"Her" Footprint

Photo Credits

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT THAT IS!

Today, we're talking about social networking. Love to love it, love to hate it, no one cares, because it's still important.

Her Campus utilizes several different forms of social media. They have a Facebook page (and several Facebook groups), an Instagram account, a Twitter, a Pinterest, and a Snapchat, according to the handy little social media bar on their homepage.

Let's go through each platform, starting with Facebook. Her Campus has a presence in a few different places on Facebook. First, each college chapter (presumably all of them) has its own private Facebook group for Campus Correspondents, as they're called, to share and collaborate with each other. There's a Her Campus Alumni group, which I'm a part of, where alumni of the college chapters can share everything from networking opportunities to job postings. Finally, Her Campus has its own national Facebook page.

SNAP STATS: 427,650 likes. 426,484 following. 62 check-ins. 

The Her Campus Facebook page is a mix of original and curated content. "Content curation is the process of gathering existing information from blogs, social media posts, or other platforms relevant to a particular topic and sharing it with your brand's followers." (Luttrell, 91). They post some articles, all from HerCampus.com, ranging in titles from "Kylie Jenner Released Her Skincare Line & So Far, Opinions Are Mixed" to "Twitter Divided After Alyssa Milano Called For 'Sex Strike' To Protest Georgia's Abortion Law." They have some videos on their page, such as one showing you how to do a home mani with press-on nails for when you're "#BrokeandBoujee." 

I think they use Facebook really well as a whole. It's pretty on brand to what they do and stand for as a company. There's a nice mix of media to keep things fresh and new and not-repetitive. I would maybe only suggest providing opportunities for more check-in's, such as various pop-up interactive events/booths/posters/etc. across the country. (i.e.: "This is our favorite Midtown coffee spot! Spot our flier hanging up? Snap a pic and check in with us on Facebook for a chance to win a gift card!") 

Onto Twitter: 

SNAP STATS: 70.4k tweets, 2,816 following, 40.7k followers, 9,052 likes. Joined August 2009. 

Twitter at first glance seems a bit less used than Facebook. Their last tweet was May 9, and it was a retweet from a senior editors, Danielle Tullo. They tweet various memes, articles, and they use this platform to announce HerConference keynote speakers via tweet. Occasionally they just tweet something fun, like this tweet, which I feel personally in the depths of my soul: 

Honorable mentions: "imagine being rich lol" (13 RT's, 50 faves). "my aesthetic is truly WEEPING when my usual coffee shop is closed" (2 RTs, 14 faves). 

While I love their content, the platform isn't being utilized to the height of its promise. I didn't even know they had a twitter until they started researching. They do have a lot of tweets, which I think is great. (For reference: I joined Twitter in Feb 2010, and I only have 29.9k). The engagement is low, though; a big brand or influencer can have thousands of favorites and retweets, and theirs tends to stay below 100 for the most part. I think more engagement could be key, or partnerships with larger influencers on twitter. Hold contests, weigh in on heavy debates (let's talk about the Met Gala, Georgia's abortion law, or last night's Game of Thrones [because it WASN'T OKAY]). All in all, it does align with their brand and mission, and I think just increasing numbers and buzz is what it would take to really get their Twitter game on point. 

Next up: Pinterest. 

SNAP STATS: 368,370 followers. 19 boards. 24,232 pins.

I personally feel like Pinterest is usually the underdog of social media. It is under-used and misunderstood. Science tells us that human beings process images much better than other types of stimuli. "...the visual cortex contributes to the reality around you. It can also process visuals an astounding 60,000 times faster than written language..." (Luttrell, 127) What does this means? It means brands are better off using images than words to really get into the minds of their audiences. Thus, Pinterest is PERFECT! It's a mostly visual platform that's pleasing to the eye. It's well-organized. It's great for doing research on beauty or wellness, with the pins often linking to other sites that will give viewers the link to buy that eyelash serum or to make those "Grandma's chocolate chip cookies." There are entire careers devoted to Pinterest strategizing (I would know, because I follow a Pinterest strategist on my personal Instagram).

Her Campus's boards are cute: Dorm Decor, Hair Ideas, Back to School, What We're Buying. My investigating seems to point to the fact that all of their pins are their own original content. The aesthetic is good and cohesive. I just think they might be able to get a bit more out of reblogging other people's pins. I totally get having certain things you can and cannot do with copyrights and such as a company. There are so many amazing brands that Her Campus could work with, and especially because Pinterest is so visual, I think it would even be great to go off of their current "Sustainable Style" category and have an entire board that links to sustainable style fashion pieces that people can then go and purchase. Fast, simple, and no headaches if you're in a rush, or trying to online shop between your limited data going in and out on the Subway (not that I do that....). There's just so many possibilities on Pinterest, and while Her Campus is amazing at sticking to their brand and mission and being completely cohesive, I think they still have a little room to play with this platform to really engage with their community and audience!

And now, my favorite....INSTAGRAM! 

SNAP STATS: 6,951 posts. 84.5k followers. 1,728 following. 

They have several different HC instagrams for things like beauty, style, and food, but for today's purposes, we're just discussing the main account. I think the Her Campus instagram is very interesting because it diverts from the patterns of their other social medias. 

Their other social medias are mostly linked to articles, and focus mainly on original content. The instagram account has a high level of curated content, such as memes, the glorious equality cake, and the cat wearing a shirt of itself (all very important to me). They also use screen caps from television shows as well as graphics created by their own team (recognizable by the solid colored, bright backgrounds and uniform font type as seen above).

I really love the Her Campus instagram. It's lighthearted and funny, but also gives you links to follow and read in the comments. The engagement is good; they'll post keynote speakers for the conference or things pertaining to it with captions such as, "Comment a ⚡️below if we'll see you there!" 

I think it's a great blend of original and curated content, lighthearted and serious, photos and videos, memes, pop culture references, just all around a brilliant effort. The Her Campus instagram is honestly my favorite of their social medias. 

I also think Instagram is one of the most important forms of social media. "Research indicates that when people interact with brands on social networking sites, they are more likely to engage with those brands that post images over other forms of media." (Luttrell, 138). (Her Campus does use images on all forms of social media, so they're definitely doing well on that count.) 

I added them on Snapchat, but no stories are up, and I can't really analyze the patterns of their posting because it all disappears and I only just added them, so unfortunately that platform I can't say a ton about. 

Altogether, I think the Her Campus brand is very cohesive. They present the same aesthetic across platforms with their choice of layouts, colors, topics, content, etc. It all rings true for the HC mission and purpose. Everything is done with intention, serves a useful purpose, and is fun-loving yet still maintains an air of professionalism. 

"Step" into the world of HCXO (part of their branding)! Get it? Step? Like their digital footprint?

Book Cited: Social Media; How to Engage, Share, and Connect, 3rd Edition by Regina Luttrell