Week 16 - That's a Wrap!

Across the 16 weeks that have spanned the semester in my social media for business class, my viewpoint on social media has changed. There was a gradual change over the strategies for how to market a business. There was a shift from questioning whether social media was worth the effort to a realization that it's necessary for a business to have some type of online presence. Not only have I started creating posts on social media with a shifting focus, but the way I use social media is also starting to change. I was only using social media to keep up with friends and family, and look for entertainment (comics, jokes, and interesting photos). However, I started following some businesses this term, and I also followed businesses in a similar field. I'm learning and borrowing ideas from other businesses.

Two of the lessons I learned after expanding who I followed on social media were as follows:

1. Companies will promote a lot of special deals for social media users. 

2. Social media is a resource for big news and legitimate information. 

I started following Booze Brothers, a brewery in Vista, recently. I have an old friend that works there, and I admire how he uses his personal social media account to promote the business, but I had never thought to follow the business account as well. Within 2 minutes of following the business account, I I discovered that Booze Brothers was expanding its business model to include serving food on site. It's a big change when a brewery goes from serving beer to serving beer and food, so I am glad to be in the know. I'll have to try their pizza now. 

My viewpoint on marketing has changed to take the power of social media more seriously and to be more deliberate in my posts. It doesn't mean I have to be serious all the time. I still want humorous and personable posts, but I want those posts to include content fitted to meet specific goals. There was a time period in which the posts were random in topic and schedule. This class showed me how to find data to maximize the engagement levels and effectiveness of the posts. 

From the data, I've gained information about different factors to consider when developing and encouraging growth in a business. I still haven't cracked the code to increase levels of engagement. I did some work for a fictional business called Rad Math Tutoring. I was flattered and impressed to get any followers. Eventually my posts died off and so did much of the interest from users. However, I have been keeping up with more posts in the social media accounts for my real job, but deep levels of engagement by users have been hard to come by. As I try to crack this code, the class has given me the confidence to try new techniques going forward and has given me the skills to investigate the businesses around me. I'll be on the hunt for ideas until I can find the social media blue print that works for my business. 

Thank you for reading, and that's a wrap for the term!