Blog Assignment 8 - Class Review

Fans of The Shafer Street Fugitive:

The following post is an assignment for my Social Media Marketing class. My usual Monday post with news about the band will be posted later today.

In MDIA 4902: Social Media Marketing, I have learned that social media marketing is very different from traditional marketing. While traditional marketing is characterized by point-to-multipoint communication, social media marketing could be described as multipoint-to-multipoint communication; social media is a two-way street, allowing consumers to actively participate in the creation of a brand's identity. Social media can be a powerful tool for marketers because they provide an opportunity for consumers to form a community, allowing the consumers themselves to market a given brand. As Shama Kabani writes in her book The Zen of Social Media Marketing, traditional marketing is concerned with, “pursuing leads,” while social media marketers are concerned with, “nurturing relationships.” It is about turning strangers into friends, and friends into customers. I have also come to understand that obtaining a large number of followers or likes on social media does not necessarily make a social media campaign successful; what is important is starting a conversation with followers.

After this class, I am confident that I will continue to apply the skills I have learned to maintain a professional personal brand on social media. I am now capable of Search Engine Optimization, executing a social media campaign, and effectively using a host of different social media platforms. I am also now capable of identifying whether or not a campaign is successful by comparing different social media metrics. I look forward to applying these new skills not only to market myself, but my band, as well as other student organizations I participate in on campus.

One of the things I really liked about this class was the hands-on approach. The blog assignments, social media portfolio, and group work meant that we not only had to understand the theory, we had to understand how to apply it as well. The best thing about this class was the practical experience we gained. I also like that this class complements my major in Video Production. Understanding how to market using social media provides me with a cheap way to promote and raise funds for video projects I am working on.

There are only two things I disliked about this course. The first was the way it was scheduled. I personally feel I get a lot more out of a class when the lectures are shorter, and scheduled for multiple sessions a week. I know I can speak for many of my classmates when I say that it is hard to maintain enthusiasm and focus when the class is two hours and forty minutes long. I understand this is most likely out of the professor's control, but I felt it was worth mentioning. The other thing I disliked about this course was the presentation of social media portfolios in class. I learn much more from lectures and in-class activities than I do from watching my classmates present their social media portfolios in front of the class. I often found myself wishing that our presentations were scheduled with Quan, rather than presented during class.

Overall, MDIA 4902 has been one of the most practical, useful courses I have taken at Ohio University. I am sure I will put my new skills to good use.