Social Networkers for Hire

The last thing Aliya S. King expected to find in her inbox back in May was a Craigslist posting asking for a social media Web strategist for ICED Media, an online marketing and research company based in New York City. Her interest peaked as she thought to herself, “This is what I do all day, every day. I update a blog (aliyasking.com), I’m on Facebook, [and] I’m on Twitter.” But the full-time freelance writer had some reservations because the job requirements focused on marketing. Still, King felt her skills were a match. She applied and was offered the position immediately following an interview with the company.

Today, King manages the Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr accounts for one of ICED Media’s clients, a publicly traded restaurant that has more than 500 locations in the Northeast. For about an hour, three times a day, she interacts

with customers about their experience with the restaurant, seeks out videos posted about the restaurant, and checks and responds to new postings. Every week, she reports each site’s activity to ICED Media and offers suggestions on how the restaurant can better interact with customers. Already King has increased the restaurant’s Twitter following from approximately 70 to nearly 1,500 followers. “Social media wasn’t something I was doing for very long before this job,” King reflects. “The learning curve is so sharp that I already feel really confident. I’m learning so much so quickly and something new every day.”

What King has quickly realized is that social networking is no longer just an engagement tool for friends and family. Companies are rapidly logging on to social networking sites to further the marketing of their brand and personally connect with consumers. Ford Motor Co., Starbucks, Dell, Home Depot, and Southwest Airlines are just a few employing social media platforms, particularly Twitter.

These jobs can work well for both a corporation’s and a professional’s interests. For employees, it can be financially lucrative with salaries ranging from $57,000 to $79,000. And a report prepared by Wetpaint, a social networking community, and Altimeter Group, an emerging technologies consulting firm, found that companies widely engaged in social networking platforms saw their revenues grow by 18%. Generally, these firms have a dedicated team focused on social media.

“It’s so important for companies to get involved,” notes Gwen Peake, global digital communications manager at Ford Motor Co., which uses only employees and agency personnel for its social media presence. “With social media, consumers can pose questions and comments in real time–it’s really about building relationships and trust between companies and their consumers, including potential consumers.”

But the world of social media does have its challenges. Because it’s such a personal exchange of information, King admits that there is sometimes a tug-of-war between representing the company and infusing her own views. “I have to find this really fine line,” she says. “I’m working for the client but I’m me also.”

And in corporate cultures where information released to the public is heavily monitored and directed, King and the organization haven’t always agreed on how to respond to certain messages. “The client is really reticent,” King explains. “When I first started they wanted me to send one tweet a day and they did not want me to respond to a follower right away. They also [become alarmed] over negative comments so we are still trying to figure out when to delete or leave them.” According to Peake, for companies to successfully adapt to a culture that requires them to

loosen the reins they “need to ensure that their social media team is equipped to handle crisis situations, so one must be knowledgeable of the business culture and infrastructure,” she says.

An opportunity such as King’s takes more than being a frequent user of social media tools. Jeremiah Owyang, a partner and customer strategist for Altimeter Group, says on his blog (www.web-strategist.com/blog) that to establish yourself as a qualified candidate you must be able to fulfill and articulate the business objectives of the company–without mentioning social media. You will need to serve as an advocate for customers and a spokesperson for the company to communicate one side’s point of view to the other. Essentially, you should be able to learn new technologies and apply them to benefit the company’s needs.

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.