Social Media Spotlight - Tereza Litsa
Name: Tereza Litsa
Job Title: Social Media and Content Manager, Lightful
Experience: I started working as a social media manager 7 years ago. I was always interested in writing and marketing but I got fascinated by the growing world of social media platforms. The ability to build a global community and engage in new content formats was very appealing to me. I've started working as a freelancer testing my skills with different industries and clients and then I've jumped in the tech world working for several startups. I'm now a Social media and Content Manager at Lightful where I get to blend social media, content marketing and special campaigns like #ReclaimSocial.
What do you love most about social media: I love the ability to build and grow authentic communities on social media with people all over the world. Despite all the negatives stories around social media, there are still communities, campaigns, and movements that can positively affect a change.
Favourite social media platform: Twitter - it's been pretty consistent through the years and you don't necessarily need to over-complicate things, as long as you are authentic (and concise!)
Top tip: Don't create content for the sake of it. There are already enough posts out there. Publish what makes sense for your brand and your followers.
What does your day to day work consist of?: I'm always starting the day keeping an eye on what's happening in the world through the trending topics. Planning and scheduling are next to make sure there's enough content to go live. Then it’s usually time for meetings until I get to focus again on content for social media, blogs and campaigns. It’s always a challenge to juggle between different tasks so staying organised is always important.
What challenges do you face within your role?: There's never enough time in the life of a social media manager! But it's also a challenge to stay mindful with your use of social media. This is my goal for 2020 - to be able to improve my social media habits and plan time away from my phone!
Are there any social media tools you use to make your job easier?: I'm (obviously) using Lightful's social media scheduling tool to plan my content and keep an eye on the upcoming awareness days that I need to create content for. I am also relying a lot on Trello, Canva, and Monday.com to collaborate with the team.
As there are so many changes to social media, how do you keep up to date with the latest information?: I'm trying to read several sites such as Social Media Today, WeRSM, The Next Web, The Drum, etc. I'm also having a Twitter list full of amazing social media people to keep an eye on their thoughts around trending topics.
For someone looking to get into a social media role, where would you advise them to start?: It's useful to be able to have a sense of the best practices for every social media platform but it's also a good idea to get an understanding of marketing. You don't necessarily need a degree but reading about it and getting the hands-on experience, even at a very junior level, helps!
What's been your best social media success story to date (Can be your own or client) and why?: I'm proud of the #ReclaimSocial campaign we've started at Lightful in 2018. It started as an awareness campaign to make social media more positive and it's now a movement celebrated every year on February 6. Over the last 2 years, it has reached more than 40 million people and I'm very excited about its next steps that I'm currently working on with the team. It feels great working on a successful campaign that is actually celebrating the positive side of social media.
What has been your favourite social media campaign (Big or Small) this year so far and why?: Spotify's end-of-year campaign was very creative once again. It's all about making the most of your data and be playful with it to make your campaign instantly viral.
Finally, what would you like the future of social media to be?: A bigger focus on the power of the community, data security and the positive side of channels. No more fake news, privacy scandals, and trolls, please.
Want to connect with Teresa?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/terezalitsa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tereza-litsa-b3035832/
