Social Media: The Heartbeat of Advertising & Marketing
Honestly, I am a very private person. I never understood social media users who post their entire lives on the internet for everyone to see, dissect, and analyze for their personal enjoyment. There are too many malicious individuals out there to even be sharing the fact that you prefer mustard over ketchup on your burger to begin with, let alone posting relationship status' and restaurants that you have recently "checked into". On the other hand, utilizing social media outlets such as; facebook, Twitter, and FourSquared to navigate your business and market is probably the most brilliant idea society has embraced in a very long time. The fascination behind having everything at one's fingertips is not only shockingly convenient for the masses, but for the nature of a business, brand, and even a celebrity figure. Advertisers and marketers have spent decades throwing their materials and ideas in consumers' faces; yet, they felt there was more to thirty foot billboards and stimulating press. Why wait for the consumer to approach the brand, when the brand can target, approach, and devour the consumer all in a few seconds? I know, sounds a little too rough around the edges, but that's the game marketers must play. Now I believe it is our turn to squeeze as much juice out of these social media outlets as we can, because although some of us truly appreciate traditional television and press ads and messages, social media is in full bloom and has ultimately become our future. The job market is tough right now; therefore, we as soon-to-be college graduates must take in everything that is being offered to us in order to go the distance in our field of interest. Go-ahead sign up for twitter, FourSquared, LinkedIn, whatever you feel like doing in order to get your foot in the door, just remember; no one really cares about that AMAZING tunafish sandwich you're going to be eating for lunch later.
So how are you going to target your "dream employer"? You may think that you want to work for a big name celebrity and, if you are sufficiently persistent, you might actually get that opportunity.
ReplyDeleteBut what if after two weeks or two months into the job your "paying dues" as the newbie includes walking your boss' dog, picking up their personal laundry, and lying, alternatively, to your boss' spouse or lover about their whereabouts? (Welcome to the world of the rich and powerful!) At this point will you even be able to remember how to write a press release or edit a b-roll?
You write about how social media advertising can effectively target its ideal consumer. Turn the tables. Target your ideal employer. Who's on Twitter who shares your career interests? Instead of them finding you, you find them. Tweet about what you have in common even if graduation is a long way off. Remember: The early bird catches the worm and in this tough job market, you can't start casting your bait too early to catch the big fish!
Prof. Rob Seitz