If there is one thing that organisations worldwide learned from the lockdowns in 2020 is that social media marketing is crucial to modern business. In fact, the past year has shown how vital and necessary social media marketing is for a brand’s growth. The amount of time people spend on social media platforms has significantly surged as they were forced to stay indoors. For most companies, this is a clear signal that they needed to amplify their social media efforts if they had not already done so.
Fuad Ali Khowaja (third from right) poses with fellow interns and staff of AcePremier during the company’s recent annual meeting and Christmas gathering.
For Fuad Ali Khowaja, an intern at AcePremier.com, a digital and print media company that focuses on health and wellness, parenting and kids, and business, keeping in touch with marketing personnel from different companies and brands throughout Malaysia is part of his daily work routine.
“AcePremier caters to different markets. We need to ensure that different product blogs and articles are being posted on websites and social media through WordPress and other platforms. We also have companies that run giveaway contests on Facebook and Instagram which requires work and analysis,” he said.
Fuad shared an example of how he handles the Facebook and Instagram pages of an in-house brand, 100 Comments. This includes contacting winners of giveaway contests organised by the brand, selecting winners, and answering queries.
“I also make sure that the winners are genuine and that they have adhered to all the terms and conditions before the company ships the prize within 72 hours,” he shared, adding that the brand recently gave away products like facemasks, hand sanitiser sprays, sports bras, and even baby pillow sets.
Fuad, who is a Bachelor of Business (Hons) Business Administration student at INTI International University, said he uses analytics to monitor brand performance over the weeks, to see whether there have been improvements following chats with customers and engagement through social media posts.
“I’m grateful for the IBM-ICE modules in my degree programme which has prepared me well for this line of work. This is especially true for the last IBM module I took which was on Social, Web, and Mobile Analytics which taught me to be data centric and think logically when applying theories at work.
“Besides that, having exposure to all kinds of social media has helped me in my tasks at AcePremier. I often have to publish articles and blogs through WordPress and this task was easy for me as I learned about the processes and working mechanisms through the IBM social web module,” said the 27-year-old who hails from Karachi, Pakistan.
According to Fuad the IBM-ICE (Innovation Centre for Education) modules have a focused approach that enables students to work with numbers and different methodologies that businesses use. A welcome change from just theories in books.
“We get real-life experiences when completing our assignments which beats books anytime! Also, we are awarded IBM badges upon completion of the programme, which serve as additional certifications that we can use in our resumes. Life within IR4.0 revolves around statistics, facts, figures and data. Having gone through the IBM-ICE modules at INTI, we gain a better understanding of how these are used in the modern workplace.
“There are also group projects where we have to shoot a video and analyse the data via YouTube and create a report from it. This is a module that is in line with current work trends. By working on these assignments and projects, you get to use different software and go to different places and meet different people. This helps you to understand how things work in the real world and how to improve strategies through use of online analytical data,” he shared enthusiastically.
Fuad Ali Khowaja, who is a Bachelor of Business (Hons) Business Administration student at INTI International University, believes that the IBM module on social web analytics should be made compulsory for all courses as it provides insights to students on IR4.0 as well as builds their skills in social media, computing, and blogging.
He added that the IBM module on social web analytics incorporated in INTI’s Bachelor of Business syllabus should actually be made compulsory for all courses as it provides insights to students on IR4.0 and helps them build-up their skills in social media, computing, and blogging – aspects that students in any job function should understand today.
Fuad, who has a few years of work experience in different fields under his belt, said he faced minor challenges as an intern. The only challenge was getting accustomed to the working environment and culture as it was his first time working in a Malaysian company.
“The working culture is different from that of the West and South Asia, but I adapted quickly. The other unique experience was working completely online. I had never worked completely online but COVID-19 helped me learn the digital working style and I gained more insights on how a business can cut costs and run effectively with limited resources,” he said.
When asked about his most memorable experience at the company, Fuad said being treated as a family member despite being the only foreigner in a Malaysian company was something he will never forget about AcePremier.
Meanwhile, Kumarashvari Subramaniam, Head of Programme and lecturer at the Faculty of Business, Communications and Law at INTI International University, said IBM modules provide students with a basic understanding of social, mobile, and web analytics which can be used to help them make informed decisions at work and even in their own lives.
“They learn a lot about digital marketing using social media. When people hear this they usually think social networking sites, but we actually have 10 different platforms including YouTube, Vimeo, WordPress, Wix, and more. So students are taught not only how to market their product but also to create awareness,” said Kumarashvari.
She said students can use social media to conduct surveys to gauge the perception of potential customers and design videos for promotional purposes. Current and potential customers can also be asked to create videos as part of a brand’s value co-creation efforts.
Feedback and data collected from these will help make marketing decisions, she added. For example, high exit rates or bounce rates for a website can be rectified by understanding what is lacking in order to make a webpage more effective and attractive.
“These platforms can generate analytics on audience demographics which is especially helpful in targeting audiences from other parts of the world. What works in Malaysia may not be applicable in another country. These are the range of learning experiences studied inform the IBM modules.
“Our students not only master the use of social, web and mobile analytics, but their digital skills are also enhanced. These modules teach students teamwork and give them communication, cognitive, and practical skills which they can extend to employer projects and later on when they work. Whatever they learn from the IBM-ICE modules, they will be able to take it to the next level,” she concluded.