Social Media Breakfast: The Present and Future of Social Media

                Quinnipiac’s Social Media Breakfast took place on October 15 and was led by Phil Simon, a Quinnipiac Graduate Communications Professor. The panel consisted of local Communications professionals, including Dan Weingrod, Kevin Downs, Kristen De Ferraro and Ben Kunz. The panel chose to focus specifically on four aspects of Social Media:

·         Social Media and Advertising

·         Returns on Social Media Campaigns

·         What strategies can Social Media Experts use to reach specific audiences

·         What’s in store for the future of Social Media

                Kristen Del Ferraro is a representative from Humongo, a digital marketing agency. Del Ferraro noted that Social Media has forced Media, as a whole, to be a much more cohesive entity. “Ads on TV and Billboards now have Facebook and Twitter tags,” said Del Ferraro.  “Media hasn’t changed. The way it’s produced and distributed has.”

                Throughout the seminar, all four representatives noted that a Social Media campaign is a necessary strategy for all members of the Communications field. Social Media is such a novel idea as a legitimate form of Communications, that many professionals have had difficulty adjusting to Social Media, as well as learning how to implement it properly into a campaign. “A lot of marketers don’t understand how to use Social Media,” said Dan Weingrod, a rep from Cronin and Company. “PR pros recognize that things change, and we have to deal with it. PR has reacted more favorably to Social Media than Advertisers and Marketers.”

                So what’s in store for the future of Social Media? Has it grown so quickly that soon it will be so common that it will become overkill? All of the members of the panel agreed that Social Media will become an extremely valuable resource in the Communications field as long as professionals know how to accurately and concisely reach their targets. If the professionals are not pursuing the interests and concerns of their target markets through their Social Media campaigns, there is chance that the followers will reject the outlet as a viable source to receive information.