Being a Headhunter just sounds… LEGIT (hands down, period, end of story)

As a senior at East Carolina University, and graduation approaching in just over a month, the options for starting my life are numerous. What can you do with a marketing degree, well, basically anything! Every company has a marketing department whether it’s big or small. I always imagined myself working at some corporate headquarters coming up with the “next big thing” as far as advertising goes; and that may happen, but not yet at least. I want to be at a job with more day-to-day fire and excitement!

I read this article recently called, Executive Recruiter Career – How to Become a Headhunter. Granted, it was written in 2008, but there are still some good points the author made throughout the article. After reading it, I determined that yes, indeed, I want to be a recruiter. Or should I say, headhunter, which just sounds awesome! Being able to match a potential candidate up with a job they may not have otherwise known about can be life changing for them! I want to be a part of something where I get to work with people directly and impact their life in some way, whether it be large or small. I see myself as a recruiter, doing just that – changing lives.

In my research, I have found two really great recruiting agencies, Insight Global and Creative Circle. The corporate culture at firms such as these tends to be high energy and fast paced with an emphasis on team work from fellow employees who are self-motivated. I would fit right in!

How FAR will you go down the RABBIT HOLE?

Augmented reality games are generally overlooked when a casual internet user is looking for an entertaining online game. Most people opt to play games like Farmville, Words with Friends, or Mafia Wars because they are quick and easy to play. They are catchy and offer a short surge of entertainment, but don’t satisfy any user for an extended period of time. What if there were a different type of game that didn’t leave its players bored? What if there was a game which kept users engaged for months at a time rather than just 30 minutes. Welcome to the realm of augmented reality gaming, where the game itself is something to be figured out and distributed by every user.

The genre of these types of games will obviously vary greatly depending on the specific game you are playing. One type of game, Hashtag Killer is a social, mystery game which is ultimately geared toward engaging fans of USA Network’s show Psych. Players sign in and “become Shawn and Gus’s new assistant, communicating with them daily to help catch the elusive killer before he strikes again!” The benefit of this game is that the “more you play, the more points you’ll earn” which can then be redeem for points at Club Psych to get real Psych merchandise! (The Official Hashtag Killer Thread).  Throughout the 6 week time period of the game, players “can log into HashtagKiller.com to get clues and messages to try and solve the case as new content is posted each week” (Launches Social Game #HashtagKiller). Advertisements for the Psych show on USA Network encompass both in-game advertising and script placement, with most of the emphasis on script as per the nature of the game itself.

As a new user of Hashtag Killer, I found it rather confusing. My theory for this confusion stems from the fact that I am relatively unfamiliar with the show Psych. While I have watched it a few times, I am unable to pick up on the subtle clues referenced in the game whereas an avid Psych watcher would easily make those connections. As a consumer however, I am a fan of what USA Network is doing with this augments reality game. USA Network has successfully been able to reach their desired target audience with the help of this game.  Listed below are actual stats relating to the usage of the Hashtag Killer game:

Metrics Behind Press Releases REVEALED

On November 1, 2011, at 1:00pm EST, HubSpot’s Social Media Scientist, Dan Zarrella, and PR Newswire’s VP of Social Media, Sarah Skerik, teamed up to present a webinar about press releases. This webinar, which can be found at http://www.hubspot.com/the-science-of-pr-thanks, discusses the different tactics that can be employed to increase things like total views, engagement, media/spider visits, and Facebook sharing regarding press releases. Using the data provided by PR Newswire, Dan analyzes the effect that day of the week, hour of day, length of headline, photos, videos, and digits have on an individual press release. He makes uses graphs and charts to depict his analyses of these topics.

What does all that mean though, and why are press releases even important? Well, I will tell you. According to prweb.com, “press release distribution helps you create buzz, increase online visibility, and drive website traffic.” The whole point of creating a press release is to make other people aware of your information so that they can share it with all of their followers. As a result, you are able to increase the reach of your information 10 fold by simply creating, and distributing, a press release on sites such as PR Newswire.

Dan accurately outlines in this webinar how and when to distribute your press releases. Listed below are 8 things that I found to be most important and interesting:

1. 30 to 130 characters is the optimum length for a press release headline. Too short and the viewer will not have an accurate understanding of what to expect, and too long and view may get bored reading the headline – that’s no good.

2. Headlines that contain “digits” fair better than those without.

Southwest is AWESOME! (really they are)

Southwest Airlines is one of the most social brands that I have come across. Through the use of social media, they have enabled their users to practically promote the Southwest name themselves! Following are some questions which I’ve answered regarding Southwest and their marketing approach and strategies.

Briefly introduce the company and its marketing approach

The basis of Southwest Airline’s marketing approach is to listen to their consumers. Listening is one of the smartest things a company can do and Southwest does this extremely well. By listening to their consumers, and paying attention to the talk on the rest of the internet, Southwest is able to apply what they have heard and have relevant conversation with consumers. This builds brand loyalty, as a result of the emotional connection consumers’ form with Southwest. In order to listen well, a company needs to be active in the areas in which consumers are talking. Southwest is active in many social media sights including:  Twitter. Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube, Gowalla, Foursquare, a blog – Nuts About Southwest.

My Social Standing

What am I doing as my digital self across the internet? Where do I fit in with other users of social media? There are so many avenues to be involved in online it is difficult to classify exactly where I, as an individual, fit in; and also, where you fit in. It is possible though to determine precisely how your use of social media fits into the grand scheme of things.

Consider Forrester’s Social Technographics. For me, I would fall partly under the “Creator” category with the majority of my time spent in the “Conversationalist” category. I have created my own website, http://www.emilybaumgartner.com, which doesn’t necessarily exist anymore because it was too expensive. I had this website for a year, but I’ve moved on primarily because I can achieve the same results with free sites, such as http://about.me/emilybaum. So I have created some content online just not as much as people who may be fully involved with creating content, it’s just not as appealing to other users as a funny YouTube video would be. However, I do aspire to be a full-blown creator one day, when I have more time to devote to creating content. As for the conversationalist ranking I’ve bestowed upon myself, this comes mostly from my interactions on Facebook and Twitter. I talk with my friends, posting on their walls and tweeting at them and such. It’s easier to be involved at this level because most people are. It’s also a convenient level to be involved at because I am on par with my peers.

So… It’s Not a Craft, But Is Really Inspiring

As I was scouring the internet in hopes to be inspired regarding what to post about, a great friend of mine led me to this video by Patagonia about the 1% for the Planet movement. As I mentioned in the title, it has absolutely nothing to do with crafts, making things, and/or diy projects; but, you really have to watch it. Your life will change! Okay, that’s a big statement, but you will definitely have a renewed love for nature and the environment. Basically, 1% for the Planet is “a  network of companies that give at least 1% of their sales to environmental causes. It has grown into a global movement with companies of every size” (Patagonia). Hearing the testimonies from both large and small business owners about this movement and seeing how such a small commitment makes such a large impact is amazing! Watch the link below:

http://video.patagonia.com/video/1-of-the-Story/player?layout=compact&read_more=1

Here is a link to the page at Patagonia:  http://video.patagonia.com/video/1-of-the-Story

What to Expect!

A blog about making new stuff with old stuff – this pretty much defines the crafts that I do on a regular basis. I plan to post a combination of things that I have already created as well as things which I aspire to make! You can expect to see nifty pictures of super cool crafts along with any critiques and praises I may have. I look forward to getting this blog up and going and collaborating ideas!

-em