Social media certificate student spotlight: Allison Young

Allison Young is a junior here at Ohio University, but she is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She explains how the social media certificate has helped her to gain a deeper understanding of social media. 

Academic programs: Communication studies major, advertising and public relations minor and social media certificate. 

What made you decide to get a social media certificate? When I decided to declare the advertising and public relations minor, I knew that I wanted to get a deeper understanding of social media. Social media is a large part of communication and marketing/PR strategies for brands and companies, and it was important for me to be able to grasp the larger concepts such as social media campaigns, planning, and understanding the analytics and data collection behind various platforms.

Is there anything you are working on currently? Currently, I am in a strategic social media course that has helped me take on real world experiences by practicing developing campaigns for brands through social media. For my final project I will be using the brand Celsius, which is a healthy alternative to an energy drink. I will be researching their current media presence, engagement, and frequency. This information and data collection will assist in developing a mock social media campaign.

What are your professional goals? 

• Integrate myself in a work environment that is progressive and supportive. 
• Communicate with a purpose by making impacts with my work. 
• Develop strong management and leadership skills. 

How do you think the social media certificate will help you? The social media certificate will help me to become more acclimated to what is “new” and “in” within the media. It is important to constantly stay up to date because social media is forever changing and developing. Users are constantly changing their opinions on what trends, brands, and platforms are within pop culture. Through taking courses included in the certificate, I will feel more prepared and confident in understanding the interworking and dynamics of social media.

What social media channels do you run? I currently run my personal Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. In the past, I have done work for an events company where I assisted in managing their various social media channels and I am looking forward to doing more work for other companies soon.