Social Media In A Different Lens

 My whole life, I have scrolled on my phone and my social media accounts as a consumer. Just liking and commenting on posts that caught my attention. This semester, I have a class called Principles of Social Media, and chapter one has led me to look at my phone through a different lens. This has allowed me to take a step back and see what the ad you just clicked out of was really saying. 

There is so much more that goes behind the scenes of that promotional Chipotle ad that you just clicked on X. Social Media metrics are used in every business that has an online presence with campaigns and ads. They are tracking click-through rates, the amount of reaches and impressions, conversion rates, likes, comments, and many more to try to gain an understanding of which ads drive your engagement. Every time you click on a URL, engage with an ad, or end up buying the product based on a call to action. You are helping a business with their social media marketing because of AI-driven analytics tracking your engagement. 

Another thing that caught my eye in this chapter is the reasoning behind following certain brands and businesses on social media. The highest reasons were to stay up to date with the latest promotions and deals. The next reasons were to find entertainment or engage with other customers. We mentioned in class Wendy's big personality through commenting on consumers' posts, or commercials like Old Spice that try to get a laugh out of you. Social media marketing teams are trying to keep up with all the new trends because that is a big part of marketing at the moment, which is connecting and entertaining consumers.

The next time you're mindlessly scrolling through social media, take a second stop and break down what that social media promotion was really saying. Were they entertaining you, calling you to action, or promoting their latest product? Know there is a whole different world in social media marketing that is behind that phone if you look through a different lens.