My Reflective Essay by
The project we undertook focused on using social media to attract the audience to attend an event with the focus on how first-year university students can be drawn. We started by conducting background research on the concept of audience attraction and formulation of the research deliverables and objectives. We then performed a literature review that focused on finding scholarly views regarding the topic. We examined the concept of audience response theory as an academic concept that explains the factors affecting consumers’ perceptions regarding the information displayed in social media of different categories. We also conducted a literature search of the ideas of forms of social media and how they are used presently. The kinds of social media we researched included: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
The research that we conducted was secondary because it involved an online search in databases containing information about the integration of social networking sites in marketing. A literature review was also undertaken to provide scholarly studies examining the ideas of demographic and psychographic characteristics of the audience. We found that these concepts could act as background information regarding the idea of consumer reaction to information placed on social media. The actual research we conducted was done collaboratively. Each of the 4 group members conducted individual research to identify the patterns of social media use by university students. We examined the relationship between the demographic characteristics and the forms of social media users, the features of different categories of social media that attracted the users of social networking sites, and the nature of the usage of various groups of social media with the focus on identifying the social networks that had the highest number of users. We compiled our findings and used them to recommend the strategy of presenting invitation information regarding the SAP event at the university. For instance, we suggested that the event organizers must provide regular updates on social networks to motivate the first-year students to attend the SAP event.
Another important consideration that must be observed is the first-year students’ reception of the different social media platforms. We have to recognize that these are millennials at the peak of their youth. Therefore, the social media platforms chosen must suit their preferences. Facebook is a platform that is widely used, but I learned that it is not the most popular among the millennials. Similarly, LinkedIn is an explicit App but more popular among professionals and graduates seeking job opportunities. The millennials are impressed by glamour, trend, and popularity. The two Apps that promoted these characteristics were Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Twitter was majorly for witty comments and to let the first years express their ideas of what they think about the events and the additional things that should be incorporated. Through this, we made them feel like part of the game and even made some feel obligated to attend. Instagram was used to showcase the previous events and give the first years a sneak peek of what to expect. The primary lesson I learned was that all social media platforms are essential, but the audience and the context dictate the relevance of social media in marketing.