This is the first of three exclusive interviews with attendees of this year’s Social Media Training Bootcamp. We asked each attendee the same questions about social media, marketing, and the relationship between brands and their consumers. Today’s Q&A is with Shannon Patch, a recent graduate of the University of St. Thomas.

Q. How did you get involved with social?
A. I first got involved in social by taking marketing classes at the University of St. Thomas. A few of these included: Advertising and PR Campaigns, Interactive Marketing, and Integrated Marketing Communications. I was also involved in American Marketing Association and Advertising Federation. Through these classes and clubs, I learned that social is a powerful tool to connect brands to their consumers. My dream job would be working as a Social Media Strategist at an agency.
Q. Do you think there is a big gap between brands and their audience?
A. There are brands with big gaps, and there are some that are closing the gap. Some brands do not know how to align their brand or company goals with their audience. Some brands also do not know how to reach their audience. Disconnected companies seem to just throw content out there and hope that their audience will respond to it.
An example of this disconnect was GE Appliance’s Facebook post from this past April which read, “Happy National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day-“Like” if you’re on team peanut butter. “Share” if you’re on team jelly.” This post had nothing to do with their mission or their audience. When I saw it, I asked myself, “What are you doing GE?!” The brands that are the most successful on social are the ones that know their audience the best.
Q. What is one thing you want to take away from this bootcamp?
A.  I want to take what I’ve learned from bootcamp and apply it to an actual company or brand that makes a positive impact on the world.
Q. What do you think brands will be doing on social media 7 years from now? 
A. That is hard to say. Social brands are the future of marketing, if your brand is not successful on social, you may not be successful at all.
Q. Pick one celebrity, historical figure, or athlete from any time period to tweet as for one week and why?
A. Woody Allen. I’m obsessed with his movies and he’s so quirky and weird.
Check back tomorrow when we sit down with the mysterious Product Poet!