Social media 101 (Social media panel)

The second event of the marketing week took place on the 19th of October, which was Tuesday. Social media panel was an elaborate effort to allow current USF students to have one on one chat with marketing professionals that are currently working in the field. Speakers for the social media panel were Amanda Maxim (Social media strategist, Instagram, and Tiktok for small businesses), Madison Masterson (CEO of “Mad Marketing”), and Taylor Martin (Marketing Leader, social media + Content at Seaworld Parks and Entertainment).

Each speaker had a big round table for themselves, that way students could rotate around the room and get a chance to talk to all three of the speakers.

What did the speakers talk about?

Madison Masterson introduced herself, she explained that she started creating content when she was just 14 years old, she used Tumblr the most at that time, it was an opportunity for her to express herself. By the time she came to USF she was a social media influencer, she campaigned against bullying at college, slowly, this career path transitioned into digital marketing.

When asked “What is your work ethic with your interns?”, she promptly stated that she encourages them to work from home, that way they are more productive and have a chance to set their own workflow and schedule. Madison stressed the fact that she is seeking interns that have a “cooperative mindset”.

She was asked to describe her working process with the clients, Madison clarified that her primary objective is to establish a “Brand X Influencer” relationship, which includes a certain time frame where her team manages to transform influencer’s regular posts into paid advertisements. In the end, she added that Instagram is the heaviest used platform, it is certainly number one for selling and covers many generations such as gen z, millennials, etc.

Amanda Maxim had many opportunities after graduating but went into the marketing field straight away, having massive support from her college mentors. She started little, posting tips and tricks online which essentially attracted following and potential clients, that later grew into something bigger.

To a question “What jump-started your career?”, Amanda explained that during her last year at USF she made useful contact with one of the graduates, who was kind enough to agree to an informational interview, the graduate saw potential in Amanda and offered her an internship position. Amanda underlines the fact that networking makes you leave your comfort zone, which shouldn’t discourage you, because it might turn into something big.

Amanda was asked whether there have been cases where the client was not happy with her ideas. Amanda reveals that she has constantly faced critique, which made her realize that the process of interviewing is vital when working with clients, the more questions you ask the clearer picture you get of the final product, revisions are a must and are normal.

Taylor Martin is a USF graduate of fall 2015, who misses the USF Tampa campus very much, she jokes that parking is as bad as it was when she was seeking her degree. Taylor describes that theme parks are much like big cities, a lot of things you need to be aware of. As an event service manager and a coordinator at Busch Gardens she shares that corporate company jobs in America fill up a lot slower than you would expect, it takes a lot of time, it took her nearly a year to get a full grasp of her job.

Taylor reveals that diversifying your channel strategy is beneficial but takes a lot of resources. For example, there are five people working in the Tiktok marketing department at Disney.

When asked “Are there any tricks to get an internship?”, Taylor explains that in order to succeed, you have to be a fan of the company, get familiar with their brand. She added that she didn’t get as much experience as she got the chance to build connections.

To conclude, members of the marketing association and newcomers had the chance to feel the professional world through the eyes of established marketers. This event was most definitely an opportunity, an opportunity for students to have their concerns and worries resolved.