Imagine you are employed by a business or organization which is seeking to expand its social media

Fantastic news! We've Found the answer you've been seeking!

Question:

Imagine you are employed by a business or organization which is seeking to expand its social media presence. Your supervisor has asked you to research the strategies used by another business in the sector and to provide a short analytical report in the form of a memo to help guide her in the company's social media strategy going forward. This type of data gathering is a form of primary research in which you use 'raw data' (social media posts) rather than published reports (secondary research) as the basis for your analysis.

Step 1

Select a business or organization with a strong social media presence. This could be a brand you are already following or a business in the sector you are preparing to join. Next, select one of its social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Please avoid Starbucks, Wendy's, Apple, or Walmart as your business of choice.

Step 2

Choose ONE focus area of social media posts to observe over a one-week period (if you need a longer time span, up to one month is acceptable). Then create subcategories within your focus area (three-five) by which to categorize the social media posts observed on the site. Some focus area examples might be things such as topics they post about (and your subcategories would be several different topics), purpose of posts (subcategories might be promotions, information, community engagement, etc. ), tone of the posts (subcategories might be humorous, sad, shocking, etc.), types of customer comments (subcategories might be negative and/or positive), types of responses to customer comments, and so on. Once you have created the category and subcategories, count the number of posts which fit each subcategory (this is your data).

Step 3

Analyze your findings. What do they tell you about the company's social media strategy? How might that inform your own company's social media strategy? What lessons can you take from your observations?

Step 4

Create a visual (aka data visualization) to present your data (graph, chart, infographic, etc.). Remember that data means numbers (counts, percentages, etc.) Their sites will have how-to info and you can also find videos on You Tube to help you navigate these various sites. You are also welcome to create a visual on your own without the use of any online platform. Your visual should contain the following:

A clear and specific title
A label of Figure 1 (and then refer to Figure 1 when you discuss your visual in your memo)
Clearly labeled rows and columns.
A legend or clear labels to identify the meaning of any color or other details in the visual.
Large enough text for the reader to easily read
Must appear in the Findings section of your memo.
The name of the social media site followed, the business, the time frame, any any of key details included in the visual

Step 5

Draft a one to two-page memo, organizing it into three labelled sections:

Introduction—Include the purpose of your document (see first paragraph of this assignment page) and the business/social media site under investigation, your time frame (date and period of time) for observing, and maybe reason for selecting this business. Since it's a less formal report for an internal audience, it's acceptable to use first person pronouns (I/me/we) and contractions as well as active and conversational voice. However, avoid "you/your" always in workplace and academic writing.
Findings—Identify the category and subcategories you selected, introduce and explain your data visualization (table, chart, etc.), and include your graphic on the page in this section of the memo. This is where you discuss the data you found. Discuss the numbers and explain what the data show/reveal.
Summary—Sum up the data trends you observed, highlighting the brand's social media strategies; for this observational report, your summary is based solely on your primary research data—do not consult secondary sources for outside analysis. Instead remember you are providing the analysis. What lessons can your business learn from this businesses' social media strategy--positive or negative? This will provide your supervisor with helpful information they can then apply to the company's business. The key here is to tie your conclusions to your data--what do the data have to teach us?