Category: Communications and Marketing

“There’s always somebody interested in how people feel so that they can meet their consumer where they live.”

 

Episode 16 of Select+CT with John Murphy, University of Connecticut, Digital Media Department 

 

 

Whether it be sneaky advertisements that are way too accurate, or weirdly timed pop-up ads, I think it’s safe to say that we might occasionally ponder or joke about the fact that our phones might be “listening” to us. Well, it’s true; mostly.

John Murphy, Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut’s Digital Media Department, spoke with David DesRoches about the art of social media listening. The phrase “social media listening” is often misinterpreted for something less noteworthy; it’s the ability for anyone in any industry to use a platform(s) and listen in on publicly available conversations. 

The social media listening industry is going online and listening in on anything public on websites, social media, and broadcast media; basically, whatever data we make available online is potentially sold to these platforms for analysis. Tweets, Reddit threads, Instagram comments, and TikTok videos are all public whether or not you’re aware of it. This trail of content allows marketers, brands, and anybody who wants to find out what our online behaviors say about our interests and potential buying habits.

“Topics can range from politics to how you feel about Nike sneakers,” John said. “There’s always somebody interested in how people feel so they can meet their consumer where they live.”

See Also: Content Marketing

Social media listening companies have agreements with Reddit, Twitter, etc., to gain insight into what we transfer from our minds to the screen. When you’re employed by one of these info-seeking agencies, balancing social media listening so that it doesn’t carry over into cyberstalking (a crime) is required. From a company perspective, John emphasizes that you need to know from an ethical standpoint what you will do with collecting that legal & public information.

“Rule of thumb is if it feels icky, don’t do it,” he added. How far do you go into looking into the data? You don’t want to be tracking a human being by their every online move, “you have to take it upon yourself to run an ethical and clean chop of the data.” he said.

This particular topic reminds me of the Netflix series called “The Social Dilemma.”  The film exposes social media creators & employees for building massive collective profiles of us using our many accounts. This means there is a digital persona of us in their databases that they can use to sell advertisements or commercials to determine what they think we might like or how we could be influenced in political campaigns. 

For digital content creators, understanding social media listening is crucial because not only could you be producing content in response to data gathered from this process, but you are also sharing content that contributes to the social media listening system.

Featured Program

Fairfield University (located in CT) offers two excellent bachelor’s of arts in communications and public relations. One of their statements is “We examine the verbal and nonverbal messages that people exchange in various settings.”. Check out these programs here. 

DMCT Micro-Credentials

If you are unsure how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a course graduate and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!

“How can I not only get this beautiful storytelling – or this amazing piece of journalism – onto all these platforms but how can I tell it in a way that makes sense with that platform?”

 

Episode 20 of Select+CT with Lauren Komrosky, Chief Digital Officer, Connecticut Public 

 

 

 

Television and radio programs have been broadcasting to the public since November 2, 1920: when KDKA station made the nation’s first commercial broadcast. It was election day, and Americans around the country got to hear the election results. Warren Harding had won the race for President. 

Since then the content broadcast has grown exponentially and we enjoy new and evolving forms of news and entertainment from various platforms. In this episode of the Select+CT podcast, Lauren Komrosky and Jake Volckso from Connecticut Public discuss Digital Media’s influence on traditional broadcasts. 

See Also: Community Engagement

Lauren has been with the company for about 6 years, she started with marketing and research and ran a community engagement digital content initiative called the Yup Network. Within these networks, she has made it her mission to work with creators of color because representation is important to not only her, but her company. Her co-worker Jake is in a similar position. 

Both employees shared that their company started as a television station, but is now completely multi-platform. “We are watching and learning how people consume content, our content, what they want from us,” said Lauren. When expanding to other platforms to broadcast, she suggests catering your content to fit each platform best individually. How can you tell the story in a way that makes sense with that platform?

Jake shed light on the fact that public media is in a prime position to excel for you if you’re considering entering the digital media space. You have to have a “digital mindset” and be comfortable pushing the boundaries on the types of content you’re putting out there. It’s about trial and error, but you might have to try and fail a couple of times before you get it right. 

Featured Program

Did you know that Quinnipiac University offers a Masters degree in public relations? Through their online program, you can learn skills and strategies needed for every aspect of communications in todays world! For more information visit their website.

DMCT Micro Credentials

If you are unsure of how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a graduate of the program and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!

“I think it really just comes down to starting a vision in your dorm room and being able to get great people around you.” 

 

Episode 12 of Select+CT with David Salinas, Co-Founder of Digital Surgeons and Innovation District in New Haven, Pete Sena, Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Surgeons

 

 

Since listening to the Select+CT podcast, I’ve felt motivated to hype up Connecticut through these blog posts. Although this is a Connecticut-centric podcast, the contents of this particular episode can apply to anyone, anywhere. It’s about entrepreneurship, passion, belief, and commitment. 

