Please Don't Show This To My Therapist

          TikTok, the app that brought millions together when everyone was forced to be apart. Whether it was Charli D’Amelio's infectious dances or Nathan Apodaca, better known as DoggFace, cruising down the highway to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” there's a niche for every individual within the app's diverse community. TikTok is swiftly exceeding the benchmarks of other competing apps, making it the perfect opportunity for businesses to market with. But businesses first need to understand how TikTok has become one of the most popular apps in the app stores.       As I mentioned in my social media workshop recap blog post, TikTok’s algorithm differs from that of Instagram or Twitter. It works from negative feedback, meaning it monitors how long you interact with a video, comment or sound. The program delivers a video to your For You Page based on the videos you are most interested in, or at least the ones you’ve shown the most interest in....

        It’s interesting to think about LinkedIn as a social platform used for advertising or even a social platform. For people in my generation, LinkedIn is for professional use only, to shout out friends who got jobs or to post about professional conferences we attended. To us, LinkedIn is far from the fun, creative likes of Instagram or Snapchat and more of an online resume used for our future. It’s the ultimate personal branding tool. But if you take a step back and look at it from a business point of view, it’s not that much different from other social networking platforms.       Like other platforms such as Instagram, X (formally known as Twitter) and Facebook, LinkedIn has content strategies that businesses should be aware of when they’re creating and publishing content. A survey showed that the top two reasons people follow a business on LinkedIn were to stay up-to-date on the latest news with the company and to stay informed about t...

On Wednesday I was given the opportunity to travel to ONU’s Women in Business Conference in Columbus, Ohio. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I had never been to a business conference before but I was pleasantly surprised with the entire day.  The event, hosted by ONU alum Stephanie Saghy and Bank of America, began with a panel of Bank of America employees. All women in higher-up positions, it was inspiring to hear their stories of how they got where they are today. None of them really began their employment journeys picturing themselves in the positions they have today which was validating in a way. I feel like at this point in my life I’m supposed to have everything figured out and I don't but hearing about their journeys made me feel better about where I’m at. Each woman offered a piece of advice with their story as well and one that really stood out to me came from Jamine Kozar, she said,  “Don’t be cool. Be yourself.” She went on to explain how after a meeting she wa...

          Last Friday, March 22, I had the opportunity to attend the Ohio Northern University Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) sixth annual social media workshop. As a student looking to pursue a career in marketing or communications, this workshop proved valuable. Throughout the day, I shared insights and key takeaways from the sessions I attended via live-tweeting. Here is a quick recap of my day.  The day began with a compelling keynote speaker, Amy Hertsenberg, who talked about AI-powered digital mastery. It was an amazing presentation illustrating how AI can do the smallest tasks that humans either don’t have time for or dread doing. Hertsenberg had me captivated the entire time.   Following the keynote, I delved into my first session on brand engagement. Presenter Sally Stearns talked about what she calls the three C’s of brand engagement: Connecting, Converting and Cultivating. Stearns did a deep dive into each top...

     Alas, the time is upon us, spring break. The age-old college tradition: booking a getaway with 20 of your “closest friends,” basking in the Florida sun, embracing that golden glow and achieving peak happiness with a generous helping of intoxication. What could be better? Since a lot of us are broke college students I thought I would share some tips on how to enjoy your spring break without having to break your bank account.   Just Stay Home.       Yeah, I said it. The easiest way to save yourself money is to just stay home. No airport drama, no overpriced food, none of it.       I’ve decided I’m starting a new list now: Staycation Shenanigans: Mastering a Hilariously Unadventurous Spring Break! So here are some tips for the college student who’s too broke to go on spring break and will instead be enjoying the company of their family for the next week. Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean life has to suck!...

               Depending on who you ask, my next comment may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t care. X, formerly known as Twitter, is stupid and should change back. If I had to read “X, formerly known as Twitter,” one more time in this chapter I was going to lose my mind. However, I digress. While X has changed the delightful blue bird we all grew up with, it continues to help business promote not only their products but their visions as well. Here are some strategies for businesses to use when creating their X account.  Less Promotion, More Conversation      “Talk less, smile more.” Just kidding, in this instance, businesses are going to want to leverage X to start conversations with their customers in real-time. This can be as simple as posting a poll with a question about what color item customers want to see next. Being able to have conversations with customers is also helpful when it comes to good customer service. ...

     This week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Ohio Northern University alum Abby Brock. With a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in marketing and public relations and a love for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) club, Brock graduated from the university in 2020. Although the world was in the midst of chaos Brock still managed to find her way in the social media world.       “[I] graduated in 2020 so I was a pandemic grad, umm a little hard to find some jobs after that but [I] was able to stumble upon a customer success role with a company called Bright Edge,” Brock said.  “I was there for about a year and a half and then I transitioned into an agency where I’m at currently called Global Prairie but it was formally called Hileman Group,”       Currently, Brock works as an associate of client partnership for Global Prairie at their Cleveland location where she works on client-ba...

     Every week I have to read a chapter from the textbook for my Principles of Social Media course so we can discuss it in class. This week the chapter was all about how to create your own personal brand. There were so many steps and rules to follow but for me, it all felt normal, like I had already known this information for some reason. Was it because I grew up in a social media-heavy era? Was I just that social media savvy? Then it hit me. It all seemed normal to me because I had already been creating my personal brand and practicing those tips while going through the recruiting process. While it may not seem like being recruited for college sports and going through an interview process are even remotely the same thing in some ways they are. I had no clue what to do when I was being recruited. I didn’t know how to contact coaches, where to go for identification or “ID” camps or what I was doing period. Going through the recruiting process can be very daunting so I tho...