Learning about Social Media

Hi again!

For my second blog post, I will be talking about social media work. Together with my work for zero2hero, I also do some work for Ashlee (the founder)’s social media company, Social Say. I’ve helped with drafting social media strategies, and setting up new client accounts.

I’m definitely realizing the importance of being a part of social media platforms. I already Facebook, Tweet, Tumblr, Instagram and blog. But one platform I was unfamiliar with was Pinterest. Social Say utilises all of these platforms, and also uses Google Plus. In marketing social media management, we also market ourselves. Our creativity, our understanding of social media, and our ability to navigate social media platforms. When working in a small company, you’re essentially marketing yourself to the client! In my own time, I’ve been working on being more active on Twitter and Tumblr and on my blog, and making the shift from personal updates (read: what I ate this morning) to knowledgeable updates or re-tweeting various newsworthy topics. I’ve also been doing a lot of reading (especially after SXSW!) on utilising digital media. I’m currently struggling with Pinterest – I think I only have two followers! I’m realizing the importance of social media platforms as a vital part of my portfolio – after all, I could hardly be paid to start up manage a client’s account if I can’t get enough viewers to my own!

Social media offers an accessible point of entry for businesses that do not have funds for traditional marketing, or for small to medium sized businesses. It also helps with two-way communication and with engaging consumers. We already know all this. But there are also strategies that a company can utilise in order to greater interact with consumers and reach a wider audience. It is not just a platform for broadcasting a single message, but it can and should also be used as a platform that is always ‘on’ and always open for viewers to add their views and commentary. The challenge is in creating a platform that fans/consumers can build on.

I think I’m definitely going to enjoy working in social media. I have previously managed and started social media accounts, campaigns, blogs, and so on in previous internships. But this is the first time I’ve worked specifically in social media, ignoring other more traditional forms of PR and marketing. And even though I’ve never considered a career entirely focused in social media, I must admit it is a rather attractive option to me now. The challenge would be in getting new clients and in self-marketing and self-promoting, as well as constantly thinking up new ways to interact with clients.

Something interesting I have noticed is the care that needs to be taken with each client to cater social media to their needs. Social Say offers a service where the consultant visits the client at their workplace in order to gain a better understanding of the values the business is built on. For example, Starbucks is built on its ‘Just Say Yes’ policy. This would set the tone and direction for the social media messages. When doing client work, the consultant needs to remember that he/she has to embody the brand.

My internship with Social Say has already garnered me a lot of exposure, and has resulted in me joining TEDxPerth as a new PR/Marketing team member. In my new role, we have discussed creating a social media best practice guide to instruct all the admins on the Facebook/Twitter accounts on the kind of tone TEDxPerth needs to have, in order to maintain consistent branding and image.

I’d previously thought that social media management was easy. I now realize that working in-house is very different from managing five or so different client portfolios! Each client has a different approach, has different needs, and needs different creative strategies. I’m starting to view social media management as a niche area in PR, and not just a small part of a whole.

- Michelle