Hi everyone,
This is my 3rd blog – posting from Perth WA. I am an intern at Socialite Media and soon to be a full time Accounts Manager there (yes, I have officially received confirmation that they will hire me once I have graduated midyear, yay!)
Since I last blogged, a few changes have been made. I quit my job working in retail which was a very smart move by me because although I technically have no income, I have been able to increase my work experience days to 3 times a week which means more experience and training! By working at the Socialite’s office more often, not only am I becoming better at what I do, I am bonding more with the girls on the team and feeling very much at home.
Recently my tasks have been to take over one of the client’s (who I cannot name – sorry!) social media account while one of the other girls are away. This involves being present on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn from 8.30am till 5.30pm to ensure regular posts are made and interaction with the specific target market is made. This is basically what an Account Manager does, but with eight clients, not just one! Although it sounds like I am just playing on Facebook all day, it is definitely not the case. We need to design each post on Facebook and Twitter specifically so that we are not doing the ‘hard sell’ and instead are posting to generate conversation relevant to the client. We must be careful not to come across as biased on an issue and instead do the ‘soft sell’.
Throughout this process I have learnt to choose your words wisely, as sometimes people will not find the humour, become offended or simply don’t understand what you’re trying to say. And believe me, there is usually one in every group!
Until next time!
Meredith
4 comments:
Hi,
I did my internship In Amnesty Mauritius section; I think you guys are ahead of us concerning the use of social media. In the organisation I was working the use of social media was extensive, but not effective.
I think that one of disadvantages of using facebook or any other social media is that people can give their instant reaction. Which render our work as PR persons more difficult and if not monitored perfectly (famous example the case of Nestle/Mauritius) may lead to major communication disasters.
Besides, I don’t Know if you’re familiar with the term troll, but it is the term used to describe people who post irrelevant comments on discussion boards. I think that’s one of the major problems of social media, is this constant careful monitoring. Moreover, deleting comments is not welcomed option either as the purpose of such media is to enable people to comment freely.
good luck with the rest of your internship
Sandrine
Hi Meredith,
It's comforting to hear that someone else has also reviewed their current working situation and has weighed up the benefits of working for free in your chosen industry, compared to a 'whilst-at-uni' paid job. I recently had the same thought (to quit my retail job and focus more of my time on gaining industry experience) and your blog has definitely helped me confirm that this would be the right move.
Thanks and good luck with the rest of your internship!
Charlotte
Hi there,
I agree with Sandrine that you do lose a certain amount of control on social media but I don’t think this is a reason to ignore it altogether. Social Media is a cost effective way to reach customers. People who enter the site are likely to take more notice than someone who’s forced to look at a banner or pop-up. I also think creating a forum that allows for two way communication makes the company more credible and gives it an opportunity to receive direct customer feedback. I’m doing my internship at a television station where news readers and presenters have their own personal facebook & twitter pages. The major problem we have is monitoring their activity and ensuring they don’t post anything that reflects badly on the company.
Estelle
Congratulations on your new job Meredith!!
Social networking... So tricky sometimes! I did my work experience in Qantas' Corporate Communications and helped with posting on the Facebook page and tweeting on Twitter.
Whenever a disgruntled passenger would write on our Twitter page, we would have to be so careful with our wording. We couldn't promise anything, or even directly say we were sorry for their experience! Or if an aviation fanatic wanted to know some inside secrets, we'd have to be very clever about how we worded things!
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