Meagan Johnson - Generational Speaker

Solve Your Challenges and Bridge the Gap between Generations at Your Multigenerational Workforce

Generational Use of Social Media

The New Necessary

Generational Advice #1

Social distancing, shelter-in-place…

I’m longing for the days when we are back to ‘normal.’

Today is crazy because unless you’re part of the amazing health care field or you’re one of those incredible people that are keeping food on our shelves, or keeping us safe, you probably are working from home.

And if you’re one of those people that are working from home and you’re not used to working from home… your spouse is home, and your kids are home or your partner’s home… It is a new level of crazy stress.

That is why multi-generational leadership and connectivity is so important. It does not matter what generation you belong to, other people are looking at you for leadership. I had someone tell me recently that this is not a new normal, because there’s nothing normal about keeping us away from each other.

She said it is necessary though. It’s the new necessary! I love that phrase – “It’s the new necessary”.

What that means is, it’s not the new forever. There will come a time when we can open our doors and we will be back with our friends, our coworkers, our loved ones again.

But right now, it’s necessary to follow these new rules, but it’s not the new forever.

Ephemeral Content – Why and How to Use it When Recruiting

Have you heard of an Ephemeral Content? And most importantly, how and why to use it when recruiting?

While speaking at a staffing and recruiting conference, an audience member approached me and said that Millennials and Gen Z are going to seek out jobs that replicate the consumer experience.

I thought this was interesting, so I asked her to elaborate. She said when looking for a job, Millennials and Gen Z want that job search to look and feel like an online shopping experience.

Ephemeral Content and Recruiting

What can organizations do to create that feeling of an ‘online shopping experience’?

One of the biggest social media phenomena of 2018 is in ephemeral content. Wait… don’t run to dictionary.com, as I did, to figure out what an ephemeral content means.

It is any type of web content that has a limited lifecycle. Typically, 24 hours after the creation or posting date the content disappears.

This concept was invented by Snapchat, followed by Instagram and Facebook. Facebook is predicting that this type of story sharing is going to be the primary way people share information with their friends by next year.

While ephemeral content may seem very limiting, it allows a short window of time for people to view your message. However, it is authentic and can result in high engagement.

Why Use Ephemeral Content When Recruiting

Why does ephemeral content work well?

It taps into two aspects of our psyche:

  1. Your YOLO: you only live once – seize the day, carpe diem
  2. Your FOMO: fear of missing out. The fear of missing out is a powerful motivator for human behavior.

Groupon knows this especially when it comes to my buying behavior. Nothing makes me push the Buy button faster than to read the words ‘limited time available’.

How to Use Ephemeral Content When Recruiting

So what can recruiters do in creating an ephemeral content?

Your goal is to give a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at your organization. Tap into your current employees, introduce the team, show company outings. Maybe a company party.

What’s important is that the viewer feels they have a behind-the-scenes look at your organization. And you have an opportunity to present employees in spontaneous situations and show genuine interactions.

You can also use an ephemeral content to post job ads.

Ephemeral Content for Recruitment

Taco Bell ran a successful campaign that featured Taco Bell employees and then drove the applicant to the website for more information. Taco Bell realizes that over 80% of employees do job searches on their phone. McDonald’s allowed the applicants themselves to create 10-second videos as their application.

Here are some important statictics:

  • 50% of Millennials check their Snapchat daily
  • 44% of Gen Z’s check social media hourly
  • And visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared on social media compared to any other type of content!

Final Thoughts

So, if we are going to duplicate the consumer experience to attract millennial and Gen Z employees, we will need to replicate the tools they are using today to gather information online.

Ephemeral content and videos may be temporary, but the best part is they don’t have to be perfect because in 24 hours they’re gonna be gone and you get to try again!

Baby Boomers and Social Media – My Dad Unfriended me on Facebook!

