Let me tell you about Dr. Karen Freberg and #Freberg15

Wow, where do I start!?

First let me say that I only like to give credit when it’s due. My thoughts on Professor Freberg are truthful and from the heart. When I initially transferred to the University of Louisville, Dr. Freberg taught me my first semester. Strategic Communications was probably the smallest class I had every been a part of and I don’t believe enrollment even reached 10 people. However, enrollment was most likely this low due to it being an 8:00 AM class. College kids avoid these class times like the plague! Dr. Freberg told our class it might be cancelled due to low enrollment. When I look back at the situation I am so glad that Strategic Communications did not cancel. That cancellation would have changed my college learning experience substantially!

Dr. Freberg has always aligned her assignments with networking possibilities and real world application. In Strat Comm we had to do an interview assignment where we reached out to potential employers in an attempt to shadow their profession. I was able to make lifelong connections through that assignment. Unfortunately the division of the company I shadowed had their internship offer to me vetoed by the HR department. However, I still am in contact with those professionals and the team has even invited me to lunch with them. Dr. Freberg had us do another assignment in Strat Comm that involved creating a Integrated Marketing Plan for our company of choice. This assignment doubled as a great resume example piece to showcase to potential employers.

I was so impressed by Dr. Freberg my first semester that I immediately sought her out again. Sadly, I was not able to align one of Dr. Freberg’s classes with my schedule the next semester. However, I pounced on the opportunity to get in Dr. Freberg’s Social Media class. I was denied an internship for credit in the past by my university because I had not studied social media. Not only was I interested in the subject of social media, but one of my favorite professors taught the class as well! Prior to Dr. Freberg’s SM class I was extremely ignorant about social media utilization and social media management. Previously I was not on Twitter, I did not have running blog, I was foreign to Snapchat, I thought Pinterest was just for women and I was intimidated by LinkedIn. Dr. Freberg taught me how to utilize Twitter like a professional. I learned that Twitter is the platform to establish yourself as a thought leader and influencer. Dr. Freberg showed us why we needed to blog and how blogs can help us establish unique personal voices in our career fields of interest. I learned how to pitch a Snapchat plan to a company. Numerous companies still do not take advantage of Snapchat yet and I now feel confident in my ability to convince a company why they need it. However, I still am learning something new everyday. I received the opportunity to work in a team setting on pitching a social media campaign to the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau. This is the most detailed and elaborate group assignment I have done in my college career, but I welcome this challenging opportunity (We present April 29th!). The campaign assignment has taught me how to apply social media, research, analytics, and strategies/tactics to a real-life organization. I was able to evaluate my online reputation and develop a unified image across all of my social media networks. I obtained a Hootsuite University certification that I can add to my resume! I feel like this certification will help me stand out in career fields involved with social media. I learned how to create an infographic along the way as well. I look forward to taking desktop publishing next semester in order to improve my digital design capabilities even further.

All of those previously listed elements of #Freberg15 were awesome, but I enjoyed joining a flowing professional community the most. Dr. Freberg has connected us with considerable amounts of professionals that are experts and thought leaders in their career fields. I have never been blessed with so many valuable networking connections in my entire lifetime as I have in #Freberg15 ! When I move on to the next step in my life journey after college, I hope to always remain in contact with Dr. Freberg. I still encourage everyone to follow Dr. Freberg on Twitter. Make sure that you check out Dr. Freberg’s website and blog as well. I feel that we all can learn something from Dr. Freberg.

Farewell #Freberg15, I hope we can all stay in touch and continue to pay it forward like Dr. Freberg!

So Long &

Why Everyone Should Give Hootsuite a Try

I found the Hootsuite University program to be outstandingly orchestrated and I received a considerable amount of valuable information from this program. The Hootsuite University program showcased to me what social media marketing, social media management and social media utilization look like on a professional level. I plan on using Hootsuite to establish my own personal brand in the sports world and I hope to later become a social media community manager for a sports organization.

