Navigating social crises and community building with ease

Jessica Kalbarczyk gets candid about social strategy, crisis communication, and community.

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Episode summary

In this tell-all episode of Behind the Post, Host Olivia Messina is joined by a social media expert with over a decade of social media experience!

Jessica Kalbarczyk, Senior Social Media Manager at Corel, takes the hot seat to discuss strategy, employee advocacy, and community. She dives deep into her content strategy for corporate social versus employee advocacy and the specific content types she creates for her employees to share.

Jessica gets candid about her time at Sprint and T-Mobile, and how she handled the merger from a social perspective. She details her methods for crisis communication during the Covid-19 shutdown. One of her biggest tips? Have a really close relationship with PR to ensure the tone of voice and messaging is in line with the brand.

And if you’re looking to pursue a career in social – tune in to hear Jessica’s favorite part of working in the industry and a breakdown of what a typical day as a social media manager looks like!

Hot topics:

Golden community building tips for B2B brands
Crisis communication and the importance of working closely with PR
Corporate social media content vs. employee advocacy content

Meet Jessica

Jessica has over a decade of social media management experience. She’s worked for big brands such as T-Mobile, Sprint, and Samsung, managing social media from daily content to analytics. She has also worked in higher education and tourism, establishing the first social media presence for Furman University and built a tourism-focused social media community for VisitGreenville in Greenville, SC.

She currently resides in Cleveland, OH, with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. A native of Buffalo, NY, Jessica graduated from Canisius College with a BA in Communications focusing on PR and a master’s from St. Bonaventure University in Integrated Marketing Communications. Now at Corel, she is helping to manage 8 different brands from their day-to-day content, community management, and analytics.

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Unleash your inner artist

Behind the Post is a podcast by Social Media Managers, for Social Media Managers. Host Olivia Messina and her guests talk about the real challenges SMMs face while talking through the creative processes they need to create engaging content every day.

In each episode, SMMs talk through how they stay creative and interesting across their various social channels. The conversations are built to work through fresh ideas and captivating ways to keep your audience engaged and your leads funneling in.

One thing’s for sure, you’ll leave every episode with the tools and inspiration you need to nail your next social campaign!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are effective strategies for B2B community building on social media?

Effective B2B social media community building involves implementing 'golden community building tips' focused on genuine engagement and relevance. As highlighted by Jessica Kalbarczyk, this includes establishing a strong initial social media presence and actively managing community across diverse brands and platforms to foster connection and loyalty within your professional audience.

How should B2B brands approach crisis communication on social media?

B2B brands should approach crisis communication on social media with a clear, coordinated strategy, as demonstrated by Jessica Kalbarczyk's experience during major events like the Sprint/T-Mobile merger and the Covid-19 shutdown. A critical tip is maintaining a very close relationship with your PR team to ensure consistent tone of voice and messaging that aligns with the brand's overall communication strategy.

What is the value of employee advocacy in a B2B social media strategy?

Employee advocacy is highly valuable for B2B social media strategies as it extends brand reach and credibility through trusted, authentic voices. Jessica Kalbarczyk emphasizes the importance of a distinct content strategy for employee advocacy, where specific, tailored content is created for employees to share, amplifying corporate messages authentically and expanding professional networks.

How does content strategy differ between corporate social media and employee advocacy for B2B organizations?

For B2B organizations, content strategy differs significantly between corporate social media and employee advocacy. Corporate social media focuses on official brand messaging and broader campaigns, while employee advocacy requires creating specific, shareable content types tailored for employees. This enables them to authentically disseminate key messages within their networks, extending reach beyond traditional corporate channels.

What are the core responsibilities of a B2B social media manager in driving engagement and leads?

A B2B social media manager's core responsibilities encompass day-to-day content creation, meticulous community management, and comprehensive analytics tracking across multiple brands. Their strategic focus is on developing fresh ideas and captivating content to keep professional audiences engaged, ultimately funneling in qualified leads and contributing to business growth.