Young Adult Social Media Managers
There has been much debate over a blog post by Cathryn Sloane about "Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25". While going into detail about why, some readers were offended by the idea that those over 25 can not handle social media marketing for businesses and should not be in charge of it. Others agreed with her ideas of how a youthful mind would fit the position. I in fact, agree with her ideas on why Social Media Managers should be young adults.
I may be a little bias because I am a 21 year old Social Media Director, but I want you to understand my reasonings. Well personally, I was interested in finding a job with social media because I have much experience and love working with it. I have had a Facebook profile since, I believe 2007, and a Twitter account since 2009. Of course I wasn't as active with them when I first got them as I have been within the past couple of years. Especially once I got to college it was a way to keep in touch with everyone from family, friends at home, to new friends at school. As social media continues to grow I have also made accounts with other numerous social media sites. Once I got my iPhone last summer I use these sites even more than before! It is much more convenient and great to use when you have a few extra minutes.
Now here is why I believe that young adults are perfect for Social Media Manager positions...
Understands Social Media From The Start
Facebook began in 2004 while Twitter began in 2006. That means that high schoolers that started using those sites when they first came out are in their mid 20s today. When Facebook and Twitter first came to be it was mostly for teens and young adults. When I first made my Facebook account my mom couldn't even remember the name of it, calling it MyFace, let alone have an actual account. It took years later for adults to join the Facebook craze. As of today, according to Pew Internet: Social Networking, 86% of 18-29 year olds use social media while 72% are 30-49 year olds and 50% are between the ages of 50-64. Even though older adults use social media sites more now, young adults still exceed them.
Considering social media took off only 8 years ago, I believe those that experienced it from the start should be the ones with the Manager and/or Director positions in their companies. While going into a new position, it is much easier to start with something that you already have experience with and understand. Why hire someone who doesn't know much about social media if you could hire someone that uses it on a daily basis?
Around It All The Time
Young adults are always around social media whether they have their own accounts or their friends or family do. I end up learning about what is new and changing mostly from being around it every day. When I hang out with my friends we are always sharing what new app we just downloaded on our phones or what new social media site we found today. My friends have been obsessed with using Twitter and Instagram this summer so it tends to rub off on me. Every time they see something cool they say, "I need to Instagram that!".
Moves faster
If you were to hire a young adult to be your Social Media Manager then they will move much faster than someone who is not as familiar with it. They most likely love using social media and know exactly what to do with it. As soon as they start they can take off right away and get your social media on the move.
Willing to learn
Keep Up With ChangesWhen someone loves their job they are more willing to learn new things. In fact, I love learning about new social media tactics and new sites that are up and coming. When I am researching about social media and blogging I get excited about my job. I love learning new things because I find it really cool for what you can do to promote a company through social media. If you hire someone with the experience and the interest in social media they will want to learn how they can make your social media sites better for your company.
Social media sites are always changing because they want to be bigger and better. They have a lot of competition out there so they need to be the best they can be. It is much easier for someone to keep up with the changes if they are active with their own personal profiles. They are engaged in social media sites every day and notice when the smallest things change. Not to mention everyone on their timelines complaining about the changes. They also are more on the lookout for when new social media sites turn up out of nowhere. Most likely they will hear it from word-of-mouth, blogs they read, or news articles. If it is in their interest they will be one of the first to hear about it and learn how to use it. For example, I have been using Instagram for months now but my older sister, who isn't as interested in social media, never heard of it. I had to describe to her what it is and show her how and why she should use it. If someone loves social media they will try to keep up with the latest and use them daily.
Understands What Customers Want To See
As a young consumer, we all know what we want to see from those promoting through their social media sites. While being on social media sites daily, young adults see what other businesses are doing to help their pages and can use those tactics. If they notice that those companies are getting more "Likes" on their Facebook page, Retweets and Repins from followers then they can take their practices and use them for their company. In a way it's less research for them because they see it when they login to their own pages every day.
On the Go Updates
As I mentioned before, having a smartphone makes keeping up with social media a lot easier! If it wasn't for having one I probably wouldn't go on as often. Most young adults have smartphones nowadays and therefore can keep up with their company's social media while out of the office. For example, if your Social Media Manager takes a picture of something that relates to your company they can Instagram it and upload it to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites right away. Followers will see how active you are no matter what time of the day it is and see that you really care about your business. Young adults are so used to tweeting regularly and uploading images or statuses on social media sites that it comes naturally for them. Last weekend I was reading an article and thought "this would be perfect to tweet about to our followers", and I did. Even though I was off the clock I knew it was something that represented our company and should be shared with others.
***SWEEPSTAKES!!*** Want your business to be found on Google? "Like" us on Facebook and enter to win SEO for up to 10 pages on your website. A $500 value!! From now until August 15th, 2012!
Want to know what we've been up to? Follow us on Twitter for the latest!
Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post.
Put your Comment Below.