Esports Job Spotlight: Social Media Executive

Being a part of the Social Media team means that you are the voice of the business you are working with – you are the face of the company that the “fans” interact with every day. Will Gleadall, Social Media Executive at British Esports, gives the rundown on the role and his advice on getting started.

 

What does a Social Media Executive Do?

A Social Media Executive’s job is to be the front face of any brand. They provide not only entertaining content, but informative pieces to keep the community and following involved – as well as informed of changes and things happening within the company/business. However, in esports there is often a spin on things, so while you’re making bridges within the community, working with “rival” companies can also be done to generate storylines and friendships too. 

Delivering the brands’ ethos and direction is something that the Social Media Executive needs to be invested in before they try to get people invested in their businesses and the brand they are working with. Managing several media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc)  is at the core of being a Social Media Executive. As you develop into the role, the opportunities for being more involved in the marketing aspect will also come to life. This can include being able to push your own marketing ideas across these channels to develop a following, brand engagement and sales, depending on the promotion. 

What skills do you need?

While working in this sort of role, some of the skills you need are; ambition, creativity and willingness to not always see success. Some posts will do better than others, and you need to ensure that one bad performing tweet doesn’t define all the hard work that you have put into the past week, month or year. 

Making sure that you are one step ahead of the others in the same sector is something that is hugely important. Posting something fresh and original is always a recipe for success! Although copying some memes and putting twists on them is 100% still something that is still effective and works really well in the community. 

Knowing your audience is also very important – posting memes to gamers will go down well; posting memes to grandmas will not. Being able to identify your target audience early, is something that will allow for your future tweets to already be targeted without you thinking about it.

Advice for aspiring Social Media Executives

If I was to give advice on what a Social Media Executive should do, it is to 100% pick up voluntary freelance work. Working with a small community, organisation or team involved in esports to pick up the swing of things, working on matchday coverage, day to day posting, promotional/branded posting and even developing a social strategy for the time working with them. 

The biggest thing I would suggest is to always push when applying for jobs, if you think you can do that job, you CAN do that job and that should mean you apply for it. Social media is all about making mistakes, trial & error and having fun. Enjoy speaking with the people that make your day go quickly. Fan interaction is vital. Best organisation for it is Excel Esports, their Social Media Manager being Nathan Edmonds (NoVaa). His fan engagement is exceptional and it’s something a lot more teams should try and replicate; at any level.

 

 

Working Hours and Salary

Working hours in esports, especially Social Media, has zero limits. If you are working with a tournament organiser or a company involved in ongoing events, then you could be in for work from the morning until night! Not to mention if the event is in a different continent! 

You will most likely work within a 9-5 contract, however; games, events and other gatherings could always go over that time period. By going above and beyond these requirements will leave you in a stronger position going into the next day and the future of that company! 

As for salary, there is no cap. As the business grows directly from your hard work, it will be recognised by your senior management, it’s all about being patient and working hard.