Andrew+Atwal+Social+Media+Project


 * Now you're talkin, Andrew!! Try to think of an innovative idea to promote them and drive traffic to their twitter and facebook pages and ultimately to their shows. You could have a Google Hangout with them and the public a few hours before every show? Only nine can talk at one time, but up to 100 can still watch. Also, you need to post all of their links so that I can look at them. Twitter, FB, etc.**
 * thanks!--Karl**

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 * MY LINKED IN ACCOUNT:**

LINKS to BAND SITES: [] http://www.twitter.com/rippingxray

Alright, so as per Karl's advice my project has totally changed, instead of doing Eagles101.com (communication was very bad between all parties), I will be switching up to a local band in New Jersey. The band, Ripping X-Ray, features four members (all of whom are college-aged), and all live in the Philadelphia-area. I had the chance to Skype with a few of the members last night (March 27), and they all were pretty damn psyched for me to help them out with their social media efforts. They have a solid Facebook following right now with about 75 followers as of the time of this post. Their facebook page features upcoming tour dates, band members and other information about the band. They said they wanted me to really help gain followers on Facebook and help them update their page, particularly posting more often, on their Facebook. In terms of Twitter, they have a site active (twitter.com/rippingxray) but they do NOT post on it. They only have eight tweets and just a few followers at the time of posting. I really hope to help them gain some followers by Tweeting more frequently than they do now.
 * NEW PROJECT: MARCH 28, 2012**

- Gain followers on Facebook and update page more often - Continue to update MySpace page on a frequent basis
 * SHORT TERM GOALS:**
 * -** Gain followers on Twitter and develop a more consistenly updated Twitter page

-Help band with their Twitter efforts: Show them how to use page through constant Skype and email communication -Sell more CDs and more tickets to Ripping X-Ray shows as a result of project -Secure record deal for the band.
 * LONG TERM GOALS:**

Band is a hard rock / alternative style band in Philadelphia-area. Majority of listeners are between the ages of 16-26 with about 70% male Facebook "fans" and 30% female Facebook "fans." ALL Tweets, Facebook posts should encourage Fans and Followers to tell their friends about the band which will help band acquire a more diverse, and larger, following.
 * DEMOGRAPHICS:**


 * SECOND UPDATE: APRIL 2, 2012**

I was able to successfully update the band's various websites, including their Facebook page, to include the link to their Twitter account. What started out with only FOUR followers on Twitter has already grown up to ten. Now, obviously I would LOVE to contain to gain that following for the band on their Twitter page, but I'm also working with two of the band members to help them understand Twitter so that they can update that page in the future. I have also Tweeted out a few things about the band over the past few weeks. I was also able to post as Ripping X-Ray on Facebook to announce to all of their fans the increased presence they will have on Twitter going forward. I will continue to Tweet as the band, as well as post occasional Facebook information on their Facebook page.


 * THIRD UPDATE: APRIL 6, 2012**

I skyped in with a few members of the band these past few days in response to your suggestion of the Google Hangout for a show, or something along those lines, for the band to do. They said that some of the venues they play at will actually STREAM their show to a website like Justin.TV or Ustream.com. However, this is dependent on the place that they play. The problem that they mentioned with doing a Google+ Hangout for when they're recording or even practicing for a show is technology. They don't do too much with videos and when they do, it is produced by someone else. They're pretty skeptical about the whole streaming ONLY using a webcam thing. However, they did say that they would like to do something along the lines of streaming a practice or concert using full video and not just a webcam. For their Facebook feed, they've gotten about 10 new "Likes" over the past week which makes me feel as if I'm doing my job as a "social media manager." They also have gotten two new Twitter followers over the past few days, a marginal number, but still more followers nonetheless.


 * UPDATE FOUR: APRIL 7, 2012**

One thing that the band members and I spoke about through out communication over the past several weeks is about ENGAGING with their fans. This is a bit more easy to do on Facebook than it is on Twitter, at least the way things are setup with them right now where most all of their activity is through Facebook. I suggested that they actually ask fans directly what songs they want them to play, so this past week we asked fans what songs they should cover. The post got quite a bit of hits and also a few responses. When they listen to fans' suggestions it makes those fans want to tell friends about the band, ultimately leading to more sales and gigs attended. One of the ways the band reaches a lot of fans on Facebook is through their photo albums, which consistently get the most views according to the Facebook page statistics. I suggested that they post some more pictures of shows that they do, but also just their daily practices and what not to help drive more viewers to the site. Overall, a VERY good week though.

I continue to Skype in and call up the band members to fill them in with the stuff that they want me to post on their Twitter and Facebook accounts. I continue to message members on the Facebook page to follow the band on Twitter in hopes to gain a more solid foundation for the band on Twitter. However, these efforts have hardly worked to this point. However, I am talking to the band about how they can use Twitter after the semester is over so they have a solid knowledge of how to engage with their fans over Twitter. Like I've said, they had pretty much NO experience on Twitter prior to me coming in and helping them. Additionally, the band has gained THREE new followers since last week. Their following on Facebook continues to grow so I think, going forward, they might consider becoming exclusively on Facebook and abandon Twitter. Or, I've talked to them about linking up their Facebook & Twitter accounts so all Tweets would go to their Facebook page and vice versa. The band continues to gain followers on Facebook and a few on Twitter, something that I am proud of.
 * UPDATE FIVE: APRIL 10, 2012**