Content Scheduling

Take advantage of content scheduling! The best way to reach your maximum level of audience impressions/reach is by scheduling time specific content and Hootsuite’s program helps you implement this strategy. I did not realize it could beneficial to post repetitive content prior to Hootsuite, but it makes sense on a social media platform such as Twitter which is done in a fast-paced real-time setting.

Keep it Personal or Let Teamwork Make the Dream Work 

I found it impressive that Hootsuite can be either personal based or organizational based. Hootsuite can easily help a business improve their social media management and Hootsuite also has plenty of security measures to prevent a potential issue or crisis from occurring or elevating. You can structure your team based on departments, business units or geographic regions.

Social Media Campaigns:

Hootsuite works excellent with monitoring and improving social media campaigns like the ones we are currently working on for class. Hootsuite allows you to monitor things such as hashtags, keywords and URL’s so that you can get an audience consensus of your specific content or overall brand. Hootsuite enables you to see the locations where you are most influential and this can help you improve your target market strategy.

Time Management

Hootsuite saves our most precious asset which is time because you can see your mentions, messages and tweets/posts all on one screen. You can even add in advanced streams besides the default ones. The publisher feature allows you to create drafts and content sharing schedules. I found it cool that administrators can either approve or reject content and I felt like this feature would get a stamp of approval from Crisis Communication expert Melissa Agnes. Hootsuite will also spare your team of unwanted confusion because messages that have already been responded to by another team member appear as blue. One of the most efficient team strategies is to already have an established bank of pre-approved response messages, but in other situations it might be more useful to tailor your responses to specific audience members so your company does not lose its audience relatability/connection.

Content Suggestions

Hootsuite will even generate content suggestions for you and this is one of my favorite features of Hootsuite because it’s difficult to constantly monitor trending content. Hootsuite’s content suggestions can help you become a thought leader in your field. The guys from Interapt and other guest speakers throughout this semester have relayed to our class in their presentations that thought leadership equals value. One cannot become a thought leader unless they stay frequently involved in conversations relating to their field.

Data Analytics

In the analytics tab on the Hootsuite program you can create detailed analytical reports about engagement or you can receive an overview of a specific social networking account. My favorite analytical report is the Ow.ly Click Summary. I like how the Owl.ly Click Summary pinpoints need-to-know information like the region of your audience, your audience’s top referrers and the most popular links you have shared.

Online Community Management

I am personally interested in following a career path similar to Dallas Mavericks Social Media Coordinator Lizelle Lauren and in this career path I would be growing and monitoring an online community. SCMD 162: Growing Your Online Community is one of the numerous wonderful lessons offered by the Hootsuite University program.I already have been involved in sports communities as a personal fan, but I dream of managing one of my beloved team communities in the near future. SCMD 162: Growing Your Online Community taught me to pay attention to negative feedback for improvement and how to build a cohesive/loyal community. To build a cohesive community you must bring people together around shared values, ideas and topics. The key to cementing positive relationships with your community members is by paying close attention to their input. For example, questionnaires, polls and surveys are great examples of tools that can help you gauge your community. A social media community manager works directly with an organizations sales department because they can assist them with finding new sales leads. At the end of the day, employers are most concerned with return on investment (ROI). I like the idea of implementing a brand ambassador program to empower brand advocates to formally represent your brand. A brand ambassador program is all about relationship building, but it’s important to develop specific processes and criteria for choosing brand ambassadors. Try to bring in recognizable influencer’s into your community. I enjoyed how this lesson showcased how to separately and specifically build communities for LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Overall I found the Hootsuite program to be essential for learning how to manage social media on a larger and more detailed scale. Before taking this class I never realized how complex social media could be and because I was not on Twitter, I was unaware of how professionals utilize social media to build brand awareness, distribute content and develop themselves as thought leaders/influencers. I am a visual learner and I was fond of the video lessons/video chats in the Hootsuite University program. It would be awesome if Hootsuite would make specialized certifications for specific fields of expertise in social media such as crisis communications, public relations, advertising and data analytics. For example, instead of showcasing a broad Hootsuite certification, one could say they were specifically certified in Hootsuite’s social media crisis communications program as well. Offering more specific certifications is the only thing I could think of in regards to improving Hootsuite, but overall I found the program to be extremely impressive. Because I don’t have a lot of experience, I love adding certifications to my resume and I appreciate Dr. Freberg integrating the Hootsuite certification into her Social Media class. I would recommend the Hootsuite University programs to not just students, but also organizations and individuals as well. I really feel like I have received a cutting edge education in social media thanks to Dr. Freberg and Hootsuite.

