Emma Lyskava is an associate creator director at SocialChain, a digital media marketing and technology company which has hubs in Manchester, London and New York.
In her six years at the company based in Manchester, she’s worked with SocialChain’s biggest client partners including Holland & Barrett, KFC and LinkedIn.
Lyskava has worked across multiple projects – everything from delivering viral tweets to developing full-scale creative campaigns – and is a die-hard Swiftie with a pet-hate for TV ads lazily copied and pasted onto social media.
Here, she shares her career journey and some savvy words of advice…
How did you first get into your industry?
I applied for a graduate social media assistant position at Carat straight out of university. Before that, I’d completed two weeks’ work experience with the marketing team at Dorling Kindersley, and I had a temporary role as a copywriter at Manchester Metropolitan University with the marketing and comms team. I didn’t have much experience in social media before joining Carat – I’d attended a few seminars on digital marketing at my university, but not much more than that.
At the time, bloggers and YouTubers were in their heyday, and I remember reading one blog from someone who had started working in digital marketing. It sounded exactly like something I could do and something that I was interested in, so I started applying for jobs within social media.
What do you love about your job?
I love how varied it can be. One day I’ll be on set shooting a piece of video content with a celebrity, the next day I’ll be writing tweets about green tea and The Eras Tour. I also have a love/hate relationship with the speed of social media. It’s amazing to see your work out there in the world within hours or even minutes, so you get instant feedback. However at the same time, there’s a lot of pressure on social media creators to react quickly to the latest trends or hot topics.
Who – or what – has inspired you in your career?
The people behind the bravest brands are the ones who have inspired me over the years. I know how difficult it can be to get a risky or left-field idea over the line. In the beginning, it was Innocent (I actually used them as a case study in my first interview back in 2012), they were the pioneers of the ‘quirky, funny brand on social’ when everyone else was being very safe, corporate and, let’s be honest – quite boring. These days it’s the social teams for brands like Channel 4, Ryanair and RSPB who inspire me and continue to show that social media should never be safe or boring.
What are the biggest challenges about your job?
Trying to create content that ticks all of the boxes from a client’s point of view, but that also performs well on social media. Often what the client wants and what people actually want to see on social media are two different things. Nobody wants to receive a “silence brand” response to their post, so you need to create content that people actually want to watch. I try to leave the heavy sales-led posts to paid social.
The other issue is copyright restrictions. As a brand on social, there are a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to using copyrighted songs or images which you have to work around. Other brands can be a bit fast and loose and pay less attention to this, but the last thing you want is for a massive fine to land on your doorstep because of a decision you’ve made on social media.
What skills have been the most crucial to you succeeding in your career so far?
When it comes to social media management, I’m switching between tasks on a daily basis – so versatility, for one! Being both creative and analytical is another, as I need to come up with creative ideas regularly, but I also need to be able to measure and understand why one piece of work has performed better than another and amend my approach accordingly. I’d also say abstract thinking, as when I’m trying to connect trending topics to the brands I work with, you need to let your mind make some weird connections to land a joke.
What was your first salary and what could someone getting into the industry expect to earn nowadays?
Well, that’s going back some years! I think it was around £15k. These days, it’s thankfully something more like £23-24k for someone starting out.
What education or training would be most useful for someone looking to follow your career path?
Some formal training in digital marketing would be useful, or a more creative route could be in a videography or photography course. There are multiple ways into working in social media, and you don’t need a degree to take this career path.
What advice would you have for someone looking to follow your path?
Start now. If you’re interested in working in social media – start a TikTok or Instagram account about something that you’re passionate about. Do you play for a local sports team, or are you part of a running club? Help them out by managing their social media accounts for them. Or start posting about your favourite films, singers, TV shows – whatever you’re interested in, start creating content and get your own hands-on experience. You don’t even need to appear in the content if you don’t want to – you don’t have to be an influencer to work in social media. As long as you can show your passion and creativity, and understand how social media works and what people like to watch, then you’ll go far.