It’s true. My dad Un-Friended me on Facebook! I had to think of Baby Boomers and Social Media and ask myself:
“Are Baby Boomers the social media dorks we often make them out to be? Or do they covertly know what they are doing?”

He claims it was an “accident” but I found it ironic that the Un-Friending took place shortly after I declined an invitation to spend an afternoon with him and his Baby Boomer friends, watching old black and white movies from the 50’s (boooooring.)

Recently a Baby Boomer client told me with unbridled enthusiasm that he “LOVED Facebook!” He explained that he is in touch with so many wonderful people from his past, and he is just thrilled at the ability to check in with all these lost friends with so little effort.

He is not alone. Many of his Baby Boomers peers do have a web presence and are using social media.

baby boomers and social media

Baby Boomers and Social Media

According to CBS, over 80% of Baby Boomers are online. According to Marketingcharts.com Baby Boomer’s use of Social Media has increased from less than 10% in 2008 to over 40% in 2010. And, according to eMarketer, Facebook is the favorite social media site for Boomers – over 70% maintain a Facebook page.

If Baby Boomers are jumping on the social media bandwagon, why does it seem that so many workplace conflicts arise because of social media use?

My guess is that Baby Boomers still view sites like Facebook and Twitter as just a step above an online game or watching an entertaining YouTube video. Meaning many Baby Boomers are of the opinion that social sites are just that – social – something fun to do but not a workplace tool.

While preparing for a presentation I was to make for an industry association meeting, I was prowling around Facebook, looking for solid examples of professional Facebook pages pertaining to the industry to show to my mainly Baby Boomer audience. I was dismayed by the dearth of professional Facebook pages. How could an entire industry turn its back on such a powerful marketing tool?

In an interview with a Gen X principal in this industry (his organization was one of the few I found with a presence on Facebook) he explained:

“My colleagues view Facebook as something you do at home, or during your off-time, not something you do at work. In fact, it is the general consensus among my peers that if your people are accessing these types of sites at work, your employees must not have enough to do. I had to push for our professional FB page and I did it because our corporate buyers are getting younger and younger. If we want them to have a relationship with our brand, we have to be someplace they want to go. Right now, they go to sites like FaceBook and Twitter to help them deicide if our products have the personality they are looking for. It is a lot like dating.”

Gen Yers see the duality of social media. It is a form of entertainment but also an aid in decision-making. This attitude is dramatically different than their Baby Boomer co-workers.

In an L2 Think Tank study, it was reported that over 80% of successful Gen Yers log onto Facebook every day, and more than 50% are influenced by Facebook and web-based information when making buying decisions.

If Baby Boomers are going to remain in the workplace past retirement age, and according to Pew Research Center, 60% of Baby Boomers are postponing retirement, it would behoove them to embrace social media. That includes you Dad.

BTW, after changing my mind and attending the black and white movie festival, my dad accepted my friend request. Let’s just hope I stay there.

My Dad Larry’s Comments

Alright already. My Un-Friending you on Facebook was an accident, but purely a result of my unfamiliarity with how to use and navigate on my own page, which, I suppose, makes your point. We boomers, it seems, have embraced Facebook as a way to connect with friends, but maybe not as much as we should from a business and marketing standpoint. I recently attended my 45th high school reunion, where 150 of our 1965 graduating class came from all parts of the world to reminisce and listen to the Beach Boys. The entire event was organized through Facebook, and it was a terrific way to coordinate the event and to connect with old friends and sweethearts, even if they didn’t attend the reunion.

But I’m still struggling with using it as a marketing tool for my speaking and consulting business. Call me old fashion, but I prefer face-to-face and telephone contact, even to e-mail. So the anonymous nature of Facebook and Twitter unsettles me. On the other hand, you can’t argue with the results one gets from being able to connect with hundreds, thousands or even millions of potential customers. So you’re right Meagan, I need to get over it and start using Facebook and Twitter for more than contacting my high school buddies.

So that’s what I doing. And if I get really proficient, maybe I won’t unfriend you again.