Hootsuite has the highest customer satisfaction rate. See for yourself!

Now go get your Hoot on!

How to Stay Cool During a Crisis

1.) Have an action plan

It’s important to allocate specific roles to each of your team members. You don’t want to step on each others toes and the message needs to be cohesive. Figure out what actions you will take. Why do you think we do tornado drills and create family fire escape plans? Those who plan accordingly will reap the benefits. Flying by the seat of your pants may seem fun, but it’s a slippery slope to failure.

2.) Evaluate the scenarios

Always have a plan B through Z. Don’t panic if the plan does not go smoothly. Mistakes are a part of life. The most important aspect of handling a crisis is your reaction. Don’t be afraid to step up to the plate and tell the truth. Go through the scenarios and find the best course of action.

3.) Corporate Culture is Key

According to highly acclaimed Crisis Communication expert Melissa Agnes, it’s important to develop a corporate culture that empowers your employees to do the right thing. If you base your organizations on respect and fairness, your employees will go to bat for you. However, if you treat your employees like numbers and not people, they could potentially escalate a crisis even further. Everyone knows to build strong customer relationships, but don’t overlook employee relations.

4.) Issue vs. Crisis

Melissa Agnes stands by the notion that an issue is not a crisis. Sometimes no reaction at all is the best solution. Don’t start feeling froggy and leaping at every issue that arises. According to Agnes, a crisis is a negative event/situation that has, or threatens to have, a direct negative impact on the organization’s reputation and/or bottom line, for the long-term. An issue is a negative event/situation that does not have, or threaten to have, a direct negative impact on the organization’s reputation and/or bottom line for the long-term. Many crisis communication professionals do not like the term social media crisis because it is often an overused catch-all term that can either minimize the severity of a crisis or escalate a simple issue. Have you ever heard of a crisis that pertained to social media only? Although we live in a digital world, real entities are still behind those computer screens. For more info on how to decipher the difference between a crisis and an issue, take a look at this blog post by Melissa Agnes. 

Here is an awesome infographic on managing crisis communication situations. Melissa Agnes has a great infographic on her website as well!

Go follow Melissa Agnes on Twitter for more expert advice on crisis communications!

Agnes has a wonderful podcast as well! 

Don’t forget about my instructor Dr. Karen Freberg, she is an amazing speaker with extensive knowledge on the subject of crisis communications! Check out Dr. Freberg’s blog and go follow her on Twitter too. 

Remember to stay calm, cool and collected !

Final 4 Things to Take Away from March Madness

#1) The Blue-Bloods still reign supreme

Everybody longs for the Cinderella story! We all have been patiently waiting to see another 1983 NC State or 1985 Villanova, however it looks like Cinderella has her work cut out for her in the One-and-Done era. It’s no secret that the top recruits are going to schools that have a reputation for elevating players to the pro level. Wisconsin’s men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan put his foot in his mouth in regards to this subject when he said “We don’t do rent-a-player”. Coach K proceeded to fire back with these poignant comments. If anything Bo Ryan just told any kid considering an early pro level pathway to check Wisconsin off the list. After Wisconsin’s historic win over undefeated Kentucky, Ryan made no mention of rent-a-players. The inexperience of Kentucky’s players actually played in Wisconsin’s favor. Lets not forget about the UConn women’s basketball program. UConn continues to dominate in blue-blood fashion and coach Geno Auriemma has now tied legendary UCLA coach John Wooden with 10 NCAA championships. Here are the most recent results of the men’s NCAA basketball tourney: Duke (2015), UConn (2014), Louisville (2013), Kentucky (2012, UConn (2011), Duke (2010). It’s evident that the top dogs are here to stay. In case you are wondering about the pasts women’s NCAA winners, UConn has won an unprecedented 5 title’s in the last 7 years. Now that’s what you call a Dynasty folks!

