In Your Shoes - Gregor Aiken

Gregor is the Cash for Kids, Social Media and Digital Analysts intern. Cash for Kids is Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which operate across 22 areas around the UK. Our mission is to respond to the needs of children in our communities, and we aspire to enable all children to live life to the full and achieve their individual potential. Gregor is responsible for all social media content for Tay FM Cash for Kids that covers, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and website pages.

 

A job in Social Media, it's more than you think!

Telling people you work in social media, they think you stare into the abyss of Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds. Trust me, it’s anything but.

Monday always starts with a look at the diary. What’s on the agenda – 500 Faces. Our newest campaign challenging 500 people across Tayside and North East Fife to raise £100 in 2017. Like to get involved, click the link: http://bit.ly/500FacesTay. Sponsored by Stagecoach.

I have three videos to record, edit and publish across the network. I’m recording the Tay FM presenters on their 500 Faces fundraising. I set-up my equipment. Camera, microphone, tripod, SD cards, audio levels, focus points. I’m now ready.

After recording I dissemble my equipment and glue myself to the 14-inch laptop screen ready to edit footage. Tweaking audio gains, picture dimensions and branding my videos are ready to export. I upload and schedule the videos to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Win your wedding!

Win Your Wedding, it’s self-explanatory, a chance for two people to tie the knot whilst raising money for Cash for Kids. Hotel Du Vin are hosting the event. I created a video montage of Courage the Cat, our mascot, exploring the hotel. After hours of editing the video was posted on social media but to my dismay problems occurred and after a two-day slug I finally repost my video. Happy is an understatement and it looks pretty neat!

I’ve also created a countdown style photo-feature for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s for Win Your Wedding closing date. Registries for the competition close on Sunday, so time is ticking for those couples looking to enter. I worked hard on photo-feature, I’ve never done anything quite like it, so it’s a trial and error scenario – I’m sure it will end up a success.

Photoshop wizardry

Half way through the working week. Wubba lubba dub dub! (I hope people get that reference).

I’ve been given official access to Bauer City Network Facebook – meaning I can publish across the Bauer radio network. Pretty cool stuff. But, before all that I need to cross-post the Win Your Wedding countdown on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Win Your Wedding is getting priority today – I’m scheduling posts for the Tay FM Facebook and creating a Photoshop image for it. I’ve blending a photograph from Pippa’s Kitchen, one of the competition sponsors. A beautiful three tier wedding cake, I want a piece. I splash a bit of colour, cut the image, centre-forward and add come creative text. The post looks just as good as that cake! Another learning curve.

Analysing data

Where is this week going? Time just flies! Another Win Your Wedding post, splashed across social media networks.

Today I collect analytics and response data from social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It takes forever to collect but gives an amazing insight to the engagement and reach of the work I produce. Analysing the data, I’m able to see what worked well, what didn’t, what difference types of material will I create next and what I will disregard.

A busy radio network!

Friday is always a nice day, it’s usually straight forward. I overview the week, schedule material for the weekend and plan the next week. Simple.

However, this Friday is a lot different. I’m up to my eyes with the Faces campaign and social media content. As I mentioned on Wednesday, I’ve been given access to the Bauer City Network Facebook and I’m now tagged in a stream of emails and conference calls to organise social media for the Faces campaign – for the whole network.

So, small catchment areas are doing 500 Faces, much like Tay FM in Dundee and North East Fife. Bigger areas like Radio City in Liverpool are doing 1,000 Faces. Same campaign just more people involved. There is even Radio Metro / TFM in Newcastle doing 2017 Faces. Myself and two other people are scheduling content across the network for Great Britain. CHAOS.

Clock. 5pm. Done.