I was honored a number of years ago to be asked to become an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University. My class was originally on Web 2.0 and social media and is now a part of the digital strategy certificate and is called WM403 Social Media Marketing.

Here is the official course description:

The proliferation of social media platforms and applications has changed the marketing landscape significantly, impacting how we buy and sell products, and how we reach customers, interact with friends, and talk about things we like (or hate).

Understanding this fast-changing landscape and the opportunities available is critical to effectively leveraging social media marketing. In this class, we introduce a best-practice methodology, cover award-winning strategies and techniques, and give you the guidance and tools that help you create successful programs and campaigns.

 

In my first classes most of the students didn’t even know what facebook was now it’s like McDonalds, a billion served. The way social media has changed how we play and work is staggering. In our class we focus on marketing but do speak to how social media has changed HR, Customer Service and PR.

In the course of attempting to find answers I start with a few questions:

• How are you approaching your Digital Strategy?
• Are you looking to the right Tools and Platforms?
• Are you integrating Search and Social Media Marketing?
• Do you understand the Reputation Economy?
• Are your strategies aligned with the Social Technographics ecosystem?
• How are you using Digital Ethnography tounderstand your audiences?
• How are you measuring the Engagement and Attention of your audience?
• Are you connecting with Influencers in your industry?
• How do you deal with multi-platform marketing in this Convergence Culture?

Through the course we examine platforms, go through case studies and prepare for the PITCH.  We let students do these pitches on brand you, a company or non-profit. We start with an audit of the landscape in the area they are pitching and then have them craft the PITCH. A multi-platform social media campaign in an Ignite style fast paced 5 minute presentation of their strategy.

In presenting the massive change that social media has made to marketing I use this quote to set up the conversation:

‘It is difficult, indeed dangerous, to underestimate the huge changes this revolution will bring or the power of developing technologies to build and destroy – not just companies but whole countries.’

-Rupert Murdoch

With all that being said it is NOT the be all end all that some have come to preach. Social media is one tool in a marketers tool belt and must be used in conjunction with other aspects of marketing. This is where my conversation turns to transmedia and how these story telling methodologies can be applied to marketing.

Want to learn more come check out our course.