Social Media Rewind...Or What I Wish I Knew When I Was Starting Out

With the workday done and the kids tucked into bed, I had settled down for an evening of bad TV with my wife.

Then my phone buzzed. 

I was being reminded of the weekly Twitter chat hosted by Social Media Analytics and Strategy (@SMASchat on Twitter). I had participated in a few of the chats and I had always enjoyed interacting with fellow social media professionals around our common goals, struggles, and aspirations. 

For context, each @SMASchat discussion consists of a series of questions posed by a moderator and participants respond with their best practices, horror stories, and other reflections. 

During the most recent chat, one question in particular resonated with me:

“What are some important reminders & suggestions for those who are just starting in social media, or those looking into starting a career in social media?”

This question is critical for many professions, but I think it’s especially relevant for social media professionals since the field is always evolving in both positive and negative ways. 

And in this post, I’ll share what I wish I knew when I was just starting out.

#1. Your Job Will Change Greatly Over Time

When I first started managing social media for the Harvard Business School (HBS) Alumni Office, my mandate was pretty simple: use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to engage with alumni as much as possible. 

In the months and years that followed, we launched Flickr and Vine feeds (only to abandon them when they proved ineffective in meeting our goals); started an Instagram feed which soon became our most popular channel, created a private Facebook group for alumni, and took our first tentative steps into the world of WhatsApp. 

For me, I went from just tweeting and posting of Facebook to becoming much more involved in photography, video production, event promotion, and design. 

All these changes have been a good thing since I’ve learned how to use a number of new “products” (from paid social media tools to Adobe Premier Pro) quickly and with some degree of expertise. I genuinely get excited when I find a new avenue to explore which can be applied to my work. 

If the changeable nature of social media work doesn’t interest you, this may be a “red flag” since it’s inevitable that new platforms, approaches, and programs are going to become available. Naturally, they all won’t work for you. But if you’re reluctant about exploring any of them, you may be doing your target audience—and yourself—a disservice.

(Related post: "The Evolving Social Media Professional...or Why Getting a Kick in the A#*% Was a Good Thing")

#2 Not Everyone Will “Get It”

My Eight-Year-Old Son: “All dad does is tweet and make videos all day.”

 Me: “It’s a little more complicated than that, kiddo.”

Obviously, my son gets a pass because, well he’s eight and still thinks his dad is cool, but sentiments like these may be held by your friends, parents, and even partners. The truth is unless you’re knee-deep in the work, you can’t really understand it. Posting fun pictures on your personal Facebook page or Twitter feed is not the same thing as managing a brand, full-time, 365 days a year.

Because of this, it helps to connect—unfortunately with the pandemic this can really only happen virtually—with people in the field to not only learn best practices, but to hear encouraging words from those who understand the good, the bad, and ugly of working in social media.

(Related post: "No, Not Everyone Can Do It: Why Social Media Management Is Way Harder Than You Think.")

#3 Be Prepared...With Data

It may take a week or a month, but eventually you will be asked to share the Return on Investment (ROI) of your work. Honestly, this should be top of mind from your first day on the job, maybe even during the interviewing process. 

In case you’re wondering, here are the questions I asked myself when I first started working for HBS.

A) What do I want to measure?

B) What can I measure, either manually or in automated form?

C) If manual measurement is necessary, how long will it take to gather the data?

D) How can I visually represent my findings?

E) Who needs to approve my data collection and analysis process? Because you don’t want to report on data that management is not interested in.

Here’s a glimpse of what I report on:

(Related post: "Making The Case: Social Media, Data (Lots of Data), and How to Get ‘Buy In’ from the Powers that Be")

#4 Present as Much as Possible

Even during the pandemic, there are still a number of conferences and professional events you can participate in (I’m actually in the process of getting one together now). These are great opportunities to not only share insights on your work, but to also learn from your colleagues who are managing social media for everything from higher ed institutions to professional sports teams. 

Presenting experience is also helpful when sharing your work with professional colleagues (i.e., the people you work with). The more practice you get, the better you’ll be able to explain what you do—and why it’s important—to those you work with. It will also provide your colleagues with ideas for how social media can aid what they are working on, essentially helping break down any silos that exists between departments or division’s within your organization.

(Related post: "Silos, Social Media, and Keeping it REAL Simple")

#5 Take A Break...Seriously 

My last piece of advice is to...

STEP AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE OR COMPUTER.

Social media work can be emotionally taxing. You need to take a break every once in awhile. Go for a walk. Read a book. Hit the gym. Whatever it is, you need to get away, recharge, and refresh. 

This is something I’ve struggled with for years (I mean, I’m writing a blog about social media on a Friday night), but it’s important. You cannot function well for anyone—your employer, family, friends—if you’re constantly stressed out. 

So, take a break. 

Your mind and body will thank you.

(Related post: The Struggle is Real: How I Learned To Break Away (Sort of) from Social Media)

Was this post helpful? Was there anything that I missed? Please leave any feedback you have in the comments section below.

Robert Bochnak manages social media for the Harvard Business School’s alumni office. He’s also the former writer and editor of GradMatters: The Blog for Tufts GSAS.

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