Previous competitive cheerleader. Monica Gellar. Former aspiring chef. Social media strategist.
These four titles have been used to describe one of our valued team members at Brafton: Courtney Karpiej. Before we dive into her professional experience and her time here thus far, let’s scale it back and check out how she got here in the first place.
Getting started in social
Born and raised in Connecticut, Courtney wanted to be a chef at a young age.
“I was always in the kitchen cooking with my dad, especially when my house was hosting a holiday or party,” she said. “If I wasn’t watching Rocket Power before school I had the Food Network on.”
While she didn’t quite pursue this desired path, she still learned how to cook up some killer content as a social media strategist. Woogity woogity.
She began her journey after high school at Endicott College, where she majored in communications with a concentration in marketing and a minor in business administration. She knew marketing or advertising was in her future, but she was never set on social media during her studies.
That all changed when she began her extensive internship journey, working for a PR agency, a small fitness and lifestyle magazine, a sports training facility and a local newspaper – all with limited knowledge of social media.
That’s when she knew it was an area she wanted to hone her craft, and it paid off. After graduation, she became a social media coordinator at a jewelry store, a project manager at a staffing agency and now she’s a social star at Brafton.
From technical to talkative
When it comes to social media management, Courtney loves the method to the madness.
“There’s always something going on,” she said. “Social media specifically is interesting to me because I think it is the perfect balance of strategic and creative work.”
From finance and cybersecurity to higher education and travel insurance, Courtney manages across various industries. That’s what keeps her on her toes. The style for most of her clients is really specific and technical, so any chance to be conversational and creative on the social side is what she loves about her job.
“Social media specifically is interesting to me because I think it is the perfect balance of strategic and creative work.”
One particular success in Courtney’s journey at Brafton involves a big client who she’s potentially implementing a large, comprehensive strategy for.
“I love any chance to work on bigger, more comprehensive campaigns or social strategies,” she said. “Sam and I recently came up with a comprehensive, three-stage influencer marketing campaign for a big client of ours. It took a lot of time, research and planning but the concept was so much fun to create.”
Another one of Courtney’s favorite things about working at Brafton is a common talking point among our staff members – the people. She enjoys the collaboration, the friendships and the ability to take on some after-work karaoke with some of her talented – and maybe not-so-talented but still confident – co-workers.
Succeeding as a social media strategist
Time management, organization and attention to detail are among the most important skills you need to be a successful social media strategist.
And since social media – and the digital world in general – is constantly changing, Courtney recommended that social media strategists remain cognizant of potential adjustments that can occur across all platforms.
“Things are always changing with social media,” she said. “Whether it be privacy policy updates, platform algorithm changes, Instagram deciding to hide likes, new platforms or features. It’s so important to always be aware and stay on top of all of it.”
When it comes to social media strategy, it’s more than tweeting and updating Instagram on a regular basis. There’s so much more that goes into social media marketing and strategy; understanding how to research and get to know your clients can be helpful advice Courtney has for up-and-coming social media strategists.
“Be open to learning and working hard,” she said. “A lot more goes into social media than you would initially think. Take the time to really dive in and learn everything you can. Join webinars, read articles and eBooks. It’s time-consuming but having that extra knowledge is going to be worth it and make you and your clients more successful. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or bounce ideas off your team.”
Whether she’s attempting her karaoke skills with co-workers after hours or crafting a critical campaign for a major client, one thing’s for sure: Courtney makes a joyous, valuable asset to the Brafton team.
