Interviewee Two
Job Title: Marketing Assistant
Company: Melbourne-based Australian Music, Entertainment and Events
Following: 200,000+
Main role/s: - Managing Social Media
- Developing Brand Relationships
- Website Content Management
- Advertising Assistant
- Content Development (working with Public Relations/Media partners)
Was maintaining and using social media included in your initial job description?
Yes it was. Although I don't think I realised how much I would have to keep my eye on what was happening in social media developments across the world. I now check digital blogs daily (most of them are overseas based).
Did you get given any on the job training or advice in regards to how to use the social media platforms?
Yes - my boss (Marketing Manager) is very hands-on. He is very much on the ball when it comes to breaking social media news and marketing news in general and he shares this news with me multiple times a day. Our social media app builder (out-sourced), my boss and I all have an email thread going regarding any social media updates). We all mutually understand that we need to be on the ball when it comes to social media because our fan base is so huge (excess 200,000+k). I have also attended digital conferences to learn more about where brands are heading online.
Do you have any other roles, or is your time simply devoted to social media?
I have many other tasks in addition to social media management. Our social media presence is so huge for us and is our primary source of communication and connection with our target market. For the festival campaign, I aimed to have at least 4 (with a target of 6) content pieces regarding our artists (i.e. new tracks, videos, interviews etc) pushed out through our social media platforms. This would occur over a working day, so approx 1 piece of content every 2 hours (although we have more traffic to our social media sites in the afternoons - so I would often push all our content out during the afternoon/evening period - with more of a "Hey, good morning" type post in the morning).
What types of social media do you use?
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest.
Did you have any prior experience with using social media in a capacity such as you are now?
Not in the capacity I do now - when I interned I worked at an agency and had some experience there working with Facebook and Twitter, however, looking back it's clear that the agency really didn't know a lot about social media and just 'followed'. Also working in-house is so much easier and having a smaller team - when interning at an agency we would have to get every potential post/social media blast approved which would be time consuming and often missed the integral moment when something should have been posted.
How does the social media work as an event is taking place?
Probably 6 weeks out from the event, we try and push sales more (links to ticketing websites etc.) – however, this depends on whether the event has already sold out. We ask more questions to our audience (eg. ‘Who are you most looking forward to seeing on stage?’ ‘What track are you most looking forward to <insert artist name> dropping?’).
On the day, I will begin from the moment I wake up with posts pumping up the day to all our fans who are attending. With telecommunications issues at events I am often restricted with access to social media from probably 5pm onwards, so I try and Tweet and upload photos on Facebook of as many artists playing from the time gates open until when phones cut out.
How do you create an online fan base?
You need to ensure you have really relative content, CONSTANTLY! You must remember your fans are a community. One thing I think is a sign of a successful brand page on Facebook, is when fans are helping each other out and becoming very interactive amongst themselves - i.e. if someone asks when <artist is playing>, someone else will respond with the correct answer if we already haven't - almost having banter amongst fans. We recently launched a new Facebook page for one of our touring departments - within 6 weeks the page grew to over 14,000 fans (without buying a single one) through an amazing competition constructed via an app.
Which social media platform have you found the most useful/successful and why?
Pinterest is still slowly building in Australia, it's huge overseas but I'm still waiting for it to explode in Australia. Our Instagram, which we have just launched has exploded in the 3 weeks we've had it with close to 800 followers. Twitter - I don't think there is that many active users in Australia but it's personally my favourite as we can directly interact with artists and their fans (via Re-tweets). Facebook - the largest for us - is the most successful.
What marketing techniques or knowledge do you employ?
Everything and nothing I've learnt from textbooks at University.... Marketing changes so quickly that blogs and websites are now my main source of inspiration/knowledge.
How do you entice users to interact with your page(s)?
Amazing competitions! (Sorry, can't disclose what these comps are because we haven't launched them) and post amazing content of artists (YouTube, Soundcloud mixes etc).
How successful have such competitions been?
Hugely successful! We are focusing a greater amount of our budget on internal Facebook comps because we have found they receive the greatest returns for us - traffic to website etc.
How do you think your role differs form someone who works for say a fashion brand, do you still treat your role as though you are marketing a product, or do you treat it in a different manner?
I think it's completely different - I have become so engrossed in the music we do (music, that before this job, I wasn't hugely focused on) and what's happening across the entire type of music we cover across the world. A lot of people finish work for the day and that's it, they switch off, but with us because music is around us and it's changing so quickly I'm constantly aware of it (i.e. when I jump on Facebook etc). I can't explain how it's different, in words, but I feel this job and brand is 'a state of mind' more than anything.
Do others in your office help with or contribute to the social media side of things?
Yes - my boss will sometimes post or let me know something that he has become aware of (e.g. record labels sending him through new tracks just released) and our touring department will always let me know if there's something that would really interest our fans that I haven't picked up on.
Where do you go to seek information on how to most effectively utilise each specific social media platform (or even social media as a whole) for your purposes?
Blogs, my boss and our social media app builder!
What do you aim to achieve through the use of social media?
A connection with our target market, which results in ticket sales.