What’s your goal for 2018?

“Focus” is a good word to describe how I will approach my personal goals. I am an Assistant Professor teaching in Organization Development, Change, Marketing, Strategic Leadership, Management and Cultural Communications and Team Development.  I cover so many areas in my professional life that sometimes it feels fuzzy and uncontrollable to zero in on one topic or thread together all of my expertise.  I will start by connecting my key passion areas and build a content plan there.  I will also sprinkle in a little more personality because it’s important for my audience to know who I am; not just what I do.

By January 1, 2018, I will write a personal social media editorial content calendar. This will help me to formally pull together content that I write or plan to share. I should be able to better target professionals and audiences that I intend to connect with via social platforms. Hopefully this will impact both my personal and professional brands.

I plan to develop and launch a strategic consulting business to serve the needs of small businesses by January 2019.  I pride myself on being a local shopper and want to reach others who are interested in keeping purchases in the community.

What’s your prediction for social media next year?

In 2018, I think we will see social media-related relationships becoming even more important. Here are three key areas of interest for fueling two-way conversations.

More social media activism.

The #MeToo movement and the Women’s March are two campaigns that have made an impact on social media activism.  The “Me Too” phrase was introduced 10 years ago by activist Tarana Burke, while the Women’s March is in its infancy just starting January 21, 2017. I suspect that more activism will take shape via the use of social media outlets to start tough conversations and help people become more comfortable sharing their stories.

Focus on etiquette for kids (and parents) on social media.

I hear from friends that their teens are struggling with social media use. They feel left out on many occasions when they see a post that was made by a friend that should have invited them to their house but did not.  The impact of the behavior on social media is hurtful to the uninvited friends.  I feel like there is a niche here in helping kids become comfortable with his or her virtual selves, as well as support for parents on guiding children through the psychological impacts of choices made on social media platforms.

Facebook Messenger for Kids launched this month. The app targets children ages 6-12 years-old

(https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/12/introducing-messenger-kids-a-new-app-for-families-to-connect/). As a mom of two children under the age of 5 I have really mixed feelings about this kind of tool. It seems more appropriate for children approaching the teenage years.

Gains in video.

Did you know that “The average viewer is expected to watch 36 minutes of online video per day on a mobile device?” (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/10-marketing-trends-to-think-about-for-2018_us_5994b288e4b055243ea1357c) Wow!  More video is consumed on mobile devices than desktop computers now.  You will see a larger shift of the advertising budget going to mobile video advertising.  Companies and education providers are seeing the value in relatively inexpensive creation of video content to push products and services and engage individuals in learning.

I’m excited for a fresh new year and to see if my goals and predictions come true (and make a difference)!

 

Author: Melissa Goodson

Melissa Goodson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Business and Technology at The College of St. Scholastica, St. Paul campus where she teaches and develops courses for the MBA in Leadership & Change program.  For over 12 years, she has worked in leadership roles in marketing communications, product management and strategic planning for media companies.  She serves as a board member and Marketing & Communications Director for the Minnesota Organization Development Organization.  Her professional interests include brand management, leadership development and organizational culture.

Twitter: @melissaagoodson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissa-goodson-7390579