Archive for “February, 2011”

Featured Job Opp @ SMG – Community Manager

As noted in earlier blog posts,  we are expanding rapidly stemming from both new account wins and increased responsibility serving our existing clients.  I wanted to use this post to speak to one specific opportunity that I think is special.

We’ve been tapped by one of our clients in the Financial Services sector to hire  a Community Manager.  This is a unique opportunity to work within an agency and client environment, simultaneously. We will hire you. We will train you.  We will pay you.  But you will live with our client.  You will get to know their business, inside and out.  If all goes well, they will hire you. They will pay you. The best of both worlds!

If this sounds like an opportunity that interests you, then read on.  Here is the job description:

Title – Community Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

As part of Social Media Group’s Content and Community Team, the successful candidate will serve as an online advocate within the community we’re establishing for our Financial Services Client.  The Community Manager will be responsible for driving and managing the conversation on select social media channels, and ensuring community member needs are satisfied.  The successful candidate will be familiar with social media and online communities.

The successful candidate will have proven leadership skills, an ability to proactively identify opportunities and quickly implement solutions, a positive attitude and a passion for customers.  Further, the successful candidate will be an exceptional communicator.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include:

  • Participate in the development and maintain the strategy and direction for community building and engagement.
  • Monitor designated social media channels, feedback and answer general community questions or facilitate the response to customer questions through working with internal channels.
  • Monitor and understand current community trends, opinions, concerns, general topics of conversation, etc.
  • Foster conversations within the community by effectively communicating with users via regular posts.
  • Exhibit a savvy and professional persona to online community members via expert written communication skills.
  • Build relationships with cross-functional teams in order to understand their needs and goals, and ensure that the community perspective is being considered.
  • Analyze community data and metrics to determine need for changes in direction, additional promotions, etc.
  • Plan and manage online community events.
  • System administration responsibilities as necessary (permissions, content publishing and other back-end tools).
  • Serve as the lead communication liaison during site issues/maintenance between technical groups and the community.
  • Maintain an understanding of trends, feedback and metrics of similar communities external to the organization.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • Requires a minimum of two to four years of experience in communications and client relations in the area(s) of Public Relations/Communications or Marketing/Advertising
  • Bachelor’s degree and/or College Diploma in business, marketing, or communications.
  • Passion for written communication.
  • Excellent verbal, interpersonal and relationship building skills.
  • Demonstrated active involvement in social networking (blogs, communities).
  • Demonstrated skill in a Business Analyst or Marketing Analyst role.
  • Highly developed and influential communication, facilitation and presentation skills at all levels of the business organization.
  • Thrives on a challenge especially under high-pressure circumstances.
  • Strong analytical and organizational skills.
  • Passion for exceptional customer service.

ADDITIONAL ASSETS

  • English language, with French as a definite asset
  • Experience with managing 3rd party vendor relationships.
  • Experience managing an online community.
  • Financial Services category  experience an asset


If you’d like to find out more, please send your CV and relevant social profile links to jobs AT Social Media Group DOT com!

Social Media Roundup for Feb 11, 2011

It’s that time of week again… here’s all the news that’s fit to tweet from the social web, a lot of which has to do with Google… and also some silly stuff that we thought was funny.

The big news of the week, dropped yesterday by the Wall Street Journal, was that Twitter is likely on the block. Lining up for a whack at that estimated $8-billion dollar pinata (with only $45-million in revenue: yes, you read that right): Facebook and Google. May be the best web titan win. And yes – I think it’s a good move for Twitter to become part of a larger ecosystem. I believe the platform will continue to have difficulty monetizing if it does not. And If the choice were mine, I’d likely pick Google. They, at least, have demonstrated the ability to monetize their business at scale.

Starbucks CEO wants some of that Groupon! Howard Schultz’ investment firm, Maveron, has plunked down an undisclosed amount for a piece of Groupon and he’s taken a seat on the Board of Directors. The group-buying site was recently rumoured to have turned down a $6-billion offer from Google, and then proceeded to raise a $950 million round of financing (or $950 billion as reported in this Forbes article. Which is wrong.)

Toronto-based Rypple (which wants to save the world from “HR software that sucks” – a noble calling!) announced this week that they have raised a $7-million round from Bridgescale Partners have released Rypple 3.0, which is essentially about real-time performance reviews (which is a really interesting idea). The company is clearly on fire, with some great new clients and some awesome new products/features coming out soon. I know all about this because CEO Daniel Debow briefed me today on totally secret new and exciting things. And NO – I will not tell you what they are.

That whole Egypt thing… social media was a critical tool in allowing Egyptians to mobilize and organize their opposition to Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. After weeks of protests, crackdowns and a shutdown of Egyptian Internet access (which was an interesting, but ultimately ineffective, tactic), today Mubarak resigned. Some of the coolest work-arounds: companies like Google and Twitter working together to allow Egyptians to send tweets using voicemail messages – no Internet required. Let’s just hope that the new boss isn’t the same as the old boss…

This week is the Week of the Social Medias! SMG hosted a big crowd for Social Media Week Toronto last year, but alas, our move to big new digs Monday put us out of commission for 2011. Nevertheless, we are proud to bring you a little SMW schadenfreude this fine Friday afternoon. Introducing the Ten Worst Social Media Moves of 2010. Hopefully that makes you feel better about yourself.

And finally… though it seems like a long time ago, Sunday was the Social Bowl. Uh, I mean the Super Bowl. Here’s AdAge’s take on the best liked/most recalled (re: effective) ads. Our favourite? We’ll never tell.

Happy Friday!

Social Media Group Has a New Home!

We’re incredibly excited to announce that the Social Media Group team is starting a new week in brand-spanking-new offices! SMG has picked up and moved to 460 Richmond Street West, in Toronto, a fantastic new office with double the space and three times the meeting rooms!

Why the move? Plain and simple: we outgrew our old space. Late 2010/early 2011 saw a tremendous expansion in our client base. A selection of recent account wins include 3M, Select Comfort, Merrill Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line, and with new clients comes lots of new work, new staff members and, naturally, the need for new space.

(To that end, we’re also still in hiring mode for a couple of positions – if you’d like to find out more, please contact us!)

So, please update your contact info for Social Media Group. Once we’re settled we’re planning to have an office-warming; we hope you can join us!

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahhyeah