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As my senior year of undergrad comes to an end, I have spent some time reflecting on my college experience and memories at Kent State. One of the highlights of my time at Kent State has been the opportunity to be part of the social media team.

Over the past year, I have worked as a social media assistant in Kent State’s University Communications and Marketing (UCM) department. From covering basketball games to producing short videos, there is always something exciting going on with the social team. Not only have I had a lot of fun with this job, but I have also learned a lot from this position.

Managing a brand on social media

There is definitely a ton of time and energy that goes into managing a brand on social media. This is a concept I didn’t fully grasp before working in this position. From monitoring activity on various platforms to scheduling posts and creating engaging content, I’ve learned there are many “behind the scenes” aspects that are part of working in social media.

Another key aspect of managing a brand on social media is maintaining a consistent brand voice and posting meaningful content for the brand’s audience. This helps build a connection and relationship with that audience.

Additionally, I have learned it’s very important to create a strategic plan on social media. Content calendars and monthly reports are great ways to keep track of how posts perform on different platforms and also help to shape decisions for future posts.

Creating engaging content

There’s no denying that engaging and creative content is one of the reasons why social media thrives. While at UCM, I was able to create many types of content such as slideshow videos using a service called Animoto.

These short videos use a compilation of pictures (and sometimes b-roll) as well as text and music to visually tell a story. Here are two videos I created highlighting the spring 2019 commencement ceremonies and KSU Kickoff 2019:

In fall 2019, the social team launched the 5X���� Social Media Blog. I really enjoyed helping with the process of launching this channel and brainstorming content ideas. In this blog post, I compare four social media channels and how Kent State utilizes each of these platforms.

Collaborating with others 

One part of this job I also really enjoyed was working in a highly collaborative environment with others who share the same interests for social media and storytelling as I do. I’m especially grateful for all the team members I’ve had the chance to work with during my time at UCM. 

Although I will soon be a Kent State alumna, I will always cherish the memories I made and the people I met at this university. And of course, I will always be proud to be a Golden Flash!

-Erica Fowler