Social Media Marketing: A Day in the Life

Have you ever wondered what life as a social media strategist is like? What types of jobs are available involving social? Meet Josh Martin. After receiving a bachelor’s degree at KSU, he eventually landed a position as the social media manager of Arby’s. At that time, the restaurant chain had no social media department and had 40,000 Facebook fans and about 2,500 Twitter followers. Josh’s creativity saw him rise through the ranks and eventually be promoted to the director of digital and social media for the Sandy Springs-based fast-food company.

Josh now finds himself responsible for overseeing all of Arby’s digital and social media properties, which include Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and many more. His efforts are a key part of Arby’s broader efforts to build brand awareness that have included traditional media and even lots of attention on late-night talk shows. Under Josh’s guidance, the company’s social presence has grown to over 2.5 million Facebook fans and more than 450,000 Twitter followers.

One Tweet. Instant Fame.
It was Sunday night, Jan. 26, 2014 – Grammy night. Josh noticed entertainer and Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams wearing a hat that looked strikingly similar to that of the Arby’s iconic logo. Josh couldn’t resist and tweeted “Hey @Pharrell, can we have our hat back?” The rest is history. His tweet saw more than 83,000 retweets, has been favorited more than 48,000 times, has garnered 10,700 replies and helped the brand win 6,000 new Twitter followers. Josh will forever be known for that one simple, organic tweet.

A Professional’s Advice
In an interview with LISTEN Interactive, Josh shared some of his thoughts on how to be strategic in the rapidly-changing world of social media.  He says it’s important to not be afraid. “There is not a perfect game plan on how to do social media, so it’s important to not be afraid to test different tactics, approaches, etc.,” he said.

He cites the most common mistake as a lack of commitment. “Social is not something that you can just ‘dip your toes in’ and expect to see immediate results,” Josh said. “If you want to see results from social media, you’ve got to be 100% committed and be willing to put in the time and effort.”

When asked what small companies can do with limited funds, Josh said to be creative. “If you have limited funds, then you have to get creative when trying to grow your fan base.” he said. “For example, leverage your strategic partnerships as they are generally willing to mention your brand on their social properties if it’s mutually beneficial.”

You Can Do It
Are you passionate about social media and desire to turn your skills into a profession? Josh did it. You can do it by joining us for our next Social Media Marketing Certificate program with Tyra Burton, course instructor and author of Socially Engaged.