What is your job title? How do you use social listening in your work?
Title: Social Media Intelligence Manager
I am focused on capturing how our customers feel about their experiences with Chegg, and when possible, what led to them feeling that way. My work contributes to Chegg’s student-first mission by ensuring we are at the forefront of understanding challenges facing lifelong learners inside and outside of the classroom, meeting them where they spend a good portion of their time - the internet.
My social listening work spans from day-to-day crisis monitoring, to capturing and eliminating instances of service abuse, to review site tracking/management, to researching student mental health and food insecurity on college campuses and everything in between.
What’s your background? How did you get into social listening?
My journey at Chegg started 5.5 Years ago as an entry-level student advocate (customer service rep) that was adamant about breaking into social media when the opportunity presented itself.
After returning to school and completing my degree, learning as much as I could about our business, and remaining focused on my broader goals, the opportunity to own the social listening function presented itself, and I’ve spent the last 3 years building out the function from the ground up.
My initial interest/proximity to social listening stemmed from my long-term use of both social media and technology in general. I’ve managed a foodie blog in the Portland area for 7+ years, and leveraged my familiarity with the inner workings of the content side of social as fuel to position myself in a role where I can put all of my mentioned experiences to use into one valuable perspective for my stakeholders.
What has been your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievement was hosting a social media analyst intern over the summer. My time with them allowed me to gain additional insight and perspective from someone who was passionate about social media while being able to leverage a fresh set of eyes toward social listening at Chegg so far, which only reflected my perspective to date.
This was a valuable experience as it provided me the opportunity to not only welcome someone into the insights organization I am a part of, but it also allowed me to teach them about more than just “social media” conveying the difference between “outputs” and “outcomes”, and doubling-down on the importance of being a “human” before being an “employee”.
What’s the boldest mistake you’ve made? What did you learn from it?
Early onIy on I was very focused on trying to create opportunities without defining what it was I was actually after in the short/long-term.
I used to define my success based on what I saw others accomplished around me, working toward that in hopes of feeling fulfillment based on someone else’s path. I’ve since shifted to a mindset where I define what my long-term ceiling could be, and double-down on the skills I’ve identified to get me there so that when/if an opportunity presents itself I can add value in a meaningful way while continuing to refine my skill sets in the meantime, always being a sponge.
I am no longer afraid to carve my own path, and teach others about the challenges I experienced for the first time, at times when I may not have had a ton of resources around me to work through it other than going with my gut and seeing things through to the finish.
What would be your dream project to work on?
Honestly, I am already working in a space I am passionate about and enjoy very much as far as the content I am consuming/working with is concerned. My day-to-day already combines education, current events, and technology which is the exact composition of things I’d choose to learn about on my own time.
With the above in mind, I do look forward to continuing to learn more about the long-term impacts of AI on education, and how this impact shapes the relationships between students and educators over time.
Do you think there’s a right way and a wrong way to use social data?
I definitely believe there’s a “right/wrong way” to use social media data. Knowing what data sources to include based on the scope of a given project, and defining KPIs, measurements of success etc. ahead of time helps set realistic expectations for one’s audience before the fact.
I'm a firm believer that what starts right, ends right, so for me, it's more about asking the right questions, and taking the necessary steps with my audience before diving in to ensure there is alignment between what’s possible, and the desired outcome of a particular project.
Beyond the above, and more so to close the loop, each of my outputs includes some sort of reference documentation that speaks to key terms used throughout, data sources, and the limitations of said sources to ensure those on the receiving end of my work are well-informed, offering the opportunity for them to learn more should the need arise.
Because social can be noisy, and not always a full representation of a particular population, its best to define what your audience should be getting from your work, and use their questions to further their specific understanding as the need arises versus trying to answer everyone’s questions all at once - it’s important to lean into your expertise and teach people what you think they should know, there’s a reason you’re the one preparing/presenting the material!
What’s your favourite data source to use and why?
I have two - Reddit AND App Store Reviews (iTunes/Google Play). I think Reddit is a great source for absorbing and compiling organic discussion about what’s going right AND wrong when it comes to how people feel about your brand. The conversational nature of the platform allows for people to expand beyond just their initial thoughts or reactions that can only fit into a caption or a tweet. Having access to this kind of data allows for more robust analysis of where we can start conversations, not just join them.
App Store Reviews are invaluable when it comes to the specifics of a product, especially since based on my experiences, those who leave reviews tend to leave a bit more details than what would be included in a format bound by character limits allowing for meaningful followup after the fact.
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