Social Media and Digital Engagement Manager

Gannon University - Erie, PA

Full-time - Mid Level

Erie, PA

Educational Services

About the position

The Social Media and Digital Engagement Manager at Gannon University is responsible for overseeing the operational planning, establishment, execution, and evaluation of the university's official social media communications and engagement strategies. This role involves producing relevant content tailored for various social media platforms aimed at targeted audiences, which includes event coverage and the development of engaging content around upcoming or recently completed events. The manager will lead a team of staff and students who contribute content to the university's main accounts and provide support and consultation for other campus areas engaging on their own social media channels. In addition to content creation, the manager will monitor all official online venues to ensure they are consistently updated, maintaining a positive online presence and managing the university's reputation. This includes educating and training the Gannon University community on the proper use of social media and online communications. The manager will engage in social listening to inform data-driven decision-making and will serve as the subject matter expert on social media and online content management. As a member of the university's Crisis Response Team, this individual will be on call 24/7 to assist in disseminating information during critical times. The Social Media and Digital Engagement Manager will also assist with and sometimes direct the department's external and internal marketing efforts, including operating social channel campaigns. This position requires a proactive approach to managing Gannon's online presence, responding to comments and messages promptly, and reporting noteworthy interactions to the Marketing Team. The manager will produce regular reports and apply analytic insights to enhance the performance of university campaigns and initiatives, ultimately supporting the university's financial goals.

Responsibilities

• Plans, writes, creates, edits, schedules, and publishes relevant daily and long-term content across all social media channels in real-time.
• Develops unique, platform-specific voices and content for each of the university's flagship social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Performs ongoing social listening: timely review, moderation, and reports of conversation on social channels.
• Supports crisis communication efforts and reputation management of the university.
• Manages Gannon's online presence, responding to comments, direct messages, and mentions on all official university accounts in a timely manner.
• Reports noteworthy interactions and social media sentiment to the Marketing Team.
• Produces regular reports and applies analytic insights to drive improved performance of university campaigns, publications, public relations, and other Marketing and Communications initiatives.
• Crafts recommended responses to blogs, other social media sites, and online news outlets.
• Performs daily maintenance of official university social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other relevant social networking sites.
• Assists in the planning, development, implementation, management, social media coverage, and reporting of marketing initiatives such as events, publications, and advertising.
• Works collaboratively to set and achieve engagement and frequency goals across channels.
• Develops and reports on paid social media campaigns both independently and in support of existing marketing campaigns.
• Supports photography and video production for marketing, campaign, and daily social media use.
• Writes or supports the creation of articles, news releases, emails, blogs, posts, and other content to cultivate university brand awareness.
• Assists and coordinates university media and communications, collaborating on the writing of publications, press releases, and social media copy.
• Participates in weekly content meetings to align social media with all areas of content and communications.
• Creates relationships and provides partnership, education, and direction to departments, faculty, staff, and students in developing strategic social media presences.
• Provides continual feedback and recommendations to university departments on their social media efforts.
• Regularly reviews competitor social media content and recommends optimizations for our own.
• Constantly develops new content, finding new ways to repurpose and repackage existing university content.
• Builds strong relationships with media, community, stakeholders, etc. by providing constant, relevant, and newsworthy information on social media sites.
• Guides student employees in the development of social media and content creation skills.
• Facilitates student ambassador takeovers for authentic content creation on university channels.
• Actively supports SEO research and content recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in communications, multimedia, marketing, or a related field.
• Three-to-five years of work experience in marketing, multimedia, social media, or a related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create engaging, influential content in a variety of mediums.
• Experience in managing social media programs and platforms.
• Resourceful, problem-solving style that thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Solid project management skills, with the ability to independently manage multiple projects on time.
• Proficiency with Office suite of products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Design experience with HTML, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and other software is a plus.
• Proficient knowledge of Adobe CC for creation of static and motion graphics and assets preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Photography skills are a plus.
• Editorial experience or knowledge preferred.