A few types of social media marketing

Content Marketing/Content Creating: This is where a company will make content and share it on a social media platform. It can be anything from a podcast, videos, emails, etc. These messages are personal and should help the company achieve its objectives and reach a specific audience.

Advertising/Sponsorship: This is a more formal way of using social media. It is a non-personal message that promotes, or sells a product, service, or concept. You are able to create and place the exact message you want.

Influencer Marketing: This is where a company can use a social media influencer to help promote their product. This influencer is trusted and has a loyal audience, so when they share the product, it raises brand visibility.

Check out this article about 10 different types of social media to learn about other types of social media marketing.

Which type of Marketing high schoolers respond to the best

Overall, most high schoolers respond best to Influencer Marketing or Content Creating/Content Marketing, specifically on popular social media apps like TikTok or Instagram. Personally, I find traditional ads are easy to scroll past compared to an interesting video that grabs your attention. With influencer marketing, these content creators already have a following, making it a perfect place to promote. However, it is crucial to find a content creator that aligns with the idea for your product. Many beauty companies will pair up with a content creator that has an entire page on that specific topic, making it relevant on that page.

On the other hand, making original content for a company or a brand can be extremely successful. Many popular companies now have accounts on popular social media platforms and are active in many different ways. Some comment on posts that mention them or will repost videos made about them as well as making their own.

How to stand out

There are many ways to stand out as a company and gain traction through social media. I think one of the best ways are brand trips. Brand trips are when a company takes a group of influencers on an all-expense paid vacation. These trips always get a lot of attention and influencers spend the duration of it promoting the brand and what it sells. These have proven time and time again to be an effective way to bring attention to a company and product.

Another great way to bring attention to your brand is make a TikTok account. On average, high schoolers spend 113 minutes a day just on TikTok, significantly more than any other social media site. It can take a while to gain a following, so patience is important. Once an account reaches a point of success, they typically continue to grow.

After a fun and insightful summer with Front Porch Marketing, my internship has come to an end. Front Porch has taught me what it’s like to apply my advertising and marketing skills I acquired in college to real-life scenarios and clients.

Leading up to my first day at FPM, I was very nervous and did not know what to expect. But the team welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to see my full potential. I learned various skills and traits this summer in a low-stress and educational environment that I look forward to using for the rest of my career.

The Best Part of My Internship

My favorite part of my internship was working with one of our clients, Faith Family Academy. Our goal was to increase enrollment for the 2023 school year. We were doing a lot of promoting events and advertising on many different platforms. I got to see what it was like to strategically advertise to a certain target audience in a real life situation.

I learned so much about ad placement and design that I never would have thought to use before. Ultimately, this hands-on experience has taught me things I could never learn in a classroom. Most of all it taught me how to act accordingly in a professional setting.

Internships Are a Valuable Experience

The things I learned this summer I will never take for granted. I was lucky enough to expand my knowledge on marketing. They taught me with hands-on experience and a team that wanted me to succeed. I’ll apply this knowledge to my future. And I will use the experience I have acquired to drive a successful career for myself.  So I cannot thank the people I have worked with enough this summer at my internship. Plus I look forward to keeping in touch with them as I start my professional career, after my senior year at Texas Tech University!

Client-Agency Partnerships Require Nurturing

Client-Agency partnerships don’t happen instantly. Do you ever wonder what makes a strong working relationship between a client and an advertising agency? I’ve walked in the shoes of both and know first-hand the frustration that can ensue if there isn’t a solid relationship.

A successful partnership begins before the ink is dry on a formal agreement and is nurtured throughout the relationship. While there are many traits of a successful relationship, focusing on the following will help start a genuine connection from day one.

1. Drive Home That You Are Partners
   It is critical from day one that both the client and the agency view each other as partners in a client-agency partnership. Both bring unique knowledge and skills to the table. The client knows their customers better than anyone and brings the overall goals, while the strategy and execution come from the agency. Everyone must work together purposefully and respectfully to make the vision come to life.
2. Open and Honest Communication
   It’s ok for both sides to push back. Successful client-agency partners don’t always agree. Being open to honest feedback and seeing different perspectives provides a better result. Set boundaries when giving feedback. And remember, it should never be derogatory or condescending.
3. Set Expectations and Define Success
   When establishing a new client-agency partnership, the client and agency must understand each other’s processes. Schedule an onboarding meeting to share best practices, processes and procedures, timelines, etc. It is also imperative to define success together. Everyone needs to understand the agreed-upon goals, that objectives are easily measurable, and KPIs are defined.

Team Client-Agency For the Win!

It is important to remember at the end of the day, the client and the agency are working toward the same goal. You’re a team. Yes, there will be disagreements at times. But a solid partnership built on mutual respect, trust, and open and honest communication is a winning recipe for a long-lasting and successful relationship.

Looking For More Than a Beach Read? Try One of These Marketing Books.

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Messages So Customers Will Listen

Written by Donald Miller, this book is the perfect guide to strengthen your relationships and loyalty to your consumers. This book draws on the seven universal powers of storytelling. It teaches you how to craft a brand story to gain a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.

Building a StoryBrand is the marketing book that will transfigure the way you sell your brand. And the value it brings. It is for leaders who are wondering how to create a clear and consistent brand message. This book is the perfect read for helping you reach your audiences.

Contagious, Why Things Catch On

This book written by Jonah Berger explains the science behind how word-of-mouth and social transmission work. Berger reveals six principles of how ideas and products catch on, appealing to business leaders, politicians, health officials, and anyone trying to sell an idea or product. The book was a New York Times bestseller. It was also awarded the best marketing book in 2014 by the American Marketing Association.

For scientific and analytical thinkers, this is the best marketing book to help you understand the science behind the human brain and natural human tendencies when marketing your brand.

Hacking Growth: How Today’s Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success

Looking to rapidly grow your brand? Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown is perfect for you. This read touches on the marketing strategy called Growth Hacking. It originated in Silicon Valley and refers to the rapid growth of a company. This book provides you with all the necessities and tools. Your teams can use it to maximize growth, customer base, and market share in a reasoned and deliberate way.

Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind

Are you overwhelming your customers with information? Are they skeptical of the over-consumption of media? Then this marketing book written by Al Ries and Jack Trout is perfect for you. The goal of this book is to keep your brand’s strengths and weaknesses in mind, and use this information to strategically position your company in the customer’s minds.

Whether you are new to the market or seasoned, this book provides you with the information to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Make an educated approach to align your brand with your customer’s needs.

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends and Friends Into Customers

Seth Godin reveals his alternative marketing strategy of advertising goods and services only after getting advance consent. People do not respond positively when their lives are “interrupted” by unwanted advertisements.

This book shows brands how to effectively use permission marketing and the wide success it has had on various companies. If you are looking for a way to passively market your brand in a manner that consumers will find subtle and professional, this is the perfect book to read.