Many schools are beginning to offer programs geared toward harnessing social networking for marketing, advertising and other business-related professions. Websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter have recently become revenue magnets that require more individuals who can control these outlets to benefit businesses.
Last year alone, Facebook brought in nearly $800 million in its sixth year of existence. The website currently has more than a half billion members who could potentially see a third party company's advertising or marketing ideas.
University of California enables business students to take online courses in social media starting in January
University of California (UC)-Irvine recently announced the unveiling of three new online courses in the school's social media and web 2.0 specialized studies program. Officials from the school said that these classes will benefit marketing professionals, business owners and entrepreneurs.
They added that the program will provide knowledge to create and implement successful marketing programs using social media tools and storytelling techniques.
"With the dramatic increase in the use of social media in the realms of business and entertainment, UC Irvine Extension offers students cutting-edge courses, allowing them to advance their careers," said Melanie Mitchell, assistant director at UC Irvine Extension. "These courses give participants the skills to compete in an increasingly digital world, where the skills to create online marketing campaigns that engage audiences are crucial for success."
The online courses examine the new phenomenon of transmedia storytelling, which examines the psychology behind creating audience engagement and challenges the strategy of traditional business models. Furthermore, after completion, students will have the skills necessary to develop a comprehensive plan for social media efforts that are aligned to the specific marketing goals of the business.
Smaller schools such as Stephens College, located in Missouri, are also beginning to offer social media classes as part of their overall business programs, the Columbia Tribune reports.
Students can earn a specialty in this course of study by adding nine credit hours, which includes three online courses that occur in eight-week cycles.
Officials from the college told the news source that courses in social media include strategy, planning, measurement and analysis. Furthermore, they added that these classes will not teach students how to use Facebook or Twitter, rather it will help them understand how and when to use social media for advertising and marketing applications.
"Organizations of all kinds are using social media to communicate with constituents," Susan Bartel, chairwoman of the graduate business programs, told the news source. “It has changed the face of how organizations do business.”
Social media jobs are increasing in number
Recent studies from Consumer Affairs has shown that the demand for social media jobs has increased by nearly 600 percent in the past five years.
Experts from the New York-based marketing and social media firm Attention told the news source that just as social media hiring has increased, the pool of qualified talent is having trouble keeping pace, which has resulted in an imbalance of supply and demand. However, this shows a need for more schools to offer course dealing in online media.
They added that there are several levels of expertise within the social media profession, which includes the community manager, which oversees a company's online presence. Another popular opportunity is in the analyst or strategist field, which builds and monitors social media campaigns.
Other, more traditional professions are being melted into the social media field such as customer service, information technology, public relations, marketing and sales.
Individuals with a public relations degree are finding more employment opportunities from the social media boom. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job prospects in this field are expected to increase by nearly 24 percent over the next eight years.
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Marketing is taught in the classroom. Tearing a telephone book in half is learned in the dorm room. Do these lessons have anything to do with each other?
I will answer that question with this question: When did you last see a college student properly use a phone book? I never have. Another question: What will happen to the phone book industry when college students Finally grow up? Probably nothing good.
So, does mutilation of phone books, physically and metaphorically, translate into all print media? The only way to know is to look at what college students read. What they read now will be what they read when they are in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Considering all, I conclude that phone books and newspapers will be, in the very near future, a thing of the past. But other mediums I have yet to mention are magazines and the Internet. Young people still read, but not what their grandparents are reading. And last I checked, today’s average college student typically outlives the average grandparent.
When making advertising decisions, business owners would do well to reevaluate, and maybe become buddies with the local bloggers. Local phone book and newspaper owners need to… well… I don’t know! Change their business models?
This article was inspired by a challenge. A local phone book WAS injured during the inspiration of this article.
]]>Celebrities on the other hand usually create pages that people can become fans of. Oddly enough, Vin Diesel has the most fans of his page by far! He has over 5 million fans. Second to him is House, from the Fox series, and real close behind him is Meghan Fox.
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