The Basics

The overall goals of the strategy were to gain new followers across platforms that generate leads and build the client’s brand credibility as a job search and career advice expert.

The Challenge

Social media management is like juggling 100 different balls at once. It’s important to understand the differences between platforms and their audiences so content can be engaging and stand out on followers’ crowded news feeds. It’s also important to stay on top of industry trends to provide followers relevant and up-to-date content — all while driving eyes to the brand’s website.

The Process

Research

The first step was to see what competitors in the job search space were doing successfully on social media. What were they talking about? When were they posting and how often? What made their shares stand out? Comparing these SWOT analyses to what the client was currently doing on social media allowed us to identify significant opportunities to improve.

Identifying the right voice

It’s not enough to just do what everyone else is doing. On social media, it’s essential to stand out. Your audience needs to recognize and relate to the company’s brand and story. We wanted the client’s social media feeds to reflect the approachable tone that was present on their website and blog. We also wanted the feeds to share the client’s expertise in a way that made the brand a friendly face to turn to during the job search.

Content, content, content

The goal was to make the client’s social media pages a set of resources for job seekers, people seeking career advice, and career counselors. One thing we did not want was for client’s social feeds to seem overly-promotional. That meant developing a balance between the client’s content and external content.

Considering the unique audiences of each platform, the ratio between the two types of content was a little different on each site. This led to different posting schedules for each platform. We also responded to any comments on content we shared and sent out regular tweets on Twitter thanking users who mentioned or retweeted the client’s shares.

Monitor and tweak

After setting concrete goals that tied back to the overall objective, it was time to measure our progress. This allowed us to see what was working and what needed adjusting. Monitoring the different profiles also allowed us to get to know and better understand each platform’s audience. With that information, we could craft better shares and post more relevant content. What we measured:

• Twitter: Followers, mentions, retweets
• Facebook: Page likes, weekly reach, and post engagements
• LinkedIn: New followers and post engagements
• All Platforms: Traffic to home page from social media and the number of new accounts started via that traffic

We would set goals for these metrics for three-month periods, but monitored and recorded progress on a weekly basis.

Working together

We work as an extension of our client’s team. That means keeping them in the loop on our progress and what’s going on with their social media. Each month, we sent the client reports on our activity as well as how we were doing considering our three-month goals. Any changes to the strategy were discussed and we were available for calls to answer any of the client’s team’s questions.

The Results

After nine months of social media management, engagement with the client’s posts increased by 55% on Facebook and 366% on Twitter. Traffic to the client’s website from Facebook and Twitter increased by 97% and 107%, respectively. In terms of actual business, the number of new accounts created each month from social media traffic increased by 516% in just six months.

* I served in a variety of roles from content strategist to content creator, editor, designer, and media specialist depending on clients’ needs. I worked alongside and leading a team of marketing specialists. I am respectfully referring to ‘we’ for collaborative team decisions/efforts.