(WXYZ) — Welcome to Social Media 101! The classroom is a living room, the average student is between 55 and 60 years old and the teacher is a millennial.
The set up is atypical, but the subject matter is more commonplace than ever before.
"In my business, it’s become platform for advertising," said Dawn Mueller, a real estate agent in metro Detroit.
She’s finding herself depending on sites like Facebook to post listings. Learning the tools to do it, however, hasn’t come easy
"There's always a new trend. It's just so time consuming, then add the learning curve onto the time. It’s overwhelming.
That sentiment, shared by so many baby boomers, is what pushed Kristi Wysocki to move from training auto execs in social media advertising to training boomers in a company she calls Boom! Live Social -- a boot camp of sorts with a syllabus that includes the do’s and don'ts of posting, how to expand audience reach and how to best protect your data online.
It's all vital info for boomers not cashing in on an early retirement.
"They are still a vital part of this workforce and they are working with millennials who grew up on these platforms and it’s becoming a major part of the communication," said Wysocki.
Research shows social media improves work relationships. Meantime, Glassdoor.com found that 79 percent of job applicants use social media to land a gig.
So, don’t get frustrated, get familiar! Organizations like Michigan Works are offering free formal workshops throughout the fall.
And of course, if you’re looking for more of a conversation, with a few laughs along the way, then there’s an option for that, too.
For a group class with Boom! Live Social, the cost is about $25 a person. The cost does go up if you’re looking for one-on-one time. Contact the company here: https://boomlivesocial.com/
