Working in Social Media

Working in social media at an agency is just sitting on a beanbag scrolling through Facebook and Instagram, right? Unfortunately not, no.
Social media isn’t exactly the new kid in town anymore, but a lot of people can still get confused.
The work of a social media professional can seem shallow and effortless at face-value, but it is far from it.
Building a loyal brand following and gaining the attention of someone from anywhere in the world, to then get them to carry out an action which benefits the brand, in a world where attention has never been harder to gain and the landscape has never been as noisy, is a job which deserves as much recognition as any other role in the business.
From my time in social so far, and what I have learned from my connections, is that there are a couple of things that we collectively agree are extremely annoying to be asked or told in our role. And, Embryo SEO team, before you get offended, this is light-hearted!

Can You Get This On Social Right Now?

Believe it or not, there is a method to the madness of working in social media, like there is in all areas of digital marketing. Managing a social media account doesn’t involve sitting around twiddling your thumbs until a good post pops into your head.
From what is chosen to post and how a following is interacted with, to what posts are retweeted and shared and the number of posts sent out each day – everything is done with a specific purpose to reach the desired goal, which is concluded from a well thought-out strategy.

On the other hand, social media is probably the most dynamic, ever-changing area of digital marketing. This applies to everything from software algorithm changes to what the user wants to see on their feed when scrolling. Without a doubt, being static and having no flexibility in the world of social is the worst way to be, there just needs to be a balance.

Can You Get a Viral Post Online?

This question, above everything, is the most infuriating for me. I am not entirely sure why. Perhaps because it epitomises the naivety and misunderstanding around what it actually takes to be successful on social media.
The definition of a viral social media post is something which spreads rapidly among users, ultimately generating a large amount of engagement. When this happens, naturally you will witness a large spike in social engagement and maybe even an increase in website traffic. This sounds perfect, right?
Absolutely, a viral social media post is more than perfect! So, if it was something that can be crafted, don’t you think that recipe would be studied and applied in every single post?
All a social media professional can really do is focus on creating relevant, quality content that meets business goals. Of course, there are best practices when creating a post to generate engagement and entice virality, but there is no secret sauce or button you can press to make it happen.
Although, Mark Zuckerburg, if there is – please send it across to my email, mate.

What is The Best Thing About Working in Social?

Freedom.
There is a large list of things I could write, but the word freedom sums everything up.
I believe that freedom does not mean things like not having any management or enjoying a three-hour lunch break. To me, freedom is about taking action and then accepting complete responsibility for everything that you do.
Also, with anything creative, you should have the freedom to experiment, and social media is one of the most creative forms of marketing, so if an agency wants a social media department to be successful, it has to give it freedom. This is something Embryo does very well.

What is The Worst Thing About Working in Social?

Our mistakes are the biggest mistakes and the hardest to forget.
The famous saying says that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.`
I disagree. Have you never sent a bad post or overspent on an ad campaign?
Without a doubt, the send button is mightier than the sword.
Every email you send goes straight to the recipient, but every tweet I send goes to tens of thousands of people. It’s critiqued, talked about, torn apart, praised or shared. It is standard for your completed tasks to go straight to your boss – however, mine not only go to the boss but also to several clients and the previously mentioned crowd of tens of thousands.

To Conclude…

I absolutely love my job. I love the pressure and responsibility, I love the pace, the dynamic and ever-changing landscape, and I love the reward of engaging people online through a mixture of storytelling, psychological and technical methods. It can be easy, it can be tough, but it always leaves me walking out of the office (often past sunset) with a smile on my face.
So to my fellow social media dudes –  I salute you.