(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Chris-350×350.jpg alt: )
When I accepted the offer of a Digital Trainee position with Superdream back in February 2015, I had no idea what to expect or what I had let myself in for. Coming from a background mainly in retail management and having a degree in Animal Management, I had no experience of working in anything remotely digital and I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to be expected of me.
I soon discovered that the Digital department in Superdream is split into Social Media, Search, PPC, UX and Web Development and I would be spending my time over the next few months with each team getting to grips with the job roles and even having a go myself! I started my internship with the Social Media team which, having a great interest in Social Media myself, I was very happy about! It was something I liked to think I knew a fair amount about. However, I soon realised that there is a lot more to think about when using social media for a business than I had previously thought.
I spent my first week researching some of the companies we work with, what we do for them on social media, how it works, what could be improved and how they, if needed, could further their social media engagement. It had never really occurred to me, for example, that not every client needs to have a Facebook or Twitter page just for the sake of it or just because their competition does. There was a lot more involved in Social Media marketing and I would need to start thinking about each post from the point of view of the business and the audience.
After a couple of weeks I started using a social media management tool, called Sprout Social, to schedule posts for Facebook and Twitter, discovering in the process the language and tone that is used to use in order to gain the audience’s attention and engagement with the page. I also learnt that I apparently have a knack for writing copy, something I never knew!
You don’t realise how long it actually takes to post events onto Facebook! It isn’t just a simple matter of writing the event page… You have to make sure the event has an appropriate photo, the address for the event is correct, the time and date are correct and that the post is being posted on the correct page. Then, you need to schedule posts reminding people the day before the event and thanking them for coming the day after. When you have done this for 5-10 events (maybe more) a day, you soon lose a few hours.
Over the past four weeks I have learnt so much about Social Media advertising, marketing and communications that I never knew! It has been a great experience to ease me gently into the wide world of digital communications and marketing and now I’m really looking forward to my time in the other teams and getting my teeth stuck into what they have to offer me!