Who am I?  My name is Allison Lee, and I am an Emerging Media and Communications major at UT Dallas– or EMAC for short.  I am also the new social media Intern(ette) at Atomic DC!  Your head must be spinning with all kinds of questions like, “What in the world is an EMAC major?”, and “Does that mean you have a degree in Twitter and tests over Tumblr?”

Well no, not exactly.

You see, I was planning on going back to school for a business or marketing degree, but I am the quintessential “creative” type.  I use dorky puns, belt out Beyonce while driving, and am a little too obsessed with coffee and my cats.

I didn’t’ seem to fit into that normal black-and-white world of business and marketing.   I am just not a pantsuit kind of lady.  I love crunching numbers, but I also need time for my right brain to be let out of the cage and do a proverbial dance.

EMAC is a degree plan that takes some business and marketing, but adds a lot of content creation and graphic design in the mix.  The end result is a person who is savvy in a business setting, but knows how to communicate through various digital outlets-including Twitter and Tumblr- and can represent companies in the ever-growing and important world of online presence.

Why should businesses care about building an online presence?

How many times have you visited a social media site this month? How about this week?  Is there a day that goes by where you don’t actively engage in some sort of digital social network?  For most people in all age groups, the answer is anemphatic no.  In fact, over half of the United States population is plugged into Social Media at least once a month.

Ignoring digital marketing and paying attention to online trends means you are missing out on an audience bigger than any network TV Show.   Superbowl XLVI- in 2012- holds the record for the most-watched television event of all time with 111.3 million viewers. In September 2013, Facebook reported 727 million daily active users.  That means on an average daily basis, Facebook alone reaches over 6.5 times the amount of people that TV reached on the most-watched day and event of all time.

Thanks to devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops it is no secret the world has gone mobile.

Businesses must join the digital market, or they will miss out on clients.  When my husband and I are looking for a new restaurant to visit, we don’t stop at the newsstand and get a paper.  We use social media and mobile applications.  If a restaurant doesn’t have at least a website with a menu and a facebook page, we aren’t going there.

The age of convenience comes with a cost, and that cost is that businesses must actively participate in the technology.   It seems pretty simple, until you realize how much work it actually takes to maintain an active web presence on not just one, but several social networks.

Here are a few quick tips for turning your marketing from traditional to digital:

Don’t be alarmed.  We are here to help!  People like my new Atomic coworkers and myself are skilled in how to not only post on social media, but create interesting content so your fans will enjoy reading, engage, and become advocates of your brand.

Choose Wisely.  There are many different social media sites, and not all of them are made specifically for the industry in which your business is classified.  A florist or interior designer might find Pinterest an imperative tool in connecting with potential clients, where as a law office or surgeon may not.  Figure out which site will benefit your company the most, and give those sites all of your attention.

Get Active!  Just because you have a Facebook or Twitter page doesn’t mean people are automatically going to be a fan.  Create a fun “about me” section and take pictures. Adding a photo to a post is the fastest way to get the most engagement possible from your audience.  Snap photos around the office, and offer social media specials on goods or services you are trying to push.   People that aren’t already clients usually need incentive to follow someone.  Create a contest, and you are certain to push engagement.

Enjoy the community.  Just as you wouldn’t sit in the corner facing the wall at a cocktail party (hopefully),  you can’t ignore the built-in community with social media.   If someone follows you, follow them back or thank them for the support.  After all, this is a social network.

I look forward to the many thoughts and ideas we will share in this digital space together.  If you have enjoyed reading this and want to stay plugged in to my digital world, follow me!

Twitter: @alliemlee

Pinterest: /allison_lee

Instagram: /allisonlee1010