Social Media Management Profile: Glen Fredericks
Last week CHRISTINE BUHAY caught up with Glen Fredericks, a graphic/web designer, video editor and social media manager extraordinaire. He shared his views about social media management and social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram. Here’s what he said …
A Bit about Him
I work at Barbeques Galore Maitland, one of the franchises owned by the Newcombe family. I run the Facebook page Shushbbq and also the Instagram account @grillporn.
I have a Facebook drumming page called @drummingco.
I started working in the Barbeques Galore Maitland store just a little over four months ago. I do a variety of tasks, from graphic design, managing their mailing lists, video and photography. I work in the office. I don’t deal with customers at all.
What I am doing on the social media front is the Shushbbq Facebook page, which is for the “Shush! BBQ Book” that the family has self-published.
His Work
Instagram, as you’d already be aware, is a powerful tool, so we started the @grillporn profile – choosing “grill” because we are aiming at the American market and “porn” because of my experience with “drumporn” on Instagram.
Any word associated with porn on Instagram doesn’t come up with tsunami of pornographic results, but of people who have an intense interest in whatever the subject matter is. So be it #foodporn or #drumporn or even #cloudporn.
I started instagramming photos of drums back in August 2012 and then in January of 2013 I started the Facebook Page @drummingco which is now up to 6,000+ Likes. The hardest thing has been to drag those Instagram followers over to Facebook. It would appear that your numbers are skewed towards Instagram as well.
I had a Facebook Event called Hug A Drummer Day. I announced it two months prior. I wasn’t going to make a Facebook Page about it, but with the publicity being generated (it was in the Newcastle Herald and I was interviewed on 2HD) I figured I better in case someone squatted on the www.facebook.com/hugadrummer and capitalised on my hard work. Within a week, it has grown to 2,500 Likes with 6,000+ joining the event (I anticipated 5,000 so I’m quite happy with the result).
So I totally have the whole drum industry side of things covered. And while it is a hobby, it’s something that has opened up opportunities for me. It certainly didn’t hurt in helping me get this job. In addition to my graphic design, web design and video editing capabilities.
I also took over the reins of the Barbeques Galore Maitland Facebook Page. After a week the people “talking about this” went from 100 or so, up to 3,000. I don’t expect it to stay that high, if it hovers around 25% of the Likes I’ll be happy. I’m doing about 4 posts per day (I’m only doing 1 a day on Shush BBQ) so it gives me plenty of opportunity to engage with the audience.
The Differences between Instagram and Facebook
Instagram allows you to find and connect with an audience in a way that Facebook doesn’t. With Facebook you’re pretty much waiting for people to find you. On the other hand, with Instagram you can find people who have the same interest as you simply by doing a hashtag search. Instagram’s strength is in its ability to connect with people, and for Facebook Pages it’s the sharing.
Just a couple of weeks back I took a photo of my toilet and posted it on a new Facebook Page I made and that photo has had over half a million views possibly making it Australia’s most famous toilet on the internet?
The funny thing is the practice pad, the stand and the bass pad were all pulled out of the dumpster at the back of the @thedrumshop last year. Those things went from being thrown out and heading to landfill to becoming loved and shared over 5,500 times.
To Wrap It Up
That’s a bit of background on me and what my aims are with the Facebook and Instagram accounts I am running for the business. I am starting from scratch with the barbeque industry, but as I have found with the drum industry, networking with other pages certainly helps.
To contact us re doing social media management work for your business email stewart@atomicdigital.com.au or call 1300 321 814.