Imagine you get paid to create multiple *twooshes* a day in the morning, curate funny gifs, browse Instagram during the day and post awesome pictures on it, share news and accomplishments on Facebook and LinkedIn, and continuously keep those social media platform tabs opened while replying to online inquiries. Sounds pretty amazing, eh?  Yes, being a Social Media Coordinator is very fun, but one must not neglect these four important points to be one.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions. A Lot of Them!

My co-op placement at PocketSocial marks my first time working in a tech startup company. As someone with little to almost no technical background, there are a lot of things to learn, from new vocabulary such as the difference of backend and frontend developers to product knowledge itself. As the PocketSocial app was not released yet when I joined, there was no other source to get the answer about the product except the development team, marketing team and the CEO himself.  Product knowledge is extremely important in running the social media platforms as I was the ‘bridge’ between the company and its online users.

2. Don’t be Afraid to Experiment!

For a newly established company, everything is about trial and error and finding what works and what does not. And that also applies to social media strategy, where the Coordinator has to find the right community members to engage with, determine the ‘voice’ of the company, and figure out what strategy works for the company.

3. Always Be Hungry to Learn More.

The Social Media Coordinator deals directly with platforms that continuously evolve – so, there is no way you can say that you’ve mastered a social media platform, because it is an always changing, even from month to month. Changing social media algorithms or new additions means that you have to constantly re-think what the best way is to utilize the platform to its maximum potential.

4. Don’t Neglect the Importance of Work-Life Balance

A Social Media Coordinator is an (almost) 24/7 role… if you don’t set the boundaries yourself. As inquiries or mentions on Twitter can appear anytime around the clock, a Coordinator has to draw a line on when they should leave the online world and take some time off-screen; such as taking an hour yoga class a day or even following a rule of putting aside all social media 1-hour before bed.

In short, being a Social Media Coordinator in a tech startup company is a wonderful opportunity that allows me to experience many things in a short period of time. After reflecting upon those points above, I am once again ensured that this is definitely the industry that I want to learn more about.