How I Learned that I Don't Know Everything

Spring is a time for growth and new beginnings, and an especially exciting time for Rebecca Adele PR & Events. My boss, Becki, recently celebrated her one-year anniversary of being in business, which has caused me to reflect on these past 5 months as an intern. To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. Becki has been a true mentor to me in both personal and professional settings, and treated all of us interns as an integral part of the Rebecca Adele team.

Over the semester I had the opportunity to participate in many aspects of public relations and event planning. From learning how to write strong press releases, to using PR software to build media lists for clients, I have learned quite a bit about what it takes to have a career in public relations. My favorite subject that I got to focus on with Becki was the topic of social media.

As most young people do, I came into the internship thinking that there was little Becki could teach me about social media. I had a Twitter and Facebook account, so I must know everything right? WRONG. The art of social media marketing and management actually takes time and strategy. I started my internship tweeting about my friends and finished it with the skills to run a social media campaign for a multitude of clients.

At its core, social media is really just traditional concepts of word-of-mouth marketing powered by technology. Not every social network is right for every company. It is important to identify what your social media goals are. You can then tailor your content to accomplish these goals. Possible goals to consider are: offer customer support, increase sales, increase your audience, and gain repeat customers through brand recognition.

Content must be original and interesting, keeping in line with buyer persona. Buyer persona is just an understanding of who your audience is, and whom you want to reach. What kind of content would appeal to your buyers? Encourage customer interaction with your brand and always respond to customer feedback.

I have really enjoyed the responsibility of creating social media plans for Rebecca Adele PR & Events clients. Collaborating with them and Becki has ignited a passion I never knew I had for social media. As I start my senior year of college this fall, I will cherish this opportunity and greatly miss Becki, the other interns, and our clients.