My Influential Influencer

This was a hard decision, not because I have so many influencers I follow, but because I don't typically follow an "influencer. " I had to reflect on what an influencer actually is. The Webster Dictionary definition of an influencer is "one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others."

I am an avid hunter and thoroughly enjoy the outdoors. Hunting in my family is a tradition passed down through the generations. It wasn't until a few years ago that someone confronted me about my actions. When I hunt, it's not just for sport. I harvest the meat from the animal and consider myself an ethical hunter. I only hunt for what I need and rarely reach my tag limit. But when challenged on this topic, I didn't know how to articulate my reasoning. That was until I saw a video on YouTube with a man named Steven Rinella. 

Steven Rinella is an outdoorsman, author, and founder of the show and podcast MeatEater. 

Steven Rinella is known as an "Ethical Hunting Expert." His passion for conservation and educational approach to hunting are insightful. In this case, his love for wildlife and respect for nature resonated with me. His brand identity paralleled my beliefs, immediately drawing me in for more information. 

Another convenient aspect of following MeatEater is its diverse selection of content platforms. In his shows and podcasts, Steven Rinella discusses how he harvests animals and emphasizes the importance of not wasting the life taken, instead striving to harness its bountifulness. MeatEater can be viewed on Netflix, YouTube, Podcasts, etc. His Instagram alone has 1 million followers. 

Steven Rinella does a great job of creating connections with people. Even if individuals are against hunting, the way he portrays and conducts himself enlightens those who may not understand the "why" behind hunting. 

This way of marketing himself and the art of hunting helped me better understand how to relay my feelings in a more educated and understanding way. 

The Voice: Integration With Live Television

 The Voice: A Social Media Success

In today’s digital landscape, television shows have the exciting opportunity to go beyond simply broadcasting episodes; they can truly engage viewers in real-time interactions! NBC’s The Voice shines in this aspect, wonderfully utilizing social media to connect with fans and achieve impressive levels of engagement. Let’s explore their strategies and also consider some potential areas for enhancement!

Engaging the Audience

The Voice keeps fans involved beyond just its performances by:

• Integrating Social Media into the Show – Audience inclusion is utilized during broadcasts to encourage fan participation. This provides consumer inclusion and also allows fans to create content for them. 

• Cut Scenes of Content – Providing fans with a backstage glimpse of coach and contestant footage. Fans want to feel involved in the show, and seeing what happens behind the scenes helps make the judges more relatable. 

"Each week fans vote via tweets for the artists they want to save from elimination and results are shown on-air in real time" (The Voice, n.d.). 

Managing Digital Media Followers

The show handles its massive online audience by:

• Creating Engaging Content – live social media engagement and exclusive interviews keep followers connected.

• Interacting in Real-Time – The Voice not only receives live audience feedback but also interacts with its followers on social media platforms by revealing fans votes at the end of the episode

• Promoting New Ideas - creates "buzz" by varying content and, due to their large fan base, receives instant feedback to adjust in future episodes. 

Areas for Improvement

Even though The Voice is successful, it could benefit from some adjustments by:

• Expansion – Utilizing TikTok effectively could broaden their reach to new generations and potentially enable live feeds on their profile. Alternatively, they could create a digital media mini-series where The Voice reflects on past contestants and updates fans on their current status. 

• Analytics – Gaining deeper insights into audience trends helps refine content strategies. For example, on TikTok, The Voice features fan-based Q&As that uncover audience questions. Instagram promotes #teamlegend or whatever coach the fans wish to follow. Analyzing the number of likes, shares, and views could indicate which types of interactions fans (consumers) would like to see more of. 

Conclusion

Overall, I feel like The Voice did a great job of ensuring the consumer had a real-time experience that made fans feel like they were a part of the show. However, to stay ahead in this ever-changing digital landscape, The Voice needs to revert to its tactics from the 2015 era, when it had the most tweets, likes, and more. Ten years later, times have changed, and so should they. The Voice must expand and continue to evolve in line with modern times. They have adapted successfully once, so they can certainly do it again!

Reference

        Shorty Awards. (n.d.). The Voice. Retrieved from https://shortyawards.com/8th/the-voice-3

A Day in The Life

Welcome to my blog. I usually don’t spend much time on social media, so I chose this class as a challenge to get out of my comfort zone. Most of the sites or applications I use daily consist mainly of Facebook and news outlets. Facebook is the most common site used, and I ultimately downloaded it to keep in contact with friends and family over the years. Being that Facebook is a major Social Media source; it allows me to post media or write messages to friends and loved ones to stay informed. Although Facebook offers many articles for news-related material, I remain tied to the Associated Press application on my phone. Associated Press (AP) was founded in 1846 and, in my opinion, offers the most fact-based information. AP is known for being a non-profit co-op that extends worldwide to include more than 100 countries.

Typically, when I am on Facebook it is usually an in and out operation. I have found that lately, I am developing negative reactions when using this application. Too often I see political banter on both sides and a lot of non-factual propaganda being spread to the masses. It is very difficult in today’s world to know what is true or false. I have seen an array of posts that offer “health tips” to cure cancer, weight loss in just 7 days, fad diets, etc. In my view, several ads pull you from all angles, solely based on what you google searched one day. Although the news isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, I have found that being aware of my surroundings and being connected to reality at least grants me situational awareness.

As mentioned above, marketing has found a way to reach you through all social media platforms. This ability is based on your algorithms, previous advertisements visited, friends, groups, clubs, etc. Digital media today breaks previous barriers “By seamlessly weaving together content, advertising, marketing, and direct transactions, online media can provide unprecedented access to individual consumer data along with a variety of direct-response and brand-marketing opportunities” (Kathryn C. Montgomery Ph.D., 2009). Marketing has evolved significantly, and some may say too much, however, consumers have little “work” to do when looking for things to purchase, its practically right in front of them now. 

 

 

Reference

Kathryn C. Montgomery Ph.D. a, a, b, AbstractBecause of their avid use of new media and their increased spending power, Alvy, L. M., Weber, K., Subrahmanyam, K., Montgomery, K. C., Medicine, I. of, Moore, E. S., Calvert, S. L., Linn, S., Strasburger, V. C., Story, M., Harter, S., Uhlendorff, U., Hill, J., Gross, E. F., Jackson, L. A., … Brake, D. (2009, June 21). Interactive food and Beverage Marketing: Targeting adolescents in the Digital age. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X09001499