A digital native who doesn’t know it all

Yes, it’s true.

I have had social media since before the last Harry Potter movie came out. But if I learned anything from Dr. Karen Freberg’s talk on social media, it’s that there is a lot that I don’t know.

Photo from William Iven on unsplash.com

Social media has been an integral part of my personal and social life for as long as I can remember. I’ve seen it evolve and transition into finding new places and purposes. I have switched from being a heavy Facebook user, to favoring Twitter, to exclusively using Instagram and everywhere in between. Something I’ve discovered that I need to learn but am having trouble figuring out is the strategic side of social media; how to make my content benefit me professionally.

 

Dr. Freberg, a professor of social media, taught us countless lessons in her lecture–too many to recount. There were a few things that she said that really stuck out to me.

Here are my key takeaways:

I’m not alone

After almost every question that we asked Dr. Freberg, she would say “I actually get this question a lot.” It made me feel much more confident in myself and it was comforting to hear that people struggle with the same obstacles that I do in PR.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Something that Dr. Freberg said that really stuck out to me, was that in social media campaigns you should really focus on the big picture and not get caught up in the details. When running a campaign, of course it’s important to take into consideration everything that your client has done. But, one small thing shouldn’t dictate the entire campaign. People are more likely to remember the overarching story rather than a single mistake.

Find your fit

Congruency is a word you hear all of the time when learning about PR. Dr. Freberg discussed the concept’s relationship with social media endorsements. Although it may seem obvious, it was really interesting to think about successful versus unsuccessful partnerships. If you plan on using a social media influencer, it’s important that they are for one, credible. Similarly, it’s essential that the person aligns with not only the company’s brand, but also they’re values.

 

I could go on and on about what I learned from this discussion, but I will leave you with those snippets for now.