Using Social Media for the Good

Social media has engulfed our lives in ways we could never imagine. It is constantly with us and around everything we do. The presence of social media is ever-evolving and is growing with popularity by the hour. With the rise of social media, most businesses use these platforms as a tool to advertise and promote their products and services.

The McKinley Avenue Agency's social media division has a solid knowledge base of how different social media platforms work, and are constantly learning both in the classroom and on the job, to help clients get exposure to their brands.

The social media team develops and schedules sponsored social media posts for clients. They brainstorm ideas to make both accounts more personal and interactive for Ball State students by using modern marketing techniques.

On top of running client platforms and the agency's personal platforms, the social media team also manages Ball State Daily platforms and posts on behalf of those accounts. Ball State Daily is the online home for all of Ball State's student-run media (The Daily News, Ball Bearings Magazine, BYTE, NewsLink Indiana, WCRD 91.3) and is sold and promoted by The McKinley Avenue Agency. Ball State Daily has over 800,000 page views per year, making it a great way to reach a diverse audience by advertising online.

Camryn Ryan is the Social Media Director for The McKinley Avenue Agency. He is responsible for overseeing all social media platforms, creating graphics, and writing captions for posting. With his experience, he is able to fully immerse himself into the complexity of social media and get ahead on the latest trends.

"The McKinley Avenue Agency has changed my perspective on how intricate social media is to be very detailed and thoughtful," Ryan said.

Students at The McKinley Avenue Agency gain real world experience in a strategic communications and media sales agency by working with a wide variety of clients and being responsible for their work. It goes beyond learning in a classroom and memorizing definitions by immersing yourself into today's workforce. Ryan has been able to be a part of numerous advertising campaigns that look great on a resume.

"Helping with the opening of Muncie's Memory Spiral and now with Staying IN feels great to be a part of," Ryan said. "Being able to assist clients towards their goals and having them entrust us with that responsibility is special to us."

The Muncie Memory Spiral was in partnership with Community Enhancement Projects along with the City of Muncie and the Muncie Parks Department. Community Enhancement Projects hired the agency to develop social media posts to promote the grand opening of the Muncie Memorial Park at Heekin Park at a community-wide celebratory event.

Staying IN is an advertising campaign run by the agency that is committed to encourage Indiana college students to stay in Indiana after they graduate. Ball State's Office of Governmental Relations and Industry Engagement Jeff Eads hired the agency to create a brand, website, and social media page. In the first year of the campaign, McKinley Avenue managed an Instagram, Snapchat, website, and created video ads that ran on Hulu and YouTube.

By equipping the use of social media, businesses can now grow in ways they couldn't before. Every post and story the agency creates is meant to reach specific initiatives for a client's business. Through social media, the agency hopes to strengthen the Muncie and Delaware County community and reach their business goals.