From Gardner-Webb Student to Social Media Strategist: Stetson Patton Returns to Teach Next Generation

The 2006 Alumna and Founder of Socially Stetson will Lead a New Searight PACE Certificate Program in Freelance Social Media Marketing

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—With over 20 years of experience in the digital marketing sphere, Gardner-Webb University 2006 alumna Stetson Patton specializes in helping small businesses and personal brands elevate their online presence. In September, she’s returning to her alma mater to share her strategies in a new Searight PACE Freelance Social Media Marketing Program.

Patton said this class is for everyone from beginners to those who already know how to post on social media. It’s for the person who wants a career change or someone who has a full-time job but needs extra income. One client could bring $2,500 a month or more.

“This is going to be a 101 class,” she noted. “If you are just like interested in learning about social media, how to make some extra income, we’re going to the basics here. I’m going to teach you the different platforms. Even if you’re already posting, this class is for you

because we’re going to teach you what makes a video go viral, how to script that, how to use AI to find that, how to find clients.”

An unexpected turn of events led Patton to Gardner-Webb, where she found opportunities that would influence both her personal and professional life. Just months before her freshman year, she suffered a vocal cord injury and lost a music scholarship to another university. Encouraged by her father, then Gardner-Webb Head Football Coach Steve Patton, she enrolled at GWU with plans to stay for only a year. Instead, she immersed herself in campus life, became a cheerleader, forged lasting connections and discovered a passion for marketing that would launch a decades-long career.

“My freshman year, I met my best friend on campus, Dr. Charles Tichenor, marketing professor,” she shared. “It was a fluke that I got put in a marketing (upper level) class as a freshman, and he was such a good mentor. I fell in love with marketing through that.”

Tichenor offered practical advice and taught the class from his years of experience as the former CEO of Kraft and later as chairman, president and CEO of Champale Inc. Sparkling Beverages.

After graduating in 2006, Patton put her newfound passion to work as marketing coordinator for The Tapestry Group, a nonprofit ministry for women founded by Gardner-Webb alumna Sharon Decker. Facebook was still new, and Patton quickly recognized its potential. Because Decker also worked in economic development in Rutherfordton, N.C., Patton visited churches, car dealerships and restaurants throughout the area, offering to create Facebook pages for local businesses for a fee.

The experience not only sharpened her business instincts but also offered an early glimpse of social media’s growing power to connect organizations with their audiences. Next, she took her skills to work as membership connection director at Dover YMCA in Shelby, N.C. She was also the dance team coach at Gardner-Webb and later took the same position at Lenoir-Rhyne University. During that time, she opened a clothing boutique, which would teach her an important lesson about the growing influence of social media.

“I saw the girls at a basketball game. I was like, ‘What’s this?’ And they’re like, ‘Instagram,’” Patton recalled. “And I was like, ‘What is Instagram?’ So, I think being around the college kids you learn a lot more, faster. Fast fashion really did become a thing because of social media. We lost the business due to social media because we could not keep up with the Joneses. And I remember vowing to learn as much about it as possible because we were already behind.”

Even after graduation, Patton remained connected to the professors who had helped shape her career path. Tichenor and Dr. Tom Meaders, professor of management information systems and operations, were among the first to support her entrepreneurial venture. While Patton never sat in one of Meaders’ classes, his encouragement and willingness to invest in her success reflected the close-knit relationships she found at Gardner-Webb.

“I thought it was so cool to have two professors come visit me at the store,” Patton reflected. “Dr. Meaders even found a supplier for our store. To have those friendships with the professors, you just wouldn’t find that anywhere else.”

After the loss of her boutique, she took another marketing job. As she attempted to learn about social media, she realized the drawbacks of watching online tutorials. “I would realize if that video was posted six months ago, it’s outdated now,” Patton said. “So, some of these buttons and features aren’t the same or there’s a different social media platform. Plus, I would ask a question in the comments and never get a response.”

Through her own experience, Patton started making social media tutorials and teaching people about social media while also working full time in a marketing role. Eventually, she realized that she could open her own social media agency—Socially Stetson—and manage social media accounts for other businesses. She will bring all these insights to the PACE Freelance Social Media Marketing Program, and her goal is for every person who takes the class to have one paid retainer client by the end and making $500 or more.

The 12-week certificate program begins on Sept. 19 and will meet on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon on Microsoft Teams. The course is designed to help learners build practical skills in content creation, client management, AI tools, business development, and digital marketing. Students will be paired with a non-profit organization to manage its social media, gaining real-world experience and creating a portfolio.

For Patton, the program is about showing people that a new career path may be closer than they think. By combining practical training, real-world experience and mentorship, she hopes participants gain the confidence to take that first step. “I think that’s what I really want people to know is this is a business you can start with zero dollars. It’s just getting started,” she said.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at gardner-webb.edu.