Creators: Marketing and Social Media Manager Olivia Rotondo

Olivia Rotondo is a dynamic Marketing and Social Media Manager responsible for driving brand engagement at Alkemy X. With experience in social, advertising, public relations, and entertainment, Olivia excels in crafting compelling content, executing campaigns, and growing platforms. Her strategic vision, combined with her expertise in analytics and digital platforms, enables her to deliver impactful results and elevate brand presence across diverse channels. Olivia's collaborative approach and innovative mindset make her a valuable asset in navigating the ever-evolving landscape of marketing and social media.

AX: What initially drew you to your current career path, and how has your journey unfolded since then?

OR: I started working with social media professionally in college. I was on a more traditional communications and public relations track, but was drawn to social because of the blend of creativity, branding, and community-building. I’ve gotten to watch the full evolution of internet culture and social media and have always been an earlier adopter of social platforms.

AX: How do you stay motivated and passionate about your career amidst challenges or setbacks?

OR: Working in social media and content creation can certainly lead to burnout. With things changing constantly, there’s pressure to constantly reinvent the wheel or explore new tactics to keep things moving. It’s important for me to feel excited about the content I’m making. If I’m not excited about a post or idea, I think about what I saw on my feed that did excite me - and why it did. There’s so much great content out there that I find myself getting inspired by my favorite creators and it motivates me to make things. 

AX: Looking ahead, how do you envision your career evolving or what are your aspirations for the future?

OR: I think I’ll always be doing something creative and using social media in some way - it’s just what I gravitate to. I hope to make community building and traveling a bigger part of my professional life. I could also see myself getting into making user-generated content for brands, I have a natural inclination to talk about the things I’m obsessed with so it could be fun to combine those passions.

AX: Can you share insights into your approach to developing and implementing social media advertising campaigns?

OR: Start with what your goal is and then put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and think about what would capture your attention while scrolling through your feed.

AX: How do you measure the success of your social media marketing efforts?

OR: It’s all about the engagement. You want to get a response, whether that’s through likes, comments, replies, shares, clicks, etc. It’s even better when you hear someone having conversations in real life about something posted online, that’s a great sign of content that extends into the culture. 

AX: How do you stay informed about emerging trends and changes in social media algorithms, and how does this inform your content strategy?

OR: This probably sounds cliche, but just being online. Once you tap in you will naturally see the content or trends that are blowing up. They come and go so fast that you really need to be active to jump on the bandwagon when it makes sense to do so. A lot of working in social media is observation-based - pay attention to what your audience is sharing or reacting to - as well as changes in how they are engaging with you. Doing so will help you identify what trends you should adopt and how to go with the flow of algorithm changes. 

AX: Collaboration is often crucial in marketing roles. Can you discuss your experience working with cross-functional teams or external partners to achieve marketing goals?

OR: Social and marketing is definitely not a one-person job, although social pros are often used to wearing many hats. Getting input from your various teams and stakeholders is crucially important. Their feedback, perspective, and ideas are incredibly helpful in crafting strategy and content that aligns with us and our goals. I engage with our team as much as possible to collaborate on content. You make better things and make more happen as a team. 

AX: In your opinion, what are the key qualities or skills that a successful social media and marketing manager should possess, and how do you embody these qualities in your work?

OR: Creativity, adaptability, and resilience are key. Creativity because a major part of your job is coming up with new ideas for content, whether it’s written or visual. Adaptability because social is constantly changing and there are always new tools, research, and resources out there to explore. Resilience because not every post will be a hit. It’s okay to flop, keep trying.