Interview: David Wriglesworth
David Wriglesworth spoke to StartAFire.com about his work as a Social Media Manager at tgi MEDIA. Have a read of the interview!
David Wriglesworth, a social media manager who lives in Darlington, United Kingdom, received his Bachelor Degree (Hons) of Journalism from the University of Lincoln. He currently works at tgi MEDIA – a social media management and marketing company, based in Darlington, UK.
The aim of tgi MEDIA is to help businesses grow their online profile and raise awareness of the company’s brand. They manage all aspects of their clients’ digital marketing including social media management, Pay-Per-Click campaigns and more.
David enjoys playing 5-a-side football, going to the cinema and playing video games. Below in this interview, you will get to know how a social media marketer, such as David, functions on a daily basis.
What does your daily routine consist of?
My typical daily routine consists of waking up at around 8 AM. I check my social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat; predominantly to check for any breaking news stories and to see what my friends are up to.
I get to work at 9 AM and begin searching for appropriate content for our clients’ social media accounts. This consists of checking emails, Twitter trending topics, and looking for relevant News stories on Google News.
Once I find suitable content, I then schedule the posts using Hootsuite– A platform that allows posting on multiple social media accounts.
My other duties at work include interacting with customers through social media (such as taking bookings), designing posters for our clients, and managing SEO.
In the evening, I usually wind down by watching TV, going to the cinema or just spend time with my friends. During that time, I regularly check social media to see if any of our clients have received messages or comments.
What’s your favourite blog, and why?
I tend to read blogs by local bloggers who have a keen interest in my hometown of Darlington. One that I particularly enjoy is Darlington Visual. It’s a blog run by Grace Wakes– a local marketing assistant who is incredibly passionate about the town.
What’s one of your favourite books? If you are reading a book now, what is it?
I don’t read books as much as I used to, but I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone– known as Sorcerer’s Stone in the US- was one of the first books I read from cover to cover when I once had the opportunity.
I was well and truly gripped!
What’s your favourite advice you’ve ever received? And what’s one advice you can give?
From a young age, my uncle always told me to “never eat a sandwich bigger than your head”. I’m not entirely sure what he meant by it, but it’s always stuck with me.
The one bit of advice I suggest to social media marketers is to always know what is trending. Trending topics are what people discuss in real-time. It’s something that can increase your account’s reach if utilised well.
What are your top 3 work tools/apps that you can’t live without?
- Hootsuite is definitely my number one tool for work. The fact it allows me to post on many social media platforms is a huge time-saver.
- TweetDeck is also an incredibly useful tool for Twitter. The use of columns makes it easy to browse tweets and accounts at a glance.
- Finally, I couldn’t live without the relevant mobile apps for each platform. Including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat and the Facebook Pages app.
Anyone specific inspired you or motivated you as a role model?
One of my main role models is David Levin. He is the Creative Director of That Lot – A company that helps brands and broadcasters with their social media presence.
I’m a big fan of the work David has done across his accounts including BBC Programmes such as “The Apprentice” and “Have I Got News For You”. I aspire to produce content of a similar level.
What is the hardest challenge you face with social media marketing?
Finding fresh, appropriate content on a daily basis to keep followers and users engaged!
The majority of our clients receive three posts a day across 4 platforms. So coming up with original content can prove very challenging, especially on Mondays when news stories are in short supply.
What are some things you do to save time?
As I previously touched upon, Hootsuite is a huge time-saver! It allows me to schedule to multiple platforms. The alternative would be to sign in to all the individual accounts which would be extremely time-consuming!
Do you listen to music when working? If yes, what do you listen to?
We always have BBC Radio 1 on in the office playing current pop/chart music and the regular news bulletins mean we can pick up on stories which we can use for our clients.
What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about being a social media marketer?
My favourite thing about being a social media marketer is seeing my clients benefit from my work. For example, our restaurants are regularly inundated with bookings, a lot of which come through messages to the social media accounts.
My least favourite thing about being a social media marketer is never being able to fully switch off. There have been times where I was in the shower and I suddenly had a light bulb moment and had to run to my phone to make a note of the ideas.
Do you have one rule you try to stick to?
One rule I stick to is to think outside the box. Doing so can really make your social media account stand out among the competition.
One hack that you that you can share with us that might help out other social media marketers.
Get to know the different business hours on Twitter, they are the key to reaching specific target audiences.
For example, #weddinghour is full of people posting wedding-related content. There’s also business hours for specific towns and cities, which are also very useful.
What do you do when you are feeling stressed out or overwhelmed from work? How do you handle it?
I’m quite a relaxed person so I rarely get stressed out. But on the rare occasion when I do, I disconnect from social media and go for a walk to clear my head.
Could you briefly describe what your social media marketing strategy is?
The social media marketing strategy varies from one client to another.
But generally, it involves 3 updates on 4 platforms every day. The updates are scheduled for times when the reach is at its highest. And they are all composed on the day to ensure none of the posted content is outdated.
If you would like to know more about David Wriglesworth and his work at tgi MEDIA, call 01325 468481 or email david@tgimedia.co.uk.