Getting all 'social' with Jon-Stephen Stansel
Jon-Stephen Stansel is a social media professional with almost a decade of experience managing and creating content for higher education (HE), small business and government social media accounts. And, as well as being a co-host of the Thought Feeder Podcast, he’s taught courses in social media management too. (Busy!)
I first noticed Jon-Stephen on Twitter, where his statements about managing social really resonated with me. Tweets like this:
Jon-Stephen was making statements I could see myself saying, and posting things I had basically been trying to say to others for years. So I wondered what else he might have to say…
Q. What is it that has kept you working in the education sector?
I started my career in education, however it was never my goal to go into marketing. I wanted to be a professor. My plan was to get my PhD and teach literature. But when I started using Facebook groups with my students in 2009 or so, I discovered I had a knack for social media, and went from there.
I think the main reason I remain in the education sector is that I really value the mission. I truly think that education makes the world better and higher ed provides students with the necessary tools to build better lives and communities. Additionally, even though I'm no longer in the classroom, I still see myself as an educator. Through the university's social media accounts, I can act as a positive role-model of good digital citizenship and build a community of learners as well.
Q. Your regular podcast, Thought Feeder, also has an HE focus. What do you find most enjoyable about hosting the podcast?
Getting to talk with my co-host Joel Goodman and our guests every week. Joel is one of the sharpest folks around and I working with him helps sharpen my own ideas and helps me step up my game.
We've also brought on some top-notch guests like Ella Dawson, Amanda Goetz, Jenny Li Fowler, the list goes on. I've learned so much from all of them. Getting to interview them is like getting a private master class from some of my favourite folks in digital and social media marketing.
It's also forced me to overcome some imposter syndrome when I sit down to talk with them and discover that we share a lot of the same thoughts. We had Bentley McBentleson, the Digital Marketing Director for Long John Silver's who formerly worked for KFC, on the show. This guy has done some of my all-time favourite work in social media marketing. During the episode he talked about picking a famous figure to act as a model for your brand voice. So for example, when he was at Longhorn Steakhouse, the model for the brand voice was the character of The Mysterious Stranger from The Big Lebowski. I was like, "Oh my God! I do that too! In fact, that exact character was the brand voice I used when I worked for the Texas Department of Transportation." It's immensely validating to hear that people you see as being successful in the field do some of the same things you do.
Q. How have you personally found your role since the pandemic struck earlier this year?
Stressful? But whose job isn't right now?
There is a certain kind of stress that social media managers face that I don't think most people outside the field really grasp though. We have one of the few jobs where everyone at our organisations from the clerk in the mailroom to the CEO see our work on a daily basis and have an opinion of--and this is on top of the online audiences we serve. There's a lot of pressure with that many eyes on your work. Add the stress involved in managing crisis communications during a pandemic and you've got a job with enough stress to make an air traffic control a bit short of breath.
I often like to refer to social media managers as "digital first responders." We see events unfold in real time and are the first on the scene when problems make their way to social media. Just because we aren't physically a part of the action, I don't think a lot of people understand the stress. But when someone yells at you online, your body reacts to that stress the same way it happens in person. It's important to remember that when managing your own stress as well.
Q. You’re passionate about social media. How do you think it’s changed for brands in 2020?
Definitely passionate. I tell people that asking me about social media is like asking a five-year-old about their favourite dinosaur.
I think this will be seen as the year that social media managers finally stood up for themselves. In all seriousness, I think we've been more open about the challenges of the job and the struggles we face, where before I think we were afraid to talk about it. More social media managers are opening up and it's leading more to do the same. I think part of it has been the stress of the pandemic, but also the profession isn't really new anymore. There are more experienced social media managers who are more secure in their roles and feel comfortable talking about their work and the difficulties involved in it.
On top of that, I think the pandemic has caused more executives to start to really grasp the importance of social media. It's my hope that forward thinking executives are going to start offering better pay and benefits along with remote work to obtain top social media talent. I'm probably wrong on that, but I'm hopeful.
Q. Lastly, what advice would you give someone looking to land their first social media role?
Put yourself out there on social media. You need to use the platforms and show off your work and knowledge. Don't confuse this with trying to be an influencer or a thought leader. What I mean is follow other social media managers on Twitter and interact with them. Share your thoughts on the industry. What do you think works? What doesn't? Why do you think that?
This will have a few effects. You'll build a network that can help you find jobs, you'll establish yourself as a good digital citizen of your profession, and most importantly, you'll learn.
I don't think maintaining an active personal presence on social networks is a job requirement for social media managers, but for those who are looking for a job it can definitely help.
