Rush South Made: Inside Our Summer 2026 Internship Campaign
If you’ve been on the internet in August at any point in the last few years, you know RushTok. Sor...
There are currently more than 5 billion active social media users in the world. This figure is expected to rise to over 6 billion by 2027. Social media started life as a network to contact friends and family members, but today, it offers incredible opportunities for brands and businesses to advertise products and services, connect with customers and reach new audiences. If you’re working on a new social media marketing strategy, or you’ve recently launched a new business, it’s crucial to choose the right social media channels. In this informative guide, we’ll outline key steps to help you identify the best platforms and share tips to help you capitalize on the amazing benefits of social media marketing.
The number of social media channels is increasing year on year. Many people are familiar with high-profile apps and platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok and LinkedIn, but there are many more networks for businesses to explore. More than 14 social platforms now have more than half a billion active monthly users. A tailored, targeted social media strategy should focus on the most impactful social media channels based on your target customer and business and campaign objectives. Being selective is more effective than adopting a scattergun approach and utilizing every platform.
To help you find the best social media channels for your business, here are some essential steps:
The most important step you can take when drawing up a social media marketing strategy is to define your target audience. Think about who you want to attract and build an ideal buyer persona. Find out more about your target customers by analyzing data linked to their social media usage. Explore how much time people spend on social media, what they do with their time online, how they interact with brands and businesses, which accounts they follow and what kinds of posts are most effective and impactful. It’s beneficial to analyze data and conduct thorough market research. You can engage with social media users within target groups, ask questions and gather information through focus groups, virtual interviews, online polls and social media surveys.
Understanding which platforms your target buyers use and how they spend their time on social media can help you narrow your options and invest time, energy and resources in the platforms that are most likely to help you create and convert leads. It’s critical that you can reach the customers or followers you’re most eager to attract. Depending on the target demographic and your social media campaign goals, you may choose to concentrate on a single platform or a clutch of channels that attract the same users. In the US, the average person has seven active social media accounts.
Research shows that younger audiences aged between 18 and 30 are most likely to use Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. Facebook is most popular among more mature social media users aged over 50. Users aged between 30 and 49 years old are most active on LinkedIn, X, Snapchat and Instagram.
The next step is to decide what type of content you want to share. Social media platforms have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to utilizing different types of marketing techniques and materials. Instagram, for example, is an excellent option for brands looking to share videos and images, create user-generated content and launch influencer marketing campaigns. LinkedIn is famed for using optimized blog posts, articles and profiles to raise brand awareness, build partnerships, create leads and engage with customers and clients.
When you’re choosing which content types to use as part of your marketing campaign or wider strategy, it’s important to think about your objectives, your target customer and the products or services you’re promoting. Video content is increasingly popular. In 2024, almost 90% of consumers said they wanted to see more video content from the brands they follow on social media and more than 75% already view short-form video content frequently on mobile devices. Monitoring trends among key demographics can help you identify the most effective content types and determine the best ways to use social media content to achieve goals. Social media videos can be brilliant for showcasing and advertising products, but they’re also incredibly useful for providing customers with information and tips. More than 60% of consumers have watched videos to learn how to use products or find out more about a brand.
There are many reasons why using social media is beneficial for businesses. Before you zone in on specific channels and platforms, outline your goals. Being clear about your campaign objectives can help you identify the best channels. Examples include:
Once you know what you want your social media marketing campaign to achieve, you can weigh up the pros and cons of different platforms that check other boxes, including popularity among your target customers and benefits for sharing specific content types.
Social media is an exceptional platform for building relationships with customers and promoting your brand and products, but it can also provide opportunities to learn more about your competitors and how they use social networks. Monitor competitor accounts, learn from campaign strengths and weaknesses and see how users interact with different brands. Use data and insights to help you make decisions about your campaign. If you notice that some posts are much more popular than others on a competitor feed, for example, you may want to focus on those types of posts. Key areas to focus on when researching competitors include:
Social media marketing has the power to catapult brands into the spotlight. Boasting huge user numbers, social media platforms enable businesses to engage with customers, connect with new followers and virtual friends and promote products and services using targeted posts. If you’re developing your social media strategy or working on new campaigns, choosing the best channels for your business is one of the most crucial decisions. To help you find the most effective platforms, it’s beneficial to define your target audience, consider what type of content you want to create and share, outline your campaign objectives and goals and monitor your competitors.
If you need help with your strategy or expert advice about social media marketing, don’t hesitate to get in touch with South Made today.
We’re excited to announce that Melissa Lushbaugh has been nominated and elected to the 2026 Board of Directors for the Knoxville branch of the American Advertising Federation (@knoxaaf).
During her time on the board, Melissa will serve on several committees, including the Programs & Public Service Team and Communications Team, while also leading the Scholarship Team, which awards an advertising scholarship to deserving students pursuing a future in the industry.
This opportunity is a reflection of her commitment to the advertising and marketing industry, her continued investment in her craft, and her belief in giving back to the next generation of creative professionals.
We’re incredibly proud to see her take on this role and bring her experience, perspective and passion for the industry to AAF Knoxville.
Congratulations, Melissa! We can’t wait to see all you accomplish in this next chapter.
Did you know pizza is the most instagrammed food?
Speaking of pizza! We recently launched the website for @redchimneypizza
Cozy comfort food in Tellico Plains. 🍕 Wood fired pizzas made fresh with local ingredients and plenty of heart. Pair your meal with a craft cocktail or beer from the bar and finish it off with hand-dipped ice cream and the laid-back taste of small-town Tennessee charm.
