Whenever I tell people that I work in social media, I’m usually met with blank faces or blunt questions. I then try to quickly explain what working in social media means without sounding like a vapid millennial, but to little success. Because working in social media entails so much, it's difficult to explain in one to two lines. It’s not just writing witty tweets or being known for your “on-point” Instas; it’s about capturing a brand’s voice, building a community and getting various media channels to work together. It’s a career in Communications, combining the skills of traditional advertisers, journalists and public relations specialists.
I do understand the skeptical looks as I try to explain my career choice, because everyone and their mother (and grandmother) seem to be on social media. It must be easy. But it does require certain skills. Just because you’re known as the Snapchat Queen of your friends doesn’t automatically make you a social media professional.
First of all, working in social media requires strong writing skills, because yes, you need to be able to write those witty tweets. But you also need to be able to create and capture a tone of voice for a brand. A young, hip fashion brand is going to sound a lot different than an established pharmaceutical company. Not only do you need to capture this voice when you’re planning and writing a week’s worth of posts, but also when you’re responding and interacting with fans and followers, aka our community.
Just like in traditional public relations, you need to be able to build and nurture your company’s community. In this case, though, the community is online and filled with fans, followers, and influencers. It’s my duty to not only respond to questions and comments left on my company’s page, but to also actively seek any mentions or hashtags regarding the brand. I thank fans for their support and inform them about upcoming news, but I also note any negative comments surrounding the company.
Creative ideas are also a constant demand in social media. There is a never ending supply of content online, and each company is trying to carve their place on the Internet. Brands are constantly asking for new gimmicks and the next “viral” (UGH — we hate that word) thing. Creativity can’t just exist in the pictures we create for social media, there has to be an overarching strategy. Sweepstakes, content series, influencer partnerships and publicity stunts all have to be considered.
Just like many other professions, we need to look at the business, establish goals and determine the right strategies to achieve them. We work with numbers; we look at metrics like impressions, reach, growth and engagement to help determine success and return of investment.
We find ourselves lucky, though, because social media is such a fun way to help a business achieve its goals. We’ve passed time in our office by playing with the most recent Snapchat lenses, all in the name of research. Since social media is constantly changing, we need to always be on top of industry news and updates and determine how it may affect the brands we work with. Nothing is constant in our jobs, but that just adds to the excitement as we’re pushed to keep learning and being creative.
