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Wittenborg University students embark on Social Media Project.

At least 6 times a year, Wittenborg’s IBA students are challenged during the Project Week, by a real life, real time project organized by Wittenborg in cooperation with various companies. The students, divided in project groups, receive an assignment which has to be dealt with in a short period of time, usually a week. This means working with deadlines, under pressure. In short:  a stimulating and educational experience that prepares students for the reality of their future careers.

Last Monday students had the kick off meeting for a Social Media Project: young entrepreneur Menno Both of Both Social introduced the students to the specifics of this week’s project: how to use social media in order to generate traffic on a travel blog.

Menno is the owner of Both Social, a consultancy company situated in Enschede, in the east of Holland. Started in 2009 as a spinoff company of the University of Twente, Both Social grew to become a social media professional with clients in B2B, B2G en B2C. Both Social is a specialist in developing, creating and executing successful social media campaigns. Their mission is to connect brands and people through social media.

In a captivating slide show he discussed the evolution of media in general and social media specifically, introducing the students with the topic of their assignment: Both Social exploits a travel blog.  Both Social wants to earn from the ads on the website and wants to double the numbers for Facebook & Twitter.

The students are supposed to go through a kind of consultancy cycle: come up with a concept for the use of various Social Media, make an operational plan, execute their ideas, do follow up on the results and adapt the concept if necessary. According to Menno 60% of the ideas in the concept plan are actually working, 40% have to be adapted afterwards because of the results.

This particular project week is one that will take actually more than one week. The consultancy cycle takes more than one week and the students will have to hand in several reports and a short film in which they deliver a sales pitch for Both Social.

Client and project week teacher together assess the results and appoint the best team as winner, often with a prize!

WUP 25/4/2013