Mimic Social, created by Stukent, hopes to teach students the effect of social media marketing on a business, and how a business can use it effectively to turn views into sales. Students believe they know the ins and outs of social media. As a teacher, I believe that to be true…to an extent. Students have a strong understanding of the personal uses of the different social media platforms. However, they are only scratching the surface of what social media can do for a business.
What is Mimic Social?
Stukent’s Mimic Social is an online social media marketing simulation which allows students to develop targeted social media advertisements for a fictional company. All aspects of an advertisement are a factor, such as captions, images, and time. Additionally, students are able to target their ads to a specific demographics by targeting genders, age ranges, and interests. They must also work around an advertising budget when scheduling a weeks worth of content across six major social media platforms.
Once you simulate the week, students have the ability to measure their posts based on key indicators, such as impressions, clicks, likes, and conversions. They must then analyze these indicators before simulating the next week.
Teachers are able to receive a free trial, which includes 2 posting and 2 analysis rounds. The full version increases those numbers to 6 each.
My Opinion
Being unsure of the software, I had two of my classes run through the free trial. Stukent’s customer service is very helpful, and setting up classes is an easy experience. Also, registering students is simple. Mimic Social provides a sign-up link for students to click and enter into your class.
Students receive a how-to video right away, which makes the training and explaining process short. The video is informative, and answers most questions.
Teachers are able to register as a student as well. This makes it easier to learn the software in advance. This makes it easier for teachers to answer student questions with more confidence.
My students bought in right away. They tested captions, images, and timing with posts. Also, students began communicating. Although they shared tips, they kept their major strategies to themselves.
The posting rounds gave me a lot of opportunity to ask students questions. The simulation forces students to practically apply a lot of the class theory. Thoughts on which social media platforms should be the focus, how their target market will respond to ads, and what times ads should be posted helped reinforce the learning we have already done.
One of my favourite features is the ranking system. After each posting round, students are ranked based on key indicators. Although I can see each student’s rank, they can only see the indicators. This allows students who didn’t do well in the early rounds to remain anonymous in the class.
Another important feature is the analysis rounds. Students are forced to answer questions on their results before they can post again. This was tough to get my students to buy into. Although many saw it as pointless initially, they saw its importance in the later rounds.
Final Thoughts
Social media marketing is a new concept, but is growing at a fast rate. Students wanting to go into the marketing field will have to use these platforms one way or another. Additionally, new jobs are being created solely around social media.
Because this is so new, resources are still being developed. However, Mimic Social is a great tool to allow your students to learn the basics of targeted advertising and how to analyze results. I recommend to all marketing teachers to test our the trial and fit it in.
Finally, if you or your school can afford the full version, I recommend taking advantage of that. Two posting and analysis rounds are not enough for students to reap the full benefit of this software.
My students have benefited greatly from this experience. They have used their new knowledge towards their personal social media accounts, as well as their own businesses.
If you have any other questions regarding my experience with Stukent’s Mimic Social, or want to share your experiences, please leave a comment!
Hi! I have invested in the full version and would love to touch base with another high school teacher who has used it. I would love to know how you integrated it with your existing curriculum.
Hi Sally,
I have actually purchased the full version since writing this post. I would be more than happy to talk with you regarding how I have implemented it into my existing curriculum. I will send you an email!
Great suggestion. Kids should be invested in new software, that’s where the future is.
Thank you for the comment, and I fully agree with you! We are training students for jobs that don’t exist yet, and technology-based careers are growing at exponential rates.