Junior. Media and Professional Communications. Pitt.
My name is Erin Clement, and if you cannot already tell I live life colorfully! I have had social media for as long as I can remember, it is my creative release and has helped me a lot in snagging internships. I try to remain as active as possible and stay up to date on the changing ways I can communicate with others through social platforms. I consider myself an Instagram guru, but I would love to refine my skills on other social media platforms. I previously helped build up a successful styling brand, Bohofaux, and toured across the USA running social media for them. Through Instagram, I was able to recruit a strong group of woman as ambassadors to join our team and they each taught me tips and tricks about how they personally brand themselves. This helped me further develop a brand personality for Bohofaux, but I always wondered how I could translate a personality to my own personal brand that is fun and professional at the same time. I hope to figure out exactly what I am trying to say with my social media channels this semester. Right now I mix together posts on fashion, personal life, and a bit of my professional life. I want to create one body composed of these traits and work out a professional blog in assistance to my social media platforms. I would also like to discover more about Instagram’s changing algorithms. I want to discover more ways to engage with my audience so that my posts are seen and heard. If I can find ways to become more visible professionally on my platforms I will be satisfied. My main goal is to create a cohesive brand for myself before I graduate!
Midterm reflection
Social media is more of an involved process than I once thought. I knew it was a very thoughtful process to expedite a successful platform, but I never knew it involved serious style guides or even an analysis of the style of a competitor’s social media. I learned that to study social media, I need to step-away from the platforms first to conceptualize my brand. Additionally, I think social media is more involved to study and execute than marketing or even advertising. Yes, those projects involve deep market analysis (and social media IS marketing), but social media requires careful study of language and changing algorithms.
The process doc is helping me develop professionally as well as personally. I enjoy the guided assignments because they are useful tools I can use again when I want to strengthen my own social media strategy. I would like to develop a blog after college, and the process doc offers the resources I will need to execute a social media persona for myself when that day comes. I do wish we shared a few different people’s process doc assignments to the whole class in general rather than in groups so that greater feedback could be given.
Setting up a website in general has been a challenge for me. I think wix is an easier guide, but there is still so much to play with. The website is to be used as part of a portfolio to employers one day and I have not figured out how to make it look unique from the original template I started with. I have learned that everything takes a lot of time in terms of presentation, so I will try to devote an hour after I have done any written work to format it nicely on my website. My major concern for the remainder of the semester is that my final project will not translate well or that I will lack originality. Despite any struggles or concerns, I feel very connected to the course material. The exercises in some of the chapters help make the material we read come to life, and in turn translate into rough outlines for our final project. I would say this class is the most helpful of any related courses (marketing, PR writing, advertising) because of the learning stimulation the exercises provide. I feel better prepared for my graded work because of the prep we do in class. Like I said, the exercises help a lot and I would want to keep doing more. I would like more feedback if possible when we turn a piece of the process doc in. I just want to make sure my current work makes sense, so that my final strategy is cohesive and persuasive.
Final Reflection
Where I Am Now: Content Evolved
Organizing a cohesive portfolio of my work was a continuous learning experience not only in the professional business side of social media, but in website building, personal branding, and unique content creation as well. I often shy away from technology I am not familiar with (i.e. website building), but the time I put into my assignments helped me learn new ways to operate apps and websites step by step. A year ago I promised myself I would sit down and create a website, but this daunting venture has been on hold until now. Professional Uses of Social Media finally brought my aspirations to life. Additionally, I am excited to now have writing samples for use in job applications in the media field.
This portfolio project has prepared me more than most of my other college courses have for success in written work as well as presentable multimedia work. In the early weeks summer I plan to utilize the skills I have learned to create a strategy for myself before I start travel. I now feel confident about creating an online brand for myself, and for others. I will be submitting my opinion piece to a few online publications, and utilizing my story and strategy the next time an application requires writing and media samples.
Portfolio practice has refined my perception of who I am in the media and real worlds. I am a content creator who has a passion for film and fashion, and through social media work I can create a plan to launch this brand as a multi-media space of Instagram inspired film looks, Youtube reviews, and light blogging.
