Got a social media account? You must be an expert…
Right? Wrong. As social media strategist Jon-Stephen Stansel says, “simply having personal social accounts doesn’t make you an expert.”
What’s the secret?
The social media profession isn’t exactly mysterious, nor are its practices a well-kept secret. But according to many social media marketing managers, senior leadership teams tend to have a gap when it comes to understanding exactly what they do.
Last year we produced a report in partnership with Brandwatch for Education on The State of the Higher Education Social Media Marketing Profession after interviewing and surveying higher education social media marketing professionals across the UK and gathering insights from Brandwatch’s tools. The findings highlighted a stark difference between the perception vs reality of social media management.
Fluffy
Interviewees told us that it can often be considered something of a ‘fluffy gig’ which is a term that contrasts starkly with reality. The profession demands a vast skill set and an ever-updating library of knowledge about a huge number of topics.
Emma Gilmartin, Head of Social Media and Student Communications at the University of Glasgow explains, ”the roles in the profession have changed so much. It's hard to be a graphic designer, a video editor, a data analyst, a customer service representative and a people networker that brings everyone together.
I think we need to be clear about what we want those roles to be and how we break them down. It's hard to be all those things and I think it's unfair to ask one individual to be amazing at all of those things.”
Informed expectations
It’s critical to equip senior leadership teams with the knowledge of the many skills and responsibilities the profession demands.
Additionally, as Alistair Beech, Senior Social Media Coordinator at The University of Manchester says, “[it’s important for senior leadership to] understand the rules of engagement. Such as when the social media team responds, why we don’t respond...”
This could help relieve some of the pressure experienced by social media professionals.
Further reading
Find out what else was on the minds of higher ed social media marketing professionals in our report. Access The State of the Higher Education Social Media Marketing Profession.
