball-- influencers at every level will be available to brands across every possible sport. If you look at what's happened around the Olympics, that's a huge indicator as to where things are headed. The U.S. women's rugby team made headlines simply from a viral TikTok video.As many athletes from women's soccer to power walking started getting noticed on social media, the marketplace for brands to target sports enthusiasts reached incredible potential. Understanding trends within each sport will be key to getting in front of the right audience at the right time.

A big takeaway from this sudden boom in new influencers via the NIL movement (name, image, likeness)is that these shifts in the influencer marketing space are constant. This is an industry that is ever-evolving with new names and faces dominating a user's home page. Marketers and influencers alike need to be prepared for the shifts in strategy that come from successful campaigns.

Influencer Marketing is About to Shift Again

Influencer marketing has gone far beyond picking a creator to simply hold up a product in a Twitter or Facebook post. It's a cottage industry in marketing that will expand exponentially with the use of new technologies and experts that understand the nuances of each platform format and available tools.

As tech platforms continue to find ways to monetize every aspect of social media, data will continue to become more important than ever to organize the growing pool of influencers available to brands, whether the format is live, short-form video, long form video, gifs, or images.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Where Influencer Marketing and the Creator Economy Are Headed in 2022 and Beyond - Inc.