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29 June 2020

A simple guide to social media

To celebrate Social Media Day on the 30th June we've put together a simple guide to social media. If you've ever wondered what a hashtag is and how to use it? Read on to find out.

Social media platforms

What is social media?

To put it simply, social media refers to websites or applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in networking and connecting with others socially online.

Social media is a multi-million pound business in the modern world. You’ll be hard-pushed to find someone who doesn’t use at least 1 social media platform to connect or share, especially within the younger generations. However, the older we get the more generations are finding their feet in the online social media world.

There are hundreds of social different social media platforms today, as companies are discovering new ways for people to connect or share content.

Some well-known and very popular social media platforms today are;

  • Facebook - the largest social networking platform in the world, it has been active since 2004 and now has approx. 2.8 billion users.
  • Instagram – photo and video sharing platform that was bought by Facebook in 2012, with 112.5 million users.
  • YouTube – video sharing platform with 2 million users.
  • Twitter – online, news and networking platform with 330 million users.
  • WhatsApp – an online messaging service, most commonly used on mobile phones also owned by Facebook.
  • LinkedIn – social network for professionals, an online CV and great for finding jobs.
  • Pinterest – image and sharing platform for finding creative inspiration.

Social media day

Social media is so popular, that there is even an annual day dedicated to it on the 30th June. It was created by Mashable, who are a global multi-platform for media and entertainment.

This day is used to recognise and celebrate the impact that social media has on the world today. Take part and celebrate the heart of modern communication, social media. Mashable have created the hashtag #SMDay that can be used by all to celebrate this day.

Why use social media?

Some examples of why it is great to use social media are as follows:

  • To keep in touch.
  • To be in the know about your favourite brands or services.
  • To share your opinions with others.
  • To review your favourite brands online.
  • To share proud or positive moments in your life with others.
  • To really get to know a company or brand.
  • To take advantage of good deals or competitions.

While some people fear social media, and may feel as though it is ruining human connections. It is good to stay aware and alert online and not give out too much of your personal information. Read our blog about how to generally stay safe online.

Woman on social media on her phone and laptop

The hashtag revolution

A social media hashtag is simply the # sign used in front of a word for example #cosyfeet

When a hashtag is used in front of a word with no spaces or gaps, on specific social media platforms this then automatically creates a link that when clicked on takes you to a general page of everyone who has publically used that specific hashtag.

Hashtags can be used freely by everyone; brands, companies and consumers.

The benefit of using or clicking on a #hashtag is if you would like to share or find something that people/brands may have been talking about.

For example, if someone was gluten intolerant and was looking for specific gluten free bread recipes online that people and/or brands may have shared, one can search #glutenfreebread or similar hashtags such as #glutenfreerecipes #gfbread #glutenfreebreadrecipe etc. to see images of what other people are creating or making or eating and you will then be able to come across related recipes or find people with similar diets. This is discovering, networking and sharing at its finest.

Gluten-free bread recipes on Instagram

Here at Cosyfeet, we use hashtags such as #wideshoes #widefeet #swollenfeet for those who may not have heard of our brand and may be specifically looking for ‘wide shoes’ online.

You can either search for specific hashtags on social media sites or add them to the caption on your posts if you’d like to share your image or post with others.     

#MyCosyfeet

This month we have decided to create our own hashtag #MyCosyfeet that we’d love you to use on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram when posting to show or tell us what they you bought and how happy you are with your purchases and we’d love to see how you style your Cosyfeet footwear.

Lots of other brands have jumped on board with the promotion of personalised hashtags for their consumers to use, such as;

  • Marks & Spencer with #mymusthave
  • The Great British Bake Off with #GBBO
  • Monsoon with #MyMonsoon
  • Fortnum & Mason with #Fortnums

If you use the hashtag #MyCosyfeet we would love to share your content on our social media platforms to share with other customers how you style your Cosyfeet products or what you think of our brand. This way we’re all part of a community of sharing, photographing and enjoying the brand.

Cosyfeet are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Don’t forget to click follow or like when you get to our social media platforms to stay connected and see us on your feeds.

Join the cosy community!