Supporting Our Social Media Teams

How can we retain our staff after 18 months of serving as punching bags?

By: Jaime Hunt
featured-image

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently did a story about people flocking away from careers in higher education. The pandemic has been a slog. Every time we think there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it turns out to be a train headed straight for us. In this time when people are re-evaluating their career choices, what can we do to help retain our staff? On the marketing and communications side, I think our social media staff are among the most likely team members to desire a career change.

Managing social media is hard during normal times. The folks who manage your digital communities are often the punching bag for disgruntled and unhappy students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and the community. When you layer a pandemic that seems to have no end on top of the everyday angst, you create a perfect storm of awful. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our colleagues that manage digital communities have faced bitter criticism and often angry diatribes when communicating decisions over which they have very little control. After 18 months of being on the receiving end of hateful comments, it’s stunning that more have not walked away from their roles.

Earlier this week, I sent a note to my university’s social media team and asked them how I could better support them as our semester got underway. Every one of them responded with a variation of the same message: Please don’t make announcements on Fridays.

At first blush, you might think they are Friday adverse because they want a lighter workload on the last day of the week. But deeper reflection reveals something critical: when we make controversial announcements on a Friday, we are committing our social media staff to spending their entire weekend managing the frustration of our digital communities without the benefit of additional staff on hand to help answer questions. Not only that, but they are facing the vitriol at the end of a long week with the soul-crushing realization that they are going to be a punching bag during their one window to recharge. When we have the power to influence this, we must. 

Another way we can support our social media is by continually reminding leaders across our organizations about how difficult it can be to manage a digital community. A steady drumbeat that doesn’t sugarcoat this often-grueling work can help our colleagues understand why we are bringing social media experts into conversations about timing and messaging. Long gone are the days when social media was an intern’s game. It now requires professional expertise that far exceeds simply understanding the platforms. That expertise – a deep understanding of our audiences, the ability to think and react quickly, and an uncanny ability to “read the room” – is invaluable to leaders as we make decisions. 

Digital community managers have skillsets that are vital to our organizations. If we are to retain them, we must treat them like the professionals that they are, bring their voices into discussions as we plan, and consider the impact on them of our decisions. Let’s not lose these vitally important colleagues to private industry. We need them now more than ever.

Jaime Hunt

Jaime Hunt

Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Miami University

In her 17 years working in higher education, Jaime has been part of four university rebrandings and helped to develop integrated marketing communications models at two institutions.


Newsletter Sign up!

Stay current in digital strategy, brand amplification, design thinking and more.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Redefining Alumni Relationships: What do they want from you? article image. A split image showing two engaging moments at an event. On the left, a woman with short gray hair smiles warmly while holding a glass and wearing a name badge. On the right, a man with short gray hair laughs joyfully while playing a card game with others.

Redefining alumni relationships: What do they want from you?

Universities are finding new ways to engage alumni, while balancing traditional experiences and addressing challenges like negative publicity.

Donor & Alumni Relations /
By: Alissa Carr
Grid of iconic college and university logos featuring institutions like Harvard, Tuskegee University, Stanford, SCAD, Michigan State, Temple University, Princeton, University of Florida, RISD, MICA, Notre Dame, and the University of Texas. The logos are displayed on a white grid background.

10 Iconic College Logos: Design, History and Stories That Stick

From crimson crests to Spartan helmets, these college logos do more than look good—they tell unforgettable stories of identity and legacy.

Marketing & Branding /
By: Sean Daly
A close-up image of hands typing on a laptop with the words "Social Media Strategies Summit" on the blue background screen.

The Social Media Playbook for Higher Ed: Top Tips from the 2024 Summit

Uncover the latest social media strategies in higher ed, from user-generated content risks to navigating platform algorithms and enhancing content accessibility.

Marketing & Branding /
By: Maryna Yankovska
Redefining Alumni Relationships: What do they want from you? article image. A split image showing two engaging moments at an event. On the left, a woman with short gray hair smiles warmly while holding a glass and wearing a name badge. On the right, a man with short gray hair laughs joyfully while playing a card game with others.

Redefining alumni relationships: What do they want from you?

Universities are finding new ways to engage alumni, while balancing traditional experiences and addressing challenges like negative publicity.

Donor & Alumni Relations /
By: Alissa Carr
Grid of iconic college and university logos featuring institutions like Harvard, Tuskegee University, Stanford, SCAD, Michigan State, Temple University, Princeton, University of Florida, RISD, MICA, Notre Dame, and the University of Texas. The logos are displayed on a white grid background.

10 Iconic College Logos: Design, History and Stories That Stick

From crimson crests to Spartan helmets, these college logos do more than look good—they tell unforgettable stories of identity and legacy.

Marketing & Branding /
By: Sean Daly
"The NIL Top 10: Who are the highest-paid college athletes?" article image displaying a collage of six college athletes across different sports, each wearing their team uniforms and caught in action. The top row includes a basketball player from North Carolina dribbling the ball, a gymnast on the floor mid-performance, and a football player from Colorado gesturing with his hands after a game. The bottom row shows a Duke basketball player preparing to take a shot, another football player from Colorado looking focused, and an Alabama basketball player pointing confidently.

The NIL Top 10: Who are the highest-paid college athletes?

Growing collective contracts and sponsorship deals have university athletes — both men and women — raking in record paydays.

Marketing & Branding /
By: Chris Kudialis