The social media savvy assistant
Looking to develop as an executive assistant or personal assistant? Look to social media skills to future-proof your career.
Social media is a powerful communications tool that, when used correctly, can help businesses achieve their goals and individuals build their personal brands. The digital marketing industry is one of the fastest-growing, and social media skills continue to be in high demand.
Contrary to what many believe, social media skills are not unique or exclusive to professionals in the digital media space alone. For businesses to succeed in today's digital age, they need professionals of diverse disciplines who are well-versed and highly capable of undertaking social media functions.
That's where the social media savvy executive assistant comes in.
A rewarding career path for Administrative Assistants and Executive Support Professionals
The digital marketing space is broad and growing. A career in social media marketing has become increasingly popular over the past few years. But as companies work to increase brand awareness and grow their business, they look to internal resources to help them.
But what does it take to be a social media savvy executive assistant, and what opportunities can this career path open up for you?
As an executive assistant, you likely already have a wealth of experience managing social media accounts. You're familiar with the ins and outs of various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You might even be an avid user, but being a social media savvy executive or personal assistant is more than just knowing how to post content. It's also about understanding how to use social media to achieve business goals.
Is it just about adding to administrative tasks?
While "add post to FB" might be a line in your 'to-do list', being a social media savvy executive assistant means much more. It requires equal parts of commitment and dedication with a strong dash of consistency to make it work. To be successful in this area, you will need to:
Understand your company's social media goals.
What are they trying to achieve with their social media presence? It's essential that you align your efforts with their overall strategy. If you're part of a small company, the social media role may be part of your position description. If you're part of a larger organisation, it may be that you manage the social media account of your manager as an extension of the digital marketing team.
Quite often, in larger organisations, employees are encouraged to be brand advocates. However, when sharing something about their role or company, it is expected that the company's "voice" and "brand" will be represented rather than your personal opinion. This is why having insights into your company's social media goals is so important.
Be strategic in your content planning.
What kind of content will help achieve the company's social media goals? Planning quality content takes time, focus, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. Being able to schedule your posts in advance is critical to ensuring you're always putting out quality content that is on-brand and "shows up" as expected by its audiences.
Monitor the performance of your posts.
Use analytics to see which of your posts are performing well and adjust your strategy accordingly. Familiarising yourself with analytics tools and resources is almost a job in itself, but it is essential to understand your efforts' impact on the social media strategy.
Problem-solving and analysing information such as performance results from Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEO are critical and valuable skill sets of the social media savvy assistant.
The skills needed to succeed as a social media savvy assistant.
As an executive or personal assistant, you can play a key role in helping your company or organisation use social media effectively. If social media is part of your job description, to be successful in this area, there are specific skills you need to possess. The most important ones are:
Strong written and verbal communication skills
In order to be successful in social media, you need to be able to communicate effectively. This includes being able to write compelling content that accurately represents the voice of your brand.
Strategic thinking
It's not enough to simply post content on social media. You need to be strategic in your approach. This means thinking about the overall goals of your company or organisation and applying your planning skills to achieve them.
Creativity
To really stand out on social media, you need to be creative in your approach. This includes coming up with fresh ideas for content and finding new ways to engage with your audience.
Attention to detail
Social media is all about the details. From choosing the right hashtags to proofreading your content, you need to be detail-oriented in everything you do.
Time management skills
Managing social media accounts can be time-consuming, so effective time management skills are essential to ensure you stay on top. Social media also moves quickly, and responding to trends promptly is also part of the success metrics.
The personality traits of social media savvy assistants
In addition to possessing the necessary skills, there are also certain personality traits that will help you succeed in this career path. This means:
you thrive in contexts where thinking outside the box to develop creative solutions is rewarding,
you don't wait; you "do"! Being proactive comes naturally to you,
your brain aligns to order, and being organised and detail-oriented is the only way, in your opinion,
you don't sweat the small or big stuff and go into the 'unknown' with the confidence that no matter what, you'll make it work,
you recognise that your contribution is part of the bigger picture and wouldn't dare let the team down,
you know how to convince and align stakeholders to your vision - i.e., you're a strong communicator, and
above all, your positive attitude shines through.
A career path with enormous opportunities
If you have the above personality traits and cognitive and technical skills, then a career as a social media savvy executive assistant may be the perfect fit for you. This career path offers an excellent opportunity to use your existing skills to help businesses achieve their goals
In addition, it provides a chance to further develop your skills and knowledge in an ever-changing field that is not only growing but in high demand. Considering that every additional skill set you possess can add to your value, your social media skills in the right company and industry can mean a significant bump in your pay packet.
Believe in yourself and go with confidence!
Chances are, you have many of the skills and attributes to market yourself as a social media savvy executive or personal assistant. And perhaps with targeted professional development, you can position yourself as a valuable asset to your company. With your social media skills, you can help them reach a wider audience and achieve their business goals. So if you're looking to take your career to the next level, becoming a social media savvy executive assistant is a great place to start.
Do you have what it takes to be a social-media-savvy executive or personal assistant? Share your thoughts in the comments below.