Behind-the-Scenes of a Social Media Strategist
Somehow, I got lucky enough to combine my love for social media and my love for planning/strategy, and make a job out of it. I came into college with an undecided major, having no idea what I wanted to be. I knew I loved social media, but it wasn’t something that companies were really using to advertise with yet. Fast forward three years and it’s difficult to find a company that’s not on some sort of social media platform. This is where my dream job became a reality. It’s a great feeling figuring out what you want to do, and then working for an agency like Jacht and having that experience only further verify that you love your job.
It’s always interesting to watch people’s reactions when I tell them I’m a Social Media Strategist. Most don’t realize that this is a job, and that companies actually hire people to run and strategize their accounts for them. Let me start off by saying, this position requires much more than just being good at Instagram and sending out a tweet every once in awhile. My team and I are responsible for generating innovative and captivating social media campaigns that increase brand awareness. This involves creating engaging content calendars, using Hootsuite to plan and schedule posts, analyzing data to determine what is and isn’t working, and researching our clients to see what will increase awareness and bring their brand to the next level. Social media is not a ‘one size fits all’ type of thing. Each company has a different voice and style that we are responsible for staying consistent with. This takes a lot of research and creative briefs to really capture the tone that the brand is aiming to accomplish.
It’s hard to describe a typical day because each day is a little different, but that’s what keeps the job interesting. Social media is constantly changing and evolving. It’s important to pay attention and stay up-to-date with it, as impossible as that may seem. Work doesn’t just stop when you leave the office, social media strategists are constantly required to be scheduling content and staying in-the-know outside of work hours. It’s imperative that you maintain good organization skills, stay on top of communication with your team and the client, and pay attention to detail.