#2) College Officiating needs an overhaul

A lot of the controversy surrounding the men’s national championship has to do with poor officiating. College officiating has been ridiculously unpredictable. Wisconsin was only called for 2 fouls in the first half, but proceeded to pile up 13 whopping fouls in the second half of the championship game. It appeared as if a couple out-of-bounds calls were blatantly missed in the men’s national championship game as well. The NCAA has issued some statements regarding these missed calls. The NCAA needs to establish more strict referee guidelines. Whats the point of having replay? It’s not hard to find out that I’m a die-hard Duke fan, but I call it like I see it!

#3 Where is the sportsmanship?

I don’t mean to anger the beast that is Big Blue Nation, but I found their lack of sportsmanship appalling. Willie Cauley-Stein abruptly decided to walk off the court after Kentucky’s loss to Wisconsin. On top of that Andrew Harrison took it to the next level when he made a rude remark about Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky. I understand that losing is no fun, but class and sportsmanship are an essential element of the game. Kentucky has countless young impressionable fans and that’s not the kind of guidance they need. Bo Ryan did not appear very sportsmanlike in the post-game press conference after the title game either. Most of America has already long forgotten the West Virginia freshmen who called out UK probably because Kentucky went on to open up a can of you know what after those remarks. Oh and of course the Kentucky players had to get in some post-game jabs on Twitter. Maybe I’m a little old school, but if I was the coach I would tell my team to keep their mouth shut PERIOD. Now I understand why Rick Pitino does not like for his players to use social media. Act like you have been there before! It’s important to always show grace and humility no matter what the result is.

4.) March Madness is here to stay

Despite some of the controversy, viewership ratings have never been higher. Not only were the national championship viewership ratings up 33%, but the entire tournament saw an overall 8% viewership increase. This was the most watched tournament in the last 22 years! Check out the stats for yourself. Records were broken for live streams and social media impressions as well. An unfathomable 1.1 billion was earned in ad revenue for the tournament this year. If you think TV advertisements are dying out, think again.

Although it may seem like I am being extra critical of the tournament, I love the March Madness format. However, I would love to see the NCAA improve officiating and instant replay. I want to see more sportsmanship as well, but perhaps Charles Barkley said it best

At the end of the day, sportsmanship and class starts with the parents. So long March…. Until we meet again…. 😥

Stay Connected – Why you need to join LinkedIn

Today in Dr. Freberg’s class we had the pleasure of receiving a lecture from the graduate assistant Imani on business networking. We focused on LinkedIn which is a powerful professional platform that has been around since 2003. Check out these riveting stats about LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is geared toward the professional market and it is an extremely effective platform for Business 2 Business content distribution. LinkedIn has become a vital professional element of the modern economy. Think of LinkedIn like a revolving electronic resume.

Social networks are becoming the preferred channel for promoting talent and brands. However, company and personal websites still hold the most significance. It’s a great idea to showcase your professional content along with your LinkedIn profile. Use projects, posts and experiences to spotlight your talent. Whether it is a blog, website, projects, etc… don’t be afraid to do a little bragging on LinkedIn because you want to showcase yourself.

Don’t use cliché lines that everyone says such as “I’m a hard worker”. LinkedIn could be compared to the Missouri “Show me State” motto. Employers do not want to hear about fairy tales, they want to see concrete facts. No shout outs allowed on LinkedIn either. Sorry guys, save that for Twitter!

LinkedIn is often used by employers and recruiting agencies to scout out potential talent. There are numerous professional groups to join on LinkedIn as well. LinkedIn is the perfect platform to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. However, one must be timely, consistent and genuine in order to become a leader. LinkedIn offers you the ability to recommend other professionals and they can do the same for you. LinkedIn utilizes the “You scratch my back and I will scratch yours” approach.

