Back to School: A Lesson in PR & Social Media

By Matter

Last week, I had the chance to visit Endicott College with my colleague Tim Hurley. We presented on the topic of social media and how it is used in brand marketing, to a class of about 25 Communications students. This was a great opportunity to start with – it was a way for Matter to give back to the community and connect with students interested in PR (not to mention, it helped me practice my speaking skills!). But what made it even more awesome is this fact: I only graduated from college myself less than a year ago.

During the presentation, Tim shared some background about the PR industry and the rapidly changing landscape of social media, along with insight into what it is like to work for a PR agency. We then jumped into social, talking about the work we do with clients each day and how to measure and achieve success in a world of hashtags and tweets. At the end, we encouraged the students to turn to a partner and complete a case study, so they could try their own hand at creating a social media campaign.

As I presented to the class, I couldn’t help thinking about the fact that I had been in their shoes so recently. A year ago, I had been a student in my senior year at Brandeis University, passionate about PR, but not really knowledgeable about how the industry worked. Even now, I still have so much to learn, but it’s exciting to look back and see how far I’ve come in terms of understanding and being able to develop and implement a PR and social media strategy. And this brings me to something I want to mention about Matter.

If you’re an employee who wants to learn at Matter, the whole world is open to you. You can ask your colleagues any questions, and everyone encourages outside the box thinking. If you have a creative idea, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Account Manager or an Account Coordinator – your team will listen and support you.  In my nine months at Matter, I’ve have many opportunities to face challenges and grow in my career. I may be an Account Coordinator, but I do so much more than organize media lists and print agendas. Matter does not try to place its employees in a box, or confine them based on hierarchy. And this is why an opportunity like speaking at a college was open to me. If you’re interested in working in PR, I’d recommend finding an agency that pushes you and encourages you to make those crucial steps forward in your career.

I had a great time speaking at Endicott. I loved hearing insight from the students about various brands they’d noticed as successful on social, or social media campaigns they’re looking to kick off in the future. Thanks for having us!