In an episode of the Select+CT podcast, the co-founders for one of Connecticut’s largest Digital Media agencies participated in an interview about their company and how it started in their University dorm room. 

At first, they shared that the experience began with understanding who can make 2+2 equal 5 -a.k.a: getting the most out of a business partnership- is crucial. A collaboration between two individuals who want to move an arrow in the same direction can make or break a business venture. Sometimes it only takes two people, but other times it can take many.

“Your network is your net worth,” said David Salinas to Pete Sena when they first met. David started working for a digital marketing company in New Haven and was trying to get a music business going. An engineer working for that marketing company told David he had to meet Pete because Pete was a “wizard with computers.” Since David was influencing sales, and Pete was working in tech, together they figured a partnership would be a good match; it was. Where Pete was weak, David was strong. It was a balance, an interconnection between the two. This created a “yin and yang” exchange which later contributed to the success of their company and also future companies. “Nothing great was never done by a single person,” said Pete. 

See Also: Careers In Creative Technology

Understand that there is a need for how design and tech come together. This is why it is so important to have those interconnections when constructing a digital media company. A partnership doesn’t always mean two people; sometimes, it’s when you reach out for mentorship or advisors that can amplify your goals. David says you should rely only on one another to fill some gaps. If you find someone who has an opposing weakness to you, then your strength can be significant. How many business partners you need depends on the nature of your business venture. Is it a small business, and do you intend to keep it that way? Or are you planning on expanding into a massive corporation? That second one might take more than two people, no matter how badly you want to succeed.

As I reflect on this episode, I realize I never thought much about starting a company, but David and Pete have proved it’s possible.

Featured Company

Digital Surgeons is one of Connecticut’s largest Digital Media agencies. They work on various Digital Media and marketing projects and always looking for Digital Media talent. Learn more about the company and its current opening here.

DMCT Micro Credentials

If you are unsure of how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a graduate of the program and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!

“People don’t just want to see an ad anymore. They want to see content that means something to them.” 

 

Episode 7 of Select+CT with Colleen Sherry, Henkel

 

 

I can never take those medication ads seriously. 

They conform to the same rigid formats that require a list of the severe side effects that may occur, all while playing upbeat elevator music!

No amount of skip ad buttons can make up for the stampede of companies that follow it, and this is only one of many forms of adverts we routinely see when watching content. However, do advertisers have any other choice when reaching a large audience?

I recently reviewed a 2020 Select + Podcast on this topic and discovered that brands are getting more creative in producing and distributing content to their audience.

According to the US Digital Marketing Lead at Henkel, 71 percent of people are turned off by “sales-y” content. She also advised that 63 percent said they’d think more positively of a brand if it was more valuable, relevant, or interesting to them. So Colleen engaged her creativity and explored other ways to market one of Henkel’s hair color and styling brands to millennials and gen Z. 

See also: Social Media Listening

Colleen noticed that viewers craved content of value. As gen Z and millennial consumers develop more sophisticated and personal views on ad preferences, digital landscapes (in alignment with consumer landscapes) have evolved. Brands must evolve with their consumers. Instead of just advertising to someone with a product, feature, and price, you should bring content to the consumer that they will enjoy while valuing that core information of price and product. The Ad should align the brand with what the consumer wants. The audience will be more likely to engage with your product because it directly relates to them. Colleen also noted that brands like Nike or Addidas have the upper hand because they slap their logo onto anything. So, if you’re wearing a Nike t-shirt with the brand’s logo on it, you are advertising Nike for free (not that Nike needs more advertising at this point).

Colleen Sherry worked with an external agency to develop a 9-episode series of short-form videos distributed on YouTube. These videos told the story of a young female DJ that wanted to secure her career. She eventually developed her own means of self-expression through her music, which is what Colleen’s brand is about; self-expression but through hair. “Millennials don’t trust traditional ads. So it’s not just that we don’t want to do traditional advertising. We’re not going to get through to our consumer if we do.” Said Colleen. As I reflected on this episode, I was not only impressed with the creativity of social media strategists like Colleen who pursue new ways to produce and share content for marketing, but also the new opportunities this may create for film and video producers.

Featured Program

For our CT-featured undergraduate program, check out Central Connecticut State University’s marketing major. The staff treats this as a “Bachelor of Science” study, which differs from the typical BA or MA in marketing. The courses are more analytical and train your mind to think of marketing strategies from a scientific perspective.

DMCT Micro Credentials

If you are unsure of how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a graduate of the program and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!