Here is a basic LinkedIn check list:

Photo: You must have a photo on LinkedIn. This isn’t the site to be an internet troll that hides behind a Shrek photo. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is professional and classy!

Headline: This is where you can tell people what excites you. You could mention your future goal, or summarize what your about overall.

Summary: In this section you can go into a little more detail. Talk about what motivates you. Whats trending in your expertise? What next for you and what are you working on?

Experience: This section is just like what you would find on a traditional resume. Here you want to list all the jobs or internships you have held. Be sure to list what you specifically accomplished at each of those jobs. Include work photos, completed projects, etc… The more you can prove, the more people will believe you.

10 wonderful must know tips for successful business networking!

I’m new to LinkedIn because I initially found the platform to be intimidating. However, it’s better to try and fail than to have never tried at all. I hope that you feel encouraged to check out LinkedIn after reading this post from a fellow LinkedIn beginner. LinkedIn is like the gym, “what you put in is what you get back. If you maximize your effort, organize your connections and stay consistent, the possibilities are endless.

Now go get connected and stay connected!

My take on the Madness so far!

We all can agree that the NCAA tournament has once again lived up to expectations so far. We have had the epic buzzer beaters and riveting upsets.

. The Kentucky Wildcats continue to steam roll through the competition. What was that freshman from West Virginia thinking!? Check out what Daxter Miles Jr. initially predicted and how his attitude changed after the game. The Kentucky players made sure to fire back last night after the ridiculous blow out via Twitter. Xavier gave Arizona everything they had and it was the match up of the night, but at the end of the day Arizona’s tenacity prevailed. The underdog story of Wichita State once again ended, but not before they had the chance to one up inner state rival Kansas. North Carolina took Wisconsin to the wire, but eventually the rainbows became bricks and super senior Frank Kaminsky put the game on his back. Sam Dekker stepped up as well, but he had a little extra motivation. Look at this playful twitter exchange between Dekker and Green Bay Packer QB Aaron Rodgers.

Perennial basketball prize fighters remain including Wisconsin, Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky and Arizona. However, under the radar teams like Louisville, Oklahoma and Utah are lurking about ready to steal the show. Cinderella dreams could be in the making once again. Can NC State over-exceed expectation like Jimmy V’s 1983 team? Will this be the year that Gonzaga finally staples their name alongside the big boys? Many questions circulate this tournament and you can cut the tension with a knife!

The NC State vs. Louisville game is on as I’m typing this blog post. I predict this game to come down to the wire. It may take another beautiful mid-range J from Mango to edge out the Wolfpack. NC State is built for the press so will Rick Pitino go zone or stick with his guns? I believe this game may be decided by which star shooter gets hots. The Cardinals have been riding sharp shooter Terry Rozier all tournament long. Trevor Lacey of the Wolfpack is one of the most silky smooth players in the nation when he is on. The question is, who will be on when it matters most?

Gonzaga is up on UCLA at half time by a short margin. This will be a West Coast scorcher. UCLA is the most acclaimed name in all of college basketball and Gonzaga has been clawing their way up the prestige ladder for years now. Get your popcorn ready for the second half of this one, it could go either way!

Now for the game no one is talking about. Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans have quietly scraped their way into another Sweet 16. We saw Connecticut win it all last year with a similar mid range seed like Michigan State currently has. Oklahoma can score at will and the school has been relatively quiet since the days of Blake Griffin. Could this be Oklahoma’s moment to steal the show? No matter who wins this game, they will still be overshadowed, but that could play to their advantage.

A lot of people are picking Utah for the upset over Duke. However, the players at Duke are gellin’ like Magellan right now and it will be difficult to break their mojo. Utah must contain Jahlil Okafor in the paint and force Duke to live by the three as they are so often known for. I like Duke to win this one. I believe Duke is one of the only teams in the country that could give Kentucky a scare and I’m dying to see Christian Laettner round two. If you haven’t already seen it, go watch the ESPN 30 for 30 movie “I Hate Christian Laettner” for a little background on this rivalry. 

