David Knockton: Freelance Social Media Strategist

David's interview:

My name is David Knockton and I am a Social Media Strategist and Consultant.

Do you have a Fun fact or Did you Know which you can share with us students?

Maybe not a fun fact but certainly an impressive DYK (did you know).

Alan Turing - the famed code-breaking war hero, now considered the father of computer science and artificial intelligence

When designing their logo Apple were aware of Turing’s contributions to computers and coding and decided to honour him and comment on his homophobic persecution by removing a single bite from the apple graphic.

How would you explain your role as a Social Media Strategist?

A Social Media Strategist is a mix of Social Media Manager, who implements the strategy, and a Head of Social Media who creates the strategy, manages budgets, reports to the senior leadership team etc. So it’s both a hands on role and a strategic role.

How did you get into this industry? How long have you worked in this area? What did you do before?

I sort of evolved into the industry. I started off many years ago when Yell.com launched selling and designing websites. I then moved into email, then digital marketing and then I got my first job in social media working for a PR agency. I then worked for a Search and Social agency managing the account for Mercedes Benz and other automotive brands for Search Engine Optimisation, Search Marketing, and Social Media Marketing and Community Management. After that I worked a Group Social Media manager for Saga and then as a Social Media Strategist for Royal Caribbean Cruises. When lockdown started and cruises stopped I was made redundant and started a Consultancy.

That spans a 25 year career in digital marketing with 11 years in social media.

Does it help to have contacts?

I’ve built up a significant network on LinkedIn which has helped me with my Consultancy work, and I got the Royal Caribbean job from a LinkedIn contact. I think if you have contacts then that’s great but if you haven’t got any then don’t worry about it. If you want to build contacts on LinkedIn then Google ‘top influencers in marketing’ or whatever career you are considering, follow and engage positively with as many as possible until you get an idea of how they influence so you can start to find your own particular voice and the start creating posts that will hopefully attract more contacts based on how interesting your opinions are.

Do you need any specific qualifications for this role? Would I need a degree in marketing or marketing background?

I have no qualifications but what my CV lacks in qualifications it makes up for in experience. A degree would definitely help but marketing experience is also valuable. It may not be the role you are looking for in an ideal world so take anything and work your way up. Generally, employers are looking for potential, for someone that understands their business and can clearly articulate how they can succeed in the role and fit seamlessly into their company culture. Start on Glassdoor or other employer review sites to see what people are saying about them which should give you some clues to help.

What general skills would help me to be successful in this role?

Positivity, flexibility, working until the job is done, always being open and available when asked, be honest and transparent, be super keen and super nice, always smile, go above and beyond, show commitment and focus to do your job to the best of your ability and make sure you keep communicating with your manager about how fabulous you are.

Is there anything I can do for work experience that would help me to secure a job like this in the future?

Learn as much as possible and understand the value of social media to companies from a brand perspective and how they can help with them selling more stuff. Subscribe to websites and blogs like Social Media Today, Social Media Examiner, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Hubspot and Jeff Bullas. The person that’s influenced me the most in my career is Brian Solis. Go to their websites and look for their free guides which you can easily sign up for and download as PDFs. If you have a broad selection of sources you’ll learn more quickly and get a more balanced view. You can also get invaluable quotes for interviews.

Is this job well paid?

The salary brackets are very inconsistent. It varies by industry but if they are a company that sells their products through social media they pay better because it’s easier to demonstrate how you are contributing to sales. If they are a relatively small company, or a High Street retailer with a small social media following, they pay lower because they’re not using social to it’s full potential. If you can ‘get’ how social media can help a business succeed with your knowledge of how it all works it will help you get the job, even if you have no experience.

What big companies have you worked for? What sort of things did you do for them?

Saga and Royal Caribbean and it was managing their Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest accounts. Responding directly to customer services issues, managing Influencers, managing social advertising, analysis and reporting, training teams - basically everything!

Are there many openings in this area?

Yes, absolutely loads.

How do you make sure that you promote your clients well?

Every company has their own Brand Guidelines and Tone of Voice. I follow those guidelines when creating posts and make sure any questions or messages are responded to quickly and professionally.

Do you have to manage teams to get your job done?

Social media teams don’t tend to be that big, it’s usually a junior executive and a manager. Most of the time one person can do the job but you do need two people to cover for holidays and meetings etc.

What parts of this role are the most rewarding?

If you help someone and they say thanks. I really like social media advertising because I love spending money! I get huge job satisfaction when I see the results from a campaign I’ve worked hard on that gets brilliant results. Social media is a fun place but going to work can be a tough place sometimes. If you work hard, stay on top of your workload and stay focused you can manage your time for breaks and chats with your colleagues. It’s important to have good relationships with everyone.

What was your proudest moment so far?

I won a Social Media Award for best campaign and won a free cruise to the Bahamas. We flew to Miami and sailed to Atlantis Bahamas in Nassau and then to Perfect Day at CocoCay which is Royal Caribbean’s private island. The best thing about winning was I didn’t have a clue and when my name was read out I couldn’t believe it was me. I’m quite modest so it was amazing to have everyone congratulate me and recognise my contribution to the business.

Do you feel under pressure to achieve positive results? How do you cope with difficult days when things go wrong?

Achieving positive results is what keeps me focussed and what I strive for. If I don’t get a positive result I try not to panic but I do get very anxious, which is completely unnecessary. Everyone makes mistakes but I try not to make the same mistake twice as people are less forgiving and it shows that maybe you didn’t listen or learn from the first time. When I have days when I’m just not in the right frame of mind, or keep making little mistakes or my creative mojo isn’t working I tend to stop whatever it is I’m doing and have some breathing space. I’ll take a break, go for a walk or do something else constructive to take my mind of it - like join a webinar or watch a video tutorial. If I’ve been stressed about something I’ve spoken to my manager and asked to go home and recover and come back tomorrow in a much better shape, refreshed to carry on whatever I was doing.

Negative news travels faster than positive so if someone has a bad experience they tell everyone. The last thing you want is people blaming you for a bad experience they have had with the company you work for. I’ve always been very inclusive and respected people’s diversity and wellbeing so don’t tolerate any abusive behaviour to other community members or my team and myself.

How do you act responsibly to keep your audiences safe online? Do you ever say no to certain jobs and why?

I have said no to quite a few jobs due to the role not being challenging or interesting enough.

Do you have a final message for us?

At Royal Caribbean I was an active member of the Mental Health and Well-being Employee Resource Group. I do fall into periods of depression, even recently because of COVID, and I have panic attacks and get anxious very quickly. I used to be very quiet at work with my head down working hard and not really socialising at work. I was known as the Unsociable Social Media Manager which I thought was very apt, and amusing. Through counselling and self-help I’ve worked on this to become quite the comedian. I’m still highly focussed when I work but my presentations are legendary (not my words) and I even hosted the Christmas Party to over 200 people. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts every night from Johann Hari and Duff the Psych and I can’t recommend them enough in helping to understand the real causes of anxiety and depression. I don’t think it will ever go away but I have to remember to make sure I’m talking to people at work or in my personal life about how I’m feeling. It’s not something anybody needs to be embarrassed about at work anymore - you’d be surprised, just as I was, at how many other people feel the same. It’s great therapy.