Throwback! The Punch Newspaper wrote a profile on me in 2013
It isn’t very often that a newspaper gets in touch to say they want to do an interview on me. It hadn’t ever happened actually so, this was a surprise.
Reposted below but originally published a year ago in print and here: http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/my-job-is-fun-but-challenging-stanbic-ibtcs-social-media-manager/
Though a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Lagos, Ahmed Adeyanju is today the Social Media Manager of Stanbic IBTC Bank. He tells Temitayo Famutimi the story of his career
What factors influenced your career in digital media as you didn’t study communications or computer science at the university?
I’ve done all my schooling in Nigeria and have always been very curious about how people use and interact with media. I realised very quickly that my strengths are in communicating with people and the thrill that comes with knowing you’ve been able to help a brand reach its market in the most effective way possible. I grew up surrounded by traditional media and the driving aim of my career is to find ways to continually blend interactive media with the more old-fashioned forms of communication.
You seem to be comfortable with digital communication; did any group or association at the university influence you in this regard?
When I was in the university, social media was not the big deal as it is now but I was one of the early adopters and got comfortable very quickly with digital communication and sharing things online. My involvement with International Association of Students in Economics and Commercial Sciences (AIESEC) at the university (UNILAG) may have helped a bit because communication in the organisation is mainly electronic, a necessity because of the sheer number of people you interact with and the diversity of their locations. We held several meetings via Skype and other social utilities. So, one was “in the zone” pretty much from the beginning.
What does your job entail as a social media manager?
It is primarily to ensure that all social media activities of Stanbic IBTC are responsibly thought through and managed in line with the values of the company and set business objectives. So, I co-ordinate and design the structure of our platforms, liaise with stakeholders in the business and ensure consistency in the tone of all messaging.
How many of these social media accounts of Stanbic IBTC do you manage?
Stanbic IBTC’s social media presence currently includes a Facebook page, Twitter profile, YouTube playlist (under the Standard Bank channel) and a blog.
How many people are on your social media team?
I’m sorry, I can’t share this information.
A school of thought believes that as a social media expert, you have got no serious job description. How challenging is your job?
Anyone that manages social media presence for a brand that is serious about it has a huge responsibility. There are multiple layers of complexity that you must navigate especially if you manage a big brand and it is easy to get bogged down in the bureaucracy. You also need to be able to make informed decisions on reputational issues and the short to long-term implications of your involvement in every conversation on social media. When you are in a service-oriented business, as Stanbic IBTC is, resolving service issues tend to become a key issue and it is a delicate balance finding the right messaging mix to handle these diplomatically. The work is tasking but it is also a lot of fun because working at the cutting edge of brand communications means you get to try out new strategies and quickly adapt and evolve.
Becoming digital media-savvy is not a one-off thing as there are always new trends. What do you do both online and offline to increase your online knowledge and stay on top of the latest innovations in social media?
You have to read a lot. My RSS feed is synced with several blogs that deliver industry news and interesting case studies from around the world. Media on the web and on devices is being consumed in very different ways but it is still regular people who are consuming it. So, once in a while, I go to events with people in the tech scene, people in fashion, development work, music etc just to see what the latest trends are and identify which of these can be applied to Stanbic IBTC’s ambitious social media activity.
How do you handle criticism of your company online?
When criticism comes, we welcome it as an opportunity to make things better. People develop connections with brands for different reasons and usually get disturbed when the balance of that relationship is disturbed. That is the point when they complain. If they didn’t have a connection to the brand that they value, they’d simply shrug off and move to your competition. It is at this point that we get to be actively present in the customer’s mind and reinforce the responsive and passionate qualities of our brand.
Can you give an example?
A classic example: One of our clients was in a branch and did not get the level of service he was used to from us. He didn’t even know we were on Twitter but he took to the micro-blogging site to complain about it. But, we picked it up and responded on the site asking for details of the situation. We got the details, got in touch with the branch and satisfactorily resolved the situation. He was so impressed that when he experienced service failure with a competitor, the quality of our service was the standard he alluded to.
Do you subscribe to the notion that having an online presence for a firm is just a fad and waste of time?
Investing in an online presence is definitely not a fad. Admittedly, it may not be an easy fit for some kinds of businesses because of the demography they service or the nature of their service but it is important that businesses be present online. If you decide to host a social media presence, it is a faux pas to leave it unattended to.