Keep your eyes on this upcoming elite 8 match up between Kentucky and Notre Dame. The ACC champs have their chance to prove that Kentucky plays soft competition. Kentucky can end that form of criticism once and for all with a win in this game. If Kentucky goes down, this bad boy is wide open!

Buckle up and Keep Calm, It’s Still March!!

March = Money

Well its almost that time of year. It’s time for the madness to begin! CHA-CHING $$$

Did you know that coaches normally receive bonuses for wins in March? In 2013 Rick Pitino accrued an estimated $840,000 from tournament bonuses. Pitino received a $150,000 bonus from the championship win alone. Coaches aren’t the only ones making all the money. CBS and the Turner TV network earned over 1 billion dollars in revenue from the tournament in 2013! That’s B as in BILLION. Oh by the way… Louisville was college basketballs most valuable team that year and estimated to be worth over 38.55 million. Hmmm I wonder who the most valuable team in college basketball is this year? I bet it’s that blue team in Lexington, but sorry I can’t recall the name 🙂 This article is full of financial info about the 2013 basketball tournament.

According to Kantar Media, The NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the NFL playoffs are perennially the two largest post-season sports franchises. After two years atop the rankings, college hoops finally slid to 2nd position behind the NFL in 2014. The only TV ads more expensive than March Madness ads are NFL playoff game ads. March Madness means big business. Major companies including GE, Coco-Cola, and AT&T all sponsor the NCAA. Ever wonder what kind of ads see the most air time? That would be automotive ads! Now for my personal favorite statistic measured by Kantar Media:

HH Rating Index
Index Rank	TV Market	Games w/Out-Of Area Teams	All Games
1	Louisville KY	304	379
2	Topeka KS	227	267
3	Dayton OH	224	255
4	Lexington KY	219	269
5	Wichita-Hutchinson KS	213	264

How to read: The average game rating in Louisville was 3.04 times greater than the national average

What this information means is that the Louisville, Ky. market had the most committed audience during the 2014 tournament. Take that Wildcats! Katar Media provided tons of cool March Madness statistics and you can check them out in this article.

There are a few reasons why March Madness is unlike any other sports event.

1. The Alliterations. Unlike the Super Bowl, March Madness is a segmented sporting event. This means that the revenue stream will stay open for longer. The NCAA implemented a great strategy by segmenting March Madness into names like the sweet 16, the elite 8 and the final four. Each one of these segments presents a new opportunity for revenue.

2. The Spontaneity. What people love most about March is that no one ever guesses the winners correctly. This is why your wife’s color coordinated bracket demolished your strategic masterpiece last year. You don’t have to be a pro to understand March Madness. The first days of the tournament are like heaven for those with short attention spans. You can flip to the last 2 minutes of a game and share in the joy of a buzzer beater. I believe the revenue stream for this sport is so high because it captures casual sports fans just as well as hardcore sports enthusiasts.

3. The Contests. Everyone wants to take Warren Buffetts money in the billion dollar bracket challenge! However, Fox Sports, Capital One, ESPN and CBS Sports all have their own version of bracket contests as well. No sporting event does contests, sweepstakes and betting like March Madness does. Whether the odds are impossible or not, people love to shoot for the stars.

Not everyone appreciates March Madness as much as the fans do. Take a look at this humorous infographic on the economics of March Madness.

As you can see, March Madness is all about the money. Try not to get fired from your job this week and may the bracket Gods be with you! LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

Know your numbers!

This week in Dr. Freberg’s social media class we have been discussing social media research and data analytics. I hate math probably more than anyone (I switched out of a business major to get away from math), but I happen to love social media data analytics. For the first time ever, I can see how the numbers actually matter. Look at the cool info Pew Research compiled from the numbers. 

A lot of math involves solving some weird algebraic theorem  that has no effect on the overall scheme of life. On the other hand, social media metrics help us find new trends, increase revenue and build brand awareness. Social media campaigns are lovely, but your employer could care less how creative you are if you can’t translate your campaign into measurable growth.

Here are some important measurements to keep in mind!

