By Jay Lawson
Several Town of Webb students were on hand to give a presentation to the Town of Webb Board at its monthly meeting, held Tuesday, June 9.
The students, all seniors, are in the AP Government class of Mr. Timothy Leach, who was also in attendance.
“These are nine of the best and brightest we have in the school,” Leach said in introducing his students.
They were Robin Yuckel, Nicole Redpath, Melissa Murphy, Briana Brownsell, Maggie Queen, Cameron Lenci, John Gaffney, and Adam Levi, with Allyson Brosemer unavailable due to a prior commitment.
The presentation dealt with Social Media and Technology that is readily understood by the younger generation, but not always implemented to full advantage in the marketing that is managed by less savvy adults.
Leach’s class had been invited to give the talk to the Herkimer County Legislature recently and, with a few audience-specific tweaks, was now offering it to government administrators in the Town of Webb.
But the informational message was the same:
Communities, businesses and public service entities are failing to take full advantage of the benefits available through social media, thus lessening the impact they can make in the marketplace.
In the case of the Town of Webb, this means tourism and attendance numbers at events that fall short of full potential.
Not only did Mr. Leach ask his students to identify the problem in detail, he asked them to learn how governments and businesses operate and how to tailor a social media strategy to help them achieve their objectives.
Their findings were described in a Powerpoint presentation, heavy on verbal explanations from students Melissa Murphy and Maggie Queen.
County Legislator Patrick Russell, who was also in attendance for the talk, attested to the value or the information assembled and disseminated by the students.
“In the 16 years I’ve been [in the legislature], this was the best presentation ever given,” he said.
Russell said the comments of fellow legislators affirmed that assessment.
“[The presentation] really was an eye-opener,” he said.
“There are just so many opportunities that we are neglecting, because we’re not involved in social media,” Maggie said.
Melissa agreed.
“Social media not only helps us advertise, it helps us show people the type of community that we have,” she said.
And because social media stems from user participation, it is not only a before and after experience, it is also a during experience.
“It allows us to share our events, share what we’re doing, and what we’re about to do,” Melissa said.
And, as with all things internet, social media transcends geographical boundaries.
“It lets people everywhere get involved, keeping everybody up-to-date no matter where they are,” Melissa said.
Key to a successful social media campaign is the incorporation of all the various services, according to Maggie Queen.
Instagram specializes in pictures, while Youtube brings videos, Pinterest shares ideas, Google presents information. Facebook is about pictures, statuses, comments, and replies.
“And it all comes together for a really simple and easy way to get to know your community, while allowing other people to get to know it as well,” Maggie said.
Social media, by way of informational posts and comments, can draw the world into our local events, such as Paddlefest, the Black Fly Challenge, One Square Mile of Hope, the Color Run, Fall Festival, and Thunder in Old Forge, she said.
Fortunately, the cost of setting up the various social media accounts is nominal, Melissa said.
But it does require some effort to keep a social media presence updated.
“Social media is a constant, everyday job [if you want] to keep up with it,” Melissa said.
But, the good news for the town is, student experts are available everywhere to work as low-cost interns, including through the Town of Webb school’s ESCO program (Educating Students in Career Opportunities).
Herkimer County Community College also places student interns from its communications degree program, according to Melissa.
Councilman Mike Ross asked about increasing existing employees’ understanding of social media, lining them up with the current and future marketing world.
Most of today’s young people have the knowledge and are able to convey it to others, said Mr. Leach.
“They’ve already done so with their parents and grandparents,” he said.
Leach added that he was enthusiastic about facilitating mutually beneficial arrangements between students and their local government.
“I think that would be a great relationship,” he said.
“[Students] could work big events. They could go around and basically fill up Old Forge social media [with uploads and posts],” Leach said.
Leach said that social media efforts won’t increase tourism in a day, but lend rather to a compounding effect.
“Lots of businesses are doing that now,” he said.
And communities are doing it to increase interest and boost tourism, Melissa added.
“[Old Forge and Herkimer County] really should be jumping on these sites,” she said. “It’s about staying updated with the social media, the website… just spreading the word.”