 * APRIL 17, 2012 UPDATE:**

I continue working with band members to promote their upcoming show at Temple University through their Facebook and Twitter pages. We also created a Facebook EVENT for the show (which is Wednesday April 18). The event currently has 35 guests, with 22 "maybes." Pretty solid numbers that I'm quite satisfied with. The band has received only a couple of new followers over the past week, but has also received about four new "Likes" on their Facebook page. Facebook continues to be the prime means that we chat with the fans of the band right now because more of their fans use Facebook and know about the Facebook presence than they do about the bands Twitter preference, something that is slowly changing, however. I also continue to work with members of the band so that they can also use Twitter and learn how to use it in order to effectively communicate with their fans. The idea of having a Google+ hangout or streaming some concerts or practices is something that we continue to discuss and is quickly gaining momentum. They think they'll do a practice session on UStream or Stickam within the next few weeks as a "Test Run" for something bigger, like a concert or other practices streamed. Stay Tuned!


 * FINALS WEEK UPDATE:**
 * Check my SOCIAL MEDIA blog!**


 * First Update: February**
 * Andrew, I want details. This is all fluff. I want to know all about your meeting with them. Go back and read the instructions. What THEY said their specific challenges are, exactly how you will fit in with them. How did you utilize the checklist as you spoke with them? I'm still not convinced you've met with them, or that they even need your help. The mind map is all basic stuff we've talked about in class, nothing specific to Eagle's 101. Exactly what are they doing, how often do they do it, why do they specifically need you and how will this fulfill the requirement for you to help a struggling company with their social media marketing?**


 * 29, 2012**

After exploring several different options for this social media project, I've decided to undergo an endeavor with Eagles101.com. This website, which I had visited often in the past, posts news updates about the Philadelphia Eagles football team. They have a series of writers that work for them along with a forum, although the forum is not used much. I looked through their website, particularly their Twitter account, and was not too impressed with what I found. They had a Twitter and Facebook presence but I thought it could be used much more effectively in order to drive traffic to their website. They pretty much only posted what they would post on their website onto their Twitter. I sat down with the webmasters and writers of the website and talked to them about really engaging readers through Twitter and Facebook. I very much look forward to enhancing their social media presence over the rest of the semester and beyond.

//**What's going on here, Andrew? This was supposed to be a detailed 250 word-long overview and include a mind map and you're missing your second week. I'm not convinced you met with anyone. -Kar**////**l**//

//SECOND UPDATE: March 18, 2012// Sorry about that delay. Things got caught out of control here. Anyway, I met with the writers and operators of Eagles101.com when I went back to the Philadelphia-area for my spring break last week. They seemed to be excited and optimistic about what I could bring to the table. As far as their knowledge of social media, they said they really didn't have any prior to them launching the website and writing for it, but said that their knowledge of Twitter & Facebook has grown as a result of the need for them to engage in social media to talk with their audience and drive traffic to the website. I think I could help them drive traffic to the website from my knowledge of SEO and keeping track of trending topics and engaging with their audience. I think asking QUESTIONS is key. This helps you build and form a bond with your audience and can even be used to drive traffic to the website as well.

I just spoke with two of the writers of the website on the phone to continue to hash out details of this and went back and reviewed my notes from our meeting. Looking back at the notes, they did say SPECIFICALLY that one of the problems they struggle with is building their audience through social media. They said they had a bit of knowledge on hashtags and use them occasionally, but they were not sure how they could build their following and increase traffic to their website when they only Tweet about such a specific subject, the Philadelphia Eagles. I think I've helped them build their following to an extent, even though I've only Tweeted about the Philadelphia Eagles and subjects related to that. When I started Tweeting for them in February they had about 150 followers, since them they've gained over 30 followers. A sizable increase, in my opinion. Before the project started, they would ONLY tweet out the stories they posted to the website, nothing more, nothing less. Now thats a good start, but you also must engage with readers and followers to make them want to Retweet your stuff and tell their friends and others. They also would Tweet very seldom about other subjects that they did not write about. I think I can continue to help them because of the deep knowledge I have on Twitter and other social media websites. I've learned a great deal on how to engage readers with content. You must be Interactive with them... Ask questions to the audience to elicit reader response. This makes them want to tell their friends about the website, or retweet certain things, which ultimately helps drive traffic to the website and a greater following on Twitter, Facebook etc.
 * UPDATE THREE: MARCH 21**

The Twitter account for Eagles101.com was started by one of their founding writers, who attends school at Rutgers University. They figured that a student around the social media generations' age would help the account. And by all means, he did. However, all three of the writers reiterated to me the need to continue to ENGAGE with clients and followers. That's the thing they stressed over & over, time and time again. They Tweet their stories and other stories they don't post to the website, but still find it difficult to fully engage with their followers. They want a more focused approach that makes readers and followers feel the need to COMMENT on stories, RETWEET and RESPOND to Tweets directly. I told them flat out that the fact that they know they need to engage with their clients is huge. Critical, really. If they can engage with clients, something I have hoped to do (and have done), it makes their site more popular and allows them to gain more followers on Twitter and Facebook because of the ever popular word of mouth marketing. They focus their efforts at males, primarily, though they do get a lot of hits and followers from women. Their main demographic following they have is 25-48 year old males in the Philadelphia-area, but they still do post national NFL news and have several national followers. They hope to continue to inundate that market and gain more followers among those demographics.