Name:  Brooke Andersen Title:  Social Media Specialist Joined Curator:  February 2013 Go-to Happy Hour Drink: Wine

What did you want to be growing up? This is an interesting question because when I was growing up ‘social media specialist’ didn’t exist. Going all the way back to 1^st grade career day where all the little kids showed up dressed as policemen, doctors or lawyers, I dressed as a GAP store employee. Any little girl who tells you that working in a magical fashion paradise wasn’t her dream is lying. Plus, GAP Kids was all the rage in the nineties.

Just add GAP name tag here.

How did you get into this field? I began my path for a Fashion Marketing degree with the intentions of winning the position of fashion buyer. As you can get from the previous question, I always had a love for fashion and may have been persuaded to make my shopping addiction legitimate. While in school, I began my blog Just B as a creative outlet to share things I loved. Building a fashion blog from scratch took extra self-teaching between classes on marketing my self-brand in the digital world. With the rise of fashion bloggers, I observed intensely how brands are working with the “new” influencers. Quickly, fashion buying was replaced with digital marketing, which landed me in the world of social media strategy for lifestyle brands.

Graduating portfolio showcasing how to brand the 'new' influencer.

What do you love most about the industry? The social media strategy you began a year ago can’t live to be the same for years or even sometimes months to come. Our favorite platforms are always working to make the customer experience better. For us as marketers, the customers are always learning so we need to continue to push ourselves ahead of the change. That’s a challenge I’m always up for.

How do you stay up to date on changes/news in the industry? Thousands of tidbits of information and analysis is shared about the marketing, advertising and digital world hourly. To get the most up-to-date social media changes, I subscribe directly from the source. Instead of waiting for Mashable or TechCrunch to pick it up, I will subscribe to platforms' direct company blog to receive the latest news. The Old Reader saved my life after Google Reader went to bed (RIP) and goes hand-in-hand with my morning coffee or happy hour wine!

What’s the best career advice you’ve been given? I’ve really learned in my career that the education doesn’t stop after graduation but that’s when it begins. There’s always room to grow and expand your knowledge in different areas of your career. Just promise yourself to never stop learning!