5Q’s with David Yarus, Social Media Explorer at BuzzUniversity

David Yarus

Chief Buzz Officer – BuzzUniversity

DavidYarus runs a boutique marketing firm that builds brand buzz on collegecampuses through innovative campaigns that offer unprecedented accessinto college life.  (Full disclosure – David and I met a year or twoago. He is a smart, connective 23 year-old who travels through life atfull force. I am always amazed by how much he packs into a 24-hour day.-thr)

MCC: What’s the one intriguing social media trend you’re keeping an eye on?
DY:Real-Time updates. Take Twitter and Facebook, add an iPhone 3GS withvideo, and you become an instant reporter for station-U. As thetechnology becomes more present, the amount of people tweeting,posting, and uploading content (Video, Photo, Text) from their dailylives will continue to grow until WOM is universally recognized as THEmost important beast to leverage. Lucky for us, we already know that!

MCC: What’s your fave social media site right now and why?
DY:Facebook. Hands down. Perhaps it’s because as a member of GenY I spendan unhealthy amount of time online, chatting with friends via FacebookChat, uploading thousands of photos from our different events andpromotions, building online communities off of the Facebook platform,and using Facebook’s top notch Ad platform. I remember sending dailyrequests to Facebook in 2004 pleading with them to add Babson Collegeto their website. I remember spending countless hours the first dayBabson was accepted to Facebook adding everyone I could think of as afriend. The emotional connection is there, but the truth is I findvalue in their innovation.

Facebookhas effectively adapted to incorporate everything that I could possiblywant to do online. Rather than building individual powerful socialmedia silos, I have made an executive decision to focus on building asuperpower. The videos that I once posted on YouTube are now uploadedto Facebook Video. I’ve rolled separate blogs into Facebook “Notes.”Why Flickr when I can just upload to Facebook, tag, and generateinfinite viral content. This way, in order to showcase one of ourprograms, we can direct someone to one particular link: Facebook.com/ROCKSTARonCampus. It’s as easy as that.

MCC: What about social media keeps you up at night?
DY:College students. As hard as I try to work the normal 9-5 hours, I findmyself glued to the computer every night from 11:00PM – 1:00AM. Why?Because that is when most college students are on Facebook. I use my“Online Friend” count as a general tally for college students online.When I see an unusually high count online, I hop onto the variouscommunities we manage and think about fun and innovative ways toengage. Is it a mid-night photo contest? A funny comment? A simplequestion? Who knows! The combination of being half-tired and half-SUPERenergized by online engagements really get my creative juices flowing.

MCC: Who or what do you read on a daily basis and why?
DY:Two months ago a business partner and I decided to challenge eachother to read a Book-A-Week that related to some aspect of marketing /social media / business. After several tweets, as social media wouldhave it there is now a community formed and chatting around #BookAWeek! The idea is to provide continuously fuel for innovation in what we do. Recent #BookAWeek’s have included Malcolm Gladwell, Tim Ferris, Emanuel Rosen, and Seth Godin.

MCC: Who have you connected with via social media you would not have met otherwise?
DY:Competitors, potential clients, you name it! Running an agency at 23can be tough, since most of today’s decision makers have been in theindustry since before I was born. That said, it is important for themto realize that it is precisely that time-frame that allows usunprecedented understanding and authentic access into GenY studentlife. Utilizing social media tools I have been able to bypass the“filters” of secretaries and the like, connecting directly withdecision makers themselves.

I see a shift from gathering information to analyzing information. With so much information from so many sources, research professionalswho can make sense of it and help clients understand it, visualize itand act upon it will become increasingly valuable.

MCC: What’s the most exciting social media initiative you’ve been involved in?
DY:BuzzUniversity was recently hired to find 750 influential college womenfrom around the country. The client’s program needed a minimum of 200schools with a max of 5 participants per school and had less than oneweek to get it done. Our network is large, but not that large. With ateam of 10 young ladies (local Boston students), a thoroughly developedSM strategy, and 4 days in the office over “Winter Break” we were ableto sign up 750 girls in the program that ultimately reached 300+campuses around the country!!

MCC: Where do you see social media heading in the next year? 5 years? 10 years?
DY:My staff is participating in WOMMA’s WomComm Social Media BestPractices certificate program. Once in a while you’ll here people onthe streets say “Twitter is a fad” or “Do you really think Facebookwill be around in five years?” One of the course instructorsarticulated something that I believe to be of paramount importance: wearen’t living in five years from now, we are living NOW.. and rightnow, Twitter and Facebook are here, and huge. I’m not sure where SocialMedia is heading, but I know that it is upon us. NOW is the time to getstarted, NOW is the time to engage, and NOW is the time to get leftbehind in the dust if you don’t.

MCC: What do you most want folks to know about you?
DY: 23Year old Social Media explorer at the helm of a boutique Boston-basedGenY agency called BuzzUniversity. Constantly evolving, rapidlygrowing… and moving in new directions every day. In our office wejoke about being in “Beta” version BuzzUniversity0.1.2.

MCC: What’s the most exciting stuff you’re up to?
DY: Iam currently motivated by creating value, not generating profit. Thatsurprises most people, coming from Babson College for entrepreneurshipin this business climate. I believe there is a greater meaning in whatI have to offer than simply selling more sticks of gum for brand X.Recently I have been approaching communities, organizations, andstudent run non-profits offering to build them cutting edge onlinebased on current best practices and equip with them all the toolsnecessary for continued success – at cost. When I see one of thesecommunities launch and gather hundreds of fans within days, it is themost exciting and rewarding experience I could ask for.

MCC: Finally, where can our marketing/social media peeps find you online?
DY    Twitter -> @DavidYarus
Facebook -> Facebook.com/DavidYarus
LinkedIn -> LinkedIn.com/In/DavidYarus
http://Buzz-University.com

Tracey Hope-Ross

Pregnant mama who tells stories & believes in magic. Infatuated with Bergman & Bacall. Secret crush: Gregory Peck. I dance often to Billie Holiday, follow my heart, love yoga, & digging in the dirt.