Audience Growth Rate: It’s important to know whether you are better off today than you were yesterday. This measurement involves comparing your current audience to your audience in the past. So if you had 500 followers last month and this month you have 600 followers, that means you have a 20% audience growth rate. This number can be used as a stepping stone for future audience growth goals.

Average Engagement Rate: This is where you breakdown the engagement with your audience. How often is an individual posting compared to the rest of your audience? It’s vital to understand what causes these differences as well. Always listen to what your audience has to say.

Response Rates: How fast do you get back to people?  Before taking this class I never even considered how essential time is in social media. Time is of the essence and brands are waiting like hawks to swoop in and steal your shine. It’s important to treat your audience like you would a friend. Be timely, polite and resourceful.

Inbound links: Links work like a spider web on the internet. This measurement lets you know who is helping you expand your spider web. Inbound links shows the number of sites linking back to yours. You should show a lot of gratitude to the people sharing your links!

What about formula’s?

There are tons of formulas at our disposal, but here are some must know ones.

Share of voice = Brand mentions / total mentions from all competitors. Share of voice lets you know how you stack up against the competition. Every great fighter knows that you must study your opponents to become a true master!

Audience Engagement = Comments + Shares + Trackbacks / Total Views. This measurement helps you understand how your content is resonating with your audience. Be aware of what content drives the most engagement!

Conversation Reach = Total People Participating / Total Audience Exposure. Conversation reach is not about size, it’s about participation and involvement.

Active Advocates = # of Active Users within past 30 days / Total Advocates. Is it smart for a gym to expand its reach, but not monitor its active users? Absolutely not! In the case of a gym, active users provide feedback on equipment needs. People hop on and off brands like they do gym memberships in January. Always know what your active audience has to say because usually they are your most loyal clientele.

There are numerous measurement tools available on he web, but you must negotiate your way through all the fluff tools. Here is a resourceful article by Sprout Social on some of the best measurement tools to check out. 

If you take away anything from this post, remember the 3 wise men of social media measurement tools. Everyone should know the basics! Reach = size of audience, Engagement = total number of likes, shares, comments, etc… and Impressions = how many people saw your post.

I know I did not list every tool or formula available for social media data analytics, but my Professor Karen Freberg shared the metric holy grail with us today. I hope I sparked an intrigue in you to find out more! If you love fun data, I urge you to follow @chriskerns on Twitter. Read Chris Kerns book Trendology and go get a leg up on competition! It’s amazing to witness the amount of brands/companys that lack a social media presence on a particular platform. If you can master data analytics, you can easily create your own career. Go out there and use the numbers to your advantage!

#LeanInTogether : How Sports and Social Media can change the world!

We live in a magical world these days and no I do not live in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Awareness can be raised more quickly than ever. Sports and social media are like a perfect marriage living in ultimate harmony. People love to view, discuss and spread social media campaigns alongside sports because of the massive engagement that can be achieved. Deep down inside we all secretly want to #BeLikeMike. Speaking of being like Mike, kudos to Gatorade for updating the 1992 Michael Jordan commercial with a hashtag. I don’t think I’ve seen a brand use an actual retro commercial in that way.

Now lets get down to business! I want to talk about a new sports social media campaign that I fell in love with. I was watching one of my favorite TV programs called ESPN First Take like usual, but I found it odd that their special guest was the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg! Typically First Take just has sports related guests. Sandberg is coming out swinging for the fences with her new found COO position. I like how she seized on the massive ESPN market to help spread campaign awareness. The name of this social media campaign is called #LeanInTogether. The purpose of this campaign is to promote equality. Both the NBA and WNBA have hopped on board with Facebook. How do you and your family lean on each other? How has someone in your family or workplace changed your life? These questions are what the campaign is all about. In particular, the campaign urges men to promote gender equality. As far as I’m concerned, women can do anything that a man can do. I am now intrigued about Sandberg’s highly acclaimed book called Lean In. 

