Ideas with Impact
UNB Faculty of Management

A group of students from UNB’s social media marketing class dove into the world of Tony’s Music Box, a beloved music store in downtown Fredericton celebrating its 50th anniversary. They planned and executed an interactive social media campaign, allowing them to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting and engage with a passionate community they had never encountered before.

Through this hands-on experience, they learned the power of the human touch in social media communications, the importance of consistent posting, and the unique needs of Tony’s loyal patrons. The project was a masterclass in teamwork and client communication, equipping them with invaluable skills for their future careers.

Taught by Dr. Hsin-Chen Lin, a marketing professor with the Faculty of Management, the social media marketing course teaches marketing theories and then pairs student teams with local companies to see how things work in the real world. Students plan and execute a social media marketing campaign and then analyze their results to learn what worked and what didn’t.

This year, three students worked with Tony’s Music Box: Noah Grant, Farhan Quamr, and Massa Khair. After meeting with staff members to learn about the business and its marketing goals, the students worked on the store’s Instagram and Facebook accounts to create 17 posts, including videos, averaging about four posts per week. “Over 28 days, they helped the business gain 90 new followers and achieve over 2,400 engagements,” said Dr. Lin, “making this one of the most successful campaigns in my class ever.”

Jason Sonier, the staff member at Tony’s Music Box who manages their social media accounts, praised the project’s outcomes. “Our social media presence was significantly stronger while the students were managing it. We saw a noticeable increase in reach and engagement on their posts compared to our previous efforts. Even our in-store customers commented on the positive difference they noticed!”

Austin Edwards noted that the project helped him and other staff members learn more about social media marketing and understand what their clients enjoy seeing from the store. “We gained valuable insights into current social media trends and strategies. Learning about what our supporters and clientele are interested in seeing on social media has proved to be very insightful.”

In addition to learning firsthand how to manage a social media campaign and see the results in real time, the students said they learned the value of listening to clients, paying attention to their needs, and maintaining open communication to ensure the best quality of work.

Speaking as a group, the students said, “Running this campaign was a great opportunity to gain hands on experience and learn how to implement what we have learned in class. We learned the value of implementing human presence, and maintaining frequency of posts” and “We were able to learn the value clearly defining the wants and needs of your audience and finding the best ways to satisfy them.”

“I think this is what experiential learning is about,” said Dr. Lin, “where students gain hands-on experience while helping small and local businesses benefit from the latest university knowledge.”

Photo: In their social media marketing course at UNB’s Faculty of Management, business students Noah Grant, Farhan Quamr, and Massa Khair planned and executed a social media marketing campaign for Fredericton based Tony’s Music Box.