Social Media Workshop

This past week, I attended Ohio Northern University’s Social Media Workshop hosted by the Public Relations Student Society of America. As a member of PRSSA and a student in a social media class, attending this event was required, but it ended up being a really valuable and eye-opening experience.

The day started in the Chapel with keynote speaker Caroline Schumacher, CEO of Give Kids the World. She spoke about leadership, personal branding and the importance of showing up with intention. One idea that stood out to me was that leadership is a decision. It is something you have to choose. She also explained that your personal brand is built through consistency and value over time, not by going viral or focusing only on aesthetics. Her message was inspiring and made me think more about how I present myself both online and in person.

Throughout the day, I attended several breakout sessions that focused on different areas of social media and marketing. One of my favorite sessions was led by Amy Arnold and Kelly Savage from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. They explained how organic and paid social media work together. Organic content helps build community and authenticity, while paid media expands reach and provides stronger insights. They also emphasized the importance of testing factors like target audience, timing and content. One thing I found especially interesting was the shift from hashtags to keywords.

I also attended a session with Shannon Caldwell, who spoke about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals and understanding your audience. She shared how these strategies applied to her experience marketing a mobile health clinic and creating a mobile health locator app. This showed how important it is to clearly define your goals and know who you are trying to reach.

To wrap up the day, I listened to Tyler Louth, who spoke about artificial intelligence and how it is shaping the future of marketing. He explained that AI is becoming a major part of the industry and that learning how to use it effectively will be important moving forward.

One of the best parts of the ex
perience was connecting with professionals and alumni. During lunch and the PR Alumni Dinner, I had the opportunity to network, ask questions and hear about real experiences in the field. Being part of PRSSA, especially at ONU, really does feel like being part of a supportive community.

Overall, I really enjoyed the workshop and found each session interesting and useful. At the same time, it helped me realize something important about my own career path. While I value learning about social media and understand how important it is in marketing, I do not see myself pursuing a career focused specifically on social media or public relations. Instead, I am more interested in sales and broader marketing roles.

Even though this experience shifted my perspective, it was still extremely beneficial. It helped me better understand the industry, what I enjoy and what I see myself doing in the future. I am grateful for the opportunity and excited to keep learning and growing.