Duties & Responsibilities
Description: The Digital Content Strategist (DCS) for Harvard Magazine has three primary responsibilities:
- Leading Harvard Magazine’s digital outreach for its contents and business operations.
- Writing social media posts and headlines for web and email, creating additional social content.
- Growing HM’s audience and brand awareness.
The DCS will serve as HM’s primary content promoter for social media and e-mail, working with both editorial and business colleagues to create content that establishes a real “voice” for the magazine and a social calendar that ensures content is timely, relevant, and cohesive to larger social media strategy. In that capacity, the DCS will serve as a liaison between the magazine and other Harvard University digital/social media endeavors. The DCS will remain current on industry trends and algorithmic changes; and provide measurable feedback on the reach of Harvard Magazine’s digital initiatives. All of these duties will be geared toward raising awareness of the magazine across all digital platforms and channels and engaging its readers/listeners/users.
Specific digital-media duties include:
- Developing a social content strategy, coordinating the social calendar, and writing, editing, and posting content to HM’s social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.).
- Building native content (e.g. Instagram stories) using HM’s assets and subjects and identifying new opportunities to leverage HM’s robust archive.
- Selecting content and writing headlines for monthly and weekly e-mails.
- Building solid relationships with strong outside referral sources in order to promote both print, digital, and audio content.
- Finding new ways to talk and engage with HM readers online, and monitoring social channels for trends and user feedback.
- Developing strategies for testing medium and message, updating best practices for engaging audiences on social and email platforms.
- Leading HM digital strategy committee, reviewing strategies and implementing best practices.
- Advising HM writers and editors on social strategies and ways to increase their individual social presence.
- Working with the Creative Marketing Director to promote business and fundraising initiatives such as special sections, new premiums, end-of-year campaigns; meeting regularly with business staff to strategize (attending monthly business meetings).
- Identifying and attending industry-related conferences, courses, and seminars.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree.
- 2-3 years social-media experience.
- Demonstrated success with growing a following, preferably in a news organization.
- Directly related web and social-media experience required—preferably in a news organization. Fluency with social-media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.). and prior experience with e-mail production using a platform like Mailchimp required.
Additional Qualifications
- Proven comfort with learning and mastering new applications and technologies.
- A passion for great storytelling, digital innovation, and new technologies.
- The ability to plan comprehensively, work both independently and collaboratively, and manage projects to satisfy competing deadlines.
- Attention to detail.
- The ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial environment where you don't wait for direction but instead pitch new ideas and strategies
- The presence and confidence to interact directly with editorial leadership.
- Experience with Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, and other digital marketing platforms a plus.
- Prior experience with SEO and using content management systems such as Drupal is preferred.