As a boy that was raised by a single mother, this campaign resonated with me deeply. My mom is like wonder woman and she has single-handedly allowed me to achieve my dreams. My mother may be a workaholic, but she has opened so many doors for me and I owe her everything. Many athletes and celebrities share similar family bonds as me. On ESPN First Take they brought up the often joked about MVP acceptance speech by Kevin Durant. Durant gave credit to his mom and named her THE REAL MVP. The speech may have initiated a storm of humorous memes, but many of us connect with what Durant was saying. If you haven’t seen the touching Kevin Durant MVP speech, you can view it here. Behind most strong men are the even stronger women that molded and guided them. It doesn’t have to be a mom, it can also be a sister, grandmother, daughter or wife. Ladies can flip the script and showcase how thankful they are for a man in their life as well. This is a campaign for both the home and the workplace. Celebrities are joining the #LeanInTogether campaign in droves. Some notable campaign participants include Richard Branson, Stephen Curry, Reese Witherspoon, Beyonce and Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock). The campaign has also received notable press from well-known publications such as USA Today, People and Cosmopolitan to name a few. Check out this People article on the #LeanInTogether campaign.

Before the days of social media, building awareness like this was not possible. #LeanInTogether connects with all forms of people and it is continuously growing. I love to see positive messages shared on the web! So lets hear your story!! Even if no one witnesses your post, I’m sure the special person in your life you wrote it about will appreciate the gesture. Always let your love ones know how important they are to you because time is precious.

Watch this awesome ABC News video on #LeanInTogether

Burgers anyone? – Review of Mussel and Burger Bar

I decided to take a break from all my usual sports talk because I will be gasping for air when March Madness arrives. So now lets dive into what I love doing just as much as watching sports. EATING!

Who doesn’t love a good burger? I visited Mussel and Burger Bar located at 9200 Taylorsville Rd. in the Jeffersontown area of Louisville, Ky. This was my first experience dining at Mussel and Burger Bar. I learned most people simply refer to the restaurant as MBB. The hours for MBB are, Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday: Noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

My immediate thoughts upon entering MBB revolved around how intriguing the design was. MBB looked as if it could have formerly been an old colonial home with a Southwestern interior design. All the design elements resonated with more of a traditional and classic feel. Soothing sounds of jazz, blues and classic music add to the ambiance by filling the atmosphere with warmth. I found it rather unique that MBB sits on top of a separate Italian restaurant called Cena which is owned by the same people. The actual bar seemed to be somewhat small, but the overall design of MBB is refreshingly creative.

Drinks come in mason jars at MBB. According to our waiter Steven, you may not be able to get home if you drink more than two alcoholic beverages in those types of jars. Water is served in a wine bottle, but unfortunately my water did not turn in to wine. The place mat was a little off putting because they are made out of paper, but this is the only cheapness to the entire restaurant. The food is served on these distinctive metal trays.

My table started off with an appetizer of calamari. The calamari had a unique twist of sweet and spicy flavors, however if you prefer crispy textured calamari, you may want to try another choice. I decided to try the succulent Spanish Blue burger which features La Peral Spanish blue cheese, pepper crest and fig marmalade with a smoked pineapple dipping sauce. The burger was cooked expertly and the flavors titillated my palate. My friend loved the La Frita Cubana burger and immensely recommends it. We finished off our meal with a deliciously awe inspiring piece of blueberry carrot cake served with a spiced pineapple ice cream with candied pecans. If you love pineapple like I do, you will appreciate MBB which incorporates pineapple in numerous dishes.

The service at MBB was top-notch. My waiter Steven was timely, friendly and helpful. Steven was willing to answer any of my questions and made great food recommendations. I have absolutely no complaints about the service. MBB can get rather pricey as it is an upscale burger joint. It costs about 65$ (including tip) for two people to dine at MBB and have a three course meal.

Overall my experience at Mussel and Burger Bar was astoundingly impressive. Here are some other opinions and reviews concerning MBB courtesy of Yelp. I whole-heartedly advocate trying MBB, especially if you adore burgers. Go follow MBB on Facebook! I noticed that MBB has a virtually non-existent Twitter and Instagram presence. I would love to help expand your social media presence and it would bring in new clientele! Food for thought, but anyways…

Pictures speak a thousand words so check out these photos I took!