TCU PRSSA Panel Covers Trends in Social Media

October 28, 2016

FORT WORTH, TX (October 28, 2016) — Three social media experts spoke to members of Texas Christian University's chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) on October 18 to provide ground breaking advice and tips on how to stay relevant via social media.

The panel included Caten Hyde, Social Media Coordinator for TCU Football, Alex Van Cleef, TCU graduate and Social Media Manager for Olympus Property and a special Skype appearance from Aaron Senser, Online Communications Coordinator at Shedd Aqarium in Chicago. Panelists were addressed with questions ranging from job advice to content marketing.

Van Cleef attempted to lighten the stress on graduating seniors as she reflects on her time at TCU. "You will have a senior crisis," Alex said. "I went out with little experience and found a job online. My boss took a chance on me and it seemed to fall in my lap."

All panel members stressed the idea of personalization in regards to digital marketing. When marketing online, one must tailor everything to the customer so that they find it relatable to their wants and needs.

"We are seeing a rise in analytics", said Hyde. " This allows us to better tailor our content to the right audience in a timely manner."

Van Cleef uses social media as a way to manage her company's reputation. "You have to respond to reviews," she said. "You have to make it so the customer feels engaged, like you care about their emotions and they feel like they know the product."

So what does it take to make it in this field? "You must be able to bring something to the table related to content creation," Hyde said. "Whether that be graphic design or video skills, the content should be nearly finished when handed to the boss. Creativity is key."

Rather than using social media as just another way to push a product, it is crucial that one looks at it as a way to engage the customer and get them excited about what the company has to offer. Social media changes at an alarming rate, this means one must always be tuned in and there are really no days off.

The one-hour session ended with a Q&A segment and networking.