Ellie Williams, Digital Engagement Officer at Victim Support, chats with us about the constantly evolving digital sphere and takes a deep dive into the balancing act involved in her role. Read on to find out more about Ellie's unique experience.
Why did you choose to pursue a role in digital engagement? For example, has it always been your passion or was it pure happenstance?
While at university I stumbled into a committee role as marketing and communications manager for our TEDx event where I was responsible for creating and maintaining our online presence. Through this, I quickly realised that the role meant doing what I love the most: talking to other people. Digital engagement is all about getting people talking to each other, to you, and about you, online. After university, I worked part-time for a small charity doing a bit of a catchall digital engagement role, which was an amazing opportunity to explore the world of digital a little further, especially as I started in the middle of the pandemic. I think the most enticing factor about working in digital is that it’s always evolving, and there’s always a new challenge around the corner.
What personal skills or attributes do you think are most important in the digital engagement sphere? Why these skills/attributes in particular?
Above everything else, you’ve got to have great people skills. It’s not just about writing tweets or tweaking websites, it’s about convincing other people to get on board with your ideas or to do what you’re asking of them. Understanding what your audience want to hear or see is key to creating successful digital engagement. It’s also really handy to be able to explain clearly to others how your engagement strategy is going to work. Often, you have to manage conflicting asks on a short deadline, and it’s important to be able to clearly communicate with others about your role.
What sort of challenges do you face in your role? Is there a particular challenge that you experienced in the past that stood out?
As a digital engagement officer, my role varies on a daily basis. While I’m responsible for creating content for all our social media channels, I also spend time working on the website, writing newsletters and updates, and creating and delivering webinars. Sometimes, staying on top of everything can feel a little bit like a balancing act. You’ve definitely got to be a very organised person to work in digital, and be prepared to always be busy. It’s a challenge, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see it all come together in the end.
How is the role of digital engagement perceived in your organisation?
As the pandemic has highlighted, becoming digital is an absolute necessity for any organisation moving forwards. Although some people are more hesitant than others in trying their hand at anything digital, everyone is always up for giving it a go, and upskilling themselves digitally. We often get requests for information or social media promotion from people in service delivery roles where digital engagement isn’t necessarily front of mind. Overall, I’d say that digital engagement is becoming a fundamental part of everything we do.
At React & Share, we’re obsessed with measuring our efforts to prove our worth to internal stakeholders - what measurements do you think digital teams should be presenting to their board?
What’s most important to demonstrate is that your content is resonating with your audience. Besides your reach, it’s important to focus on the levels of engagement you’re getting in terms of clicks, likes, shares and reacts. It’s no good having a wide reach if your audience aren’t converting, i.e. doing what you want them to. However, it’s also important to make sure that your board understand what you’re showing them; explain exactly what the figures mean for your organisation.
What advice would you give to those at the start of their career in digital?
Take each and every opportunity to learn. Digital is constantly changing and evolving, and it can be a challenge to keep up with all the jargon, software or algorithms. It’s always easier to start in digital if you’re digitally engaged yourself. Be active on social media and understand the emerging trends and topics. More than anything, it’s about giving it a go. Remember, anything you post online, whether it’s a blog, tweet or comment, is playing a part in digital engagement.
What do you think the secret of success is when working in digital engagement?
Listening to your audience and understanding the content that resonates with them. If you’re not checking your analytics and monitoring what does and doesn’t work, your engagement is never going to improve. It’s also important to make the most of any new features in a meaningful way. If you can use them, try it out and see if it works, you might just find that your engagement skyrockets.
