Digital Storyteller: Job specification

You’ll remember we previously wrote a blog post about what a Digital Storyteller (DS) is and why your school should hire one. Many of you got in touch to ask what the person who could fulfil this role looks like; to understand what their skills, qualities and background might be.

Well you asked, so we answered! Behold...the Digital Storyteller.

 

JOB SPECIFICATION

Digital Storyteller

 

Department: Marketing and Communications

Reporting to: Marketing Manager

Level/Grade: Dependent on experience

Type of Position: Online Marketing/Communications

Hours per Week: Dependent on school

Weekends/Evening: Dependent on school

Salary: Dependent on experience

 

Job Summary:

Talented individual required to promote school brand and identity to our community of parents, pupils, prospectives and wider audiences. Should have exceptional understanding of social media, to build relationships and deliver the school's unique tone of voice across multiple channels. Ability to spot and produce quality content, to marry to relevant social media channels, is highly desirable.

Top candidates will be influencers; bringing staff, pupils and current parents on-board to achieve marketing objectives. Workload will be high and varied, so you must be able to multitask across various projects.

Role Responsibilities:

  • Ensure content shared on digital channels is optimised to achieve marketing objectives

  • Generate ideas for content and marketing campaigns

  • Write and produce quality content, taking into account conventions and limitations of social media platforms

  • Manage and respond to negative feedback on social media

  • Liaise with external individuals - in person and online (not students, parents or teachers)

  • Use content creation and editing software (such as iMovie and Adobe Photoshop/InDesign) to create quality content

  • Use school CMS to create pages and publish content

  • Liaise with Graphic Design department to produce marketing collateral

  • Collect and collate feedback into actionable points

  • Track analytics to measure effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing campaigns

Personal Specification

Qualifications and Experience:

  • An understanding of conventions and purposes of specific marketing processes and methods

  • An understanding of the conventions and ‘best practice’ of specific social media platforms

  • Broad understanding of social and digital media

  • Experience of using scheduling tools (including HootSuite, TweetDeck, Buffer and SproutSocial)

  • Intimate knowledge and understanding of SEO and Analytics 

  • Experience of using Content Management Systems (CMS)

  • Video production/editing

  • Desire to continually evolve personal understanding of marketing and social media trends

  • Ability to write basic HTML

  • Should have portfolio relevant activities

Capabilities and Aptitudes:

  • Digital media / social media savvy

  • Social media user

  • Creative

  • Versatile, flexible and dynamic attitude

  • Someone who is able to remain abreast of key marketing and social media trends

  • Someone who loves telling stories in a multitude of ways (NOT just pen and paper)

  • Personable and outgoing

  • Strong interpersonal skills

  • Uses initiative, works autonomously

  • Can collaborate well with others

  • Influencer

  • Organised and able to juggle varied workload

 

The kind of person you are looking to hire will depend more on you as a school and your expectations of the role than it will any other factor. There are questions to answer and variables to consider. By taking the time to answer these questions, you are half way to emplying your school’s ideal Digital Storyteller.  

The role of the DS centres around the telling of your #SchoolStories, using a wide range of digital media and content that can be published across your school's social platforms. This content can be used to increase brand awareness of your school and aid in humanising your brand to prospective pupils and parents.

The scope of hiring a DS for your school can only really be viewed as a grey process, rather than one that is black or white. There is no "one size fits all" job specification, but by carefully considering what it is you want from your DS you will soon be able to flesh out what qualities, attributes and experiences are important to you and to the person you wish to hire. 

The good news is, it won’t take long to know if you have hired the right person for the job! At @intSchools, we know how rich the lives of your students and your school are; so it goes without saying that the person who is right for the job is the person who will share your amazing and inspiring #SchoolStories to the world.
 

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