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…. 😥