By Natalie Glidewell
At last week’s chapter meeting Brian Weiss of NUVO, an alternative newspaper in Indianapolis, joined us to talk all things social media. From intern to Engagement Editor, Brian manages all social media platforms, coordinates promotional and editorial projects and reports on current events happening in Indianapolis.
Members who were able to attend the meeting enjoyed hearing from a recent Ball State graduate. Brian shared his professional experiences and advice in a way that was fun and relatable. It kept members engaged and excited to learn about what a job in social media entails. Personally, I was able to walk away from the meeting with key takeaways about making social media a viable career path.
Adapt to Different Platforms
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all very different platforms. Content that does well on Facebook may not do as well on Twitter or Instagram. Brian talked about how Facebook updates its algorithm daily and you don’t always know that the updates are happening. They are more drastic changes than that of Twitter and Instagram, as well. This can be challenging for business pages trying to ensure that posts are getting the impressions and engagement they need to drive website traffic. Managing and editing social media accounts is about adapting to platform updates and leveraging them to your advantage.
Plan Your Content
Brian shared that all together he manages 17 social media accounts, not including his personal ones, between NUVO and freelance work. When you are working Monday through Friday and your job is running social media accounts, you have to plan your content if you want Saturday and Sunday off. This means working ahead, but still paying attention to current and relevant trends happening on social media.
Post With Strategy
Planning social media content means developing strategy behind each post. Brian talked about how food stories do better at lunchtime and local brewery stories do better on the weekend. Managing social media is about strategizing the best ways to reach your target audience. So, always ensure that your content is timely and engaging.
Track Your Success
Tracking your posts through data and analytics software helps you strategize what content to post when. Brian tracks NUVO’s posts with Google Analytics and takes those metrics to measure the success of each post. When he does monthly and yearly recaps, or plans content for the weekends, he utilizes content that did well during the week. Without tracking the success of your content, you would not be able to improve your presence and following on social media.
Be Bold
NUVO is an alternative voice, which allows them to be bold and break barriers with the stories they cover and the content they post. Brian is constantly brainstorming unique ways to be a voice for readers and the people of Indianapolis through social media. Social media is a great tool to use if you are looking for unconventional ways to gain attention and spark conversation.
Brian’s presentation was not only invaluable for members that attended the meeting, but speaking to our chapter also had an impact on Brian’s career development. He wrote a post on LinkedIn detailing his experience. Check it out here!
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