Stop by, say hi, grab a slice.
Welcome Tressa!!! Tressa started with South Made as an intern her senior year at the University of Tennessee. After graduating she returned to California. She brings a unique perspective from her work in the hospitality and wine industry, where she spent two years creating personalized brand experiences at Field Recordings and The Fableist Wine Company in California’s Central Coast wine country. That background in experiential brand connection, meeting people where they are and making them feel confident and welcomed, translates directly into the social media work she does for South Made’s clients.
We’re so excited to have Tressa back in the volunteer state and on the South Made social media team!
Let’s raise a glass and welcome @tressa.domingos 🍷
Social Media Agency | Knoxville Tennessee SouthMadeMarketing ⚡️
OUR 2026 RECRUITMENT VIDEO IS HERE!!! ⚡️🌊🌺
Rush Week may be over, but recruitment is just getting started. This video can only capture a glimpse of what it’s like to be part of South Made, and we’re so excited to find the next creative people who will join us this fall for internships.
Intern applications are open on our website through August 20. Skip the traditional resume and show us what you can do. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026
ΣM BID DAY 2026 🥥🌴🌺🏄🏼♀️🐬
Our team had way too much fun reliving college for the day and wrapping up Rush Week together. This recruitment campaign has been such a fun way to share more of our team and start looking for who might join us next.
And because this whole campaign is really about finding great people, we made one of the bids official...💌 Chloe is joining South Made full time, and getting to surprise her during Bid Day made the celebration even sweeter!
Fall internship applications are open through August 20, so head to our website and send us something creative. Maybe your bid is next. ⚡️
Knoxville is home base, but our team comes from all over📍
Swipe through to see where everyone calls home.
Fall internship applications are open. Learn more and apply through the link in our bio.
⚡Rush ΣM, day four
Day 3 called for a change of scenery 🌺
We took a little inspiration from our Marco Island office, put on our best tropical fits, and traded the office for an afternoon on the boat with our friends at @nauticalboatclubknoxville
Ready to rush ΣM? Fall internship applications are OPEN. Learn more and apply at the link in our bio.
*Internship applications are open now — August 20th.
Rush ΣM 2026, day three ⚡️
We want YOU as a new recruit 💗
Fall internship applications are officially open, and this is not your average recruitment process…
Skip submitting just the standard resume. We’d much rather see your creativity in action. Submit something that shows who you are, what you can do and why you would fit right in at South Made. Full details on our internship page.
Rush is open through August 20th. Apply at the link in our bio.
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026, day two
Rush is officially in session, and we’re dreaming of the next class of interns to find their spot at South Made! 💭
Our dream intern:
☁️ natural creative
☁️ speaks fluent social
☁️ notices the details
☁️ stays organized
Sound like you? Stay tuned. More fall internship details are coming soon.
Sweet dreams from ΣM.
⚡️Rush ΣM 2026, day one
We figured our next class of creatives deserve a proper recruitment season.
Fall 2026 internship info coming soon. ⚡️
Ready to create cool sh⚡️t?
We are hiring! We’re looking for two creatives to join our social media team in our Knoxville office. Although Knoxville is our headquarters we work everywhere.
Ideal candidates:
Love to be social, travel, read, research, create content. It’s even better if you’re a foodie, enjoy cocktail culture, real estate, photography and events.
Learn more and apply on our website. No remote positions available. This is an in-person opportunity.
South Made Marketing | Knoxville Social Media and Marketing Agency ⚡️
⚡️Now Hiring: Social Media Assistant + Social Media Coordinator
South Made Marketing is hiring a Social Media Assistant and a Social Media Coordinator to join our Knoxville based team. Both roles will support the planning, creation, coordination, and management of social media content for clients across a variety of industries. Both positions are in-person. We do not offer remote opportunities.
The appropriate position will be determined based on each candidate’s experience, skill level, and ability to independently manage responsibilities.
Learn more and apply at SouthMade.com
Social Media Marketing | Knoxville Tennessee
Besides the obvious. Obviously.
South Made Marketing | Knoxville based | social media | content creation| marketing agency.
We’ve been doing all the marketing things for over 22 years.
Introducing SOUTH MADE COLLABS ⚡️ KNOXVILLE’S INFLUENCER & CONTENT CREATOR NETWORK
South Made believes that real, organic, genuine engagement is more influential than just “Influencer Marketing”, or a pay to play (or post) approach.
Whether you’re the friend who always knows the newest restaurant before anyone else, the person documenting every cocktail, or someone who simply loves being part of exciting experiences, South Made Collabs was built for you.
South Made Collabs is an exclusive network of content creators, influencers, models, photographers, food lovers, and socially connected locals who get invited to collaborate with some of the region’s most exciting brands.
Joining is simple and free.
Complete your Collabs profile and tell us what you’re passionate about.
You don’t have to have 100,000 followers.
We’re looking for people who genuinely enjoy creating content, love discovering new places, and know how to tell a story online.
Learn more & sign up (link also in bio and stories)
New Branding + Web Design ⚡️
Introducing @levelswealth > We had the opportunity to bring bold vision to life through a brand identity that feels as elevated and intentional as the clients they serve.
Built for the people who play at the highest level. Levels Wealth isn’t your typical wealth management firm, they help founders, executives, and professional athletes make smarter money moves through strategic financial planning, cash flow management, and investing.
Let’s create cool sh⚡️t
SouthMade.com
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