Being First on Social Part 3: Niclas Långsten

As the first group of Social Media Management students complete their coursework, here are their reflections on this experience:

Once seen as a tool for personal amusement, social media platforms are now indispensable marketing tools in business. Thus, with the growing need for social media managers, social-savvy candidates are in high demand. Whether it’s analytical skills or a creative mindset, social media literacy will give any job candidate a competitive advantage. That’s why Academy of Art University’s Social Media Center (SMC) now offers a first-of-its-kind Award of Completion in Social Media Management for students who have completed a series of courses dedicated to the subject. We sat down with five students who were among the first twelve to graduate with the Award of Completion in Social Media Management: Marisa Tania, Krystyn Nakamura, Alexander Tombach, Gabriela Granziera, and Niclas Långsten. We spoke to each about the role of social media in their respective fields of study, the social trends in their home countries, and the invaluable experience they’ve gained at the Social Media Center.

NICLAS LÅNGSTEN, BFA ADVERTISING

SMC: How important is social media in advertising?

Niclas Långsten: Social media is essential for advertising in general, because like never before, we have had such access to reach people. Social media helps reach your audience and does a remarkable job at learning who finds value in your content. We can pinpoint what kind of person we are looking for, and we can show quality content to the right people. It’s a win-win situation, since people don’t want to get unnecessary advertising that they don’t care about. It’s such a gift to advertisers especially, considering how much time and how many people use social media.

SMC: What skills improved while taking courses at the SMC?

NL: I’d say working with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It is something that is extremely important when you are setting up goals. Every action you take during a campaign should be revolving around your goal, and you can always track the success by looking at the number of your KPIs.

SMC: Are there any differences in the way people approach social media in the U.S. compared to your home country of Sweden?

NL: I think the big differences in approaching social media come from different ages and interests than locations. For example, there is this app called Houseparty that I know younger people use to communicate in a group video chat. If you are a gamer you might be on Twitch. People can be on Twitch if they are 13 or 65 and they can both be in Sweden and in the U.S.

SMC: What brand did you pick for your final project, and why?

NL: While I was still a student at Academy of Art University, I was lucky enough to become a co-founder of a startup, Stilla Motion, where I am doing marketing right now. I was using Stilla as my project for the class, and I had an amazing opportunity to combine learning and applying what I learned directly at the same time. I got an excellent foundation on what’s supposed to be done and what the best practices are by our fantastic teacher, Jaime Galli. Because of my branding project for Stilla, I was also on the list of the top 32 advertising and marketing professionals under 32 by the San Francisco Egotist together with some big names.

SMC: How did you got involved with the brand?

NL: It’s a really funny story about how it all started. One day, I was recycling trash in the back of my apartment building, and somebody started yelling at me because I wasn’t doing it well, then she turned out to be my soon-to-be boss. As a fellow Swedish, we began to talk, and Elin Elkehag told me about this idea she had about a motion alarm that instantly alerts your phone when something moves when it shouldn’t. We are now a team of five people working full-time.

SMC: Was there one tool or case study that stood out?

NL: Knowing social media tools is like having one more weapon in your arsenal. When I studied social media, I was thrilled that I came across Hubspot, a customer relationship management tool that is a full stacked inbound marketing and sales platform. I picked that from Jaime’s PRO 315: Social Media Strategy class, and that has been helpful with my job right now.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a social media strategist, consider enrolling in any of the Social Media Center courses at the Academy of Art University.

Text by Academy of Art University’s Social Media Center Contributing Editors: Margaret Winkler, BFA Advertising and Marisa Tania, BA Fashion Journalism