A Chat With Our Director of Social Media

A social media director does many things: orchestrates a corporation’s digital presence, strategically aligns social media initiatives with objectives, and sets budgets across multiple platforms. It’s one thing to do this for a single entity; it’s another to do this for hundreds of partners. Such is the task of Abby Alusheff, Director of Social Media for ChoiceLocal. We sat down with Abby to better understand how she stays afloat in a world that demands staying ahead of the curve.

How long have you been in your current role and what were you doing before CL?

I have been in my current role with ChoiceLocal for 2.5 years (best years of my career thus far!). Before ChoiceLocal I worked at another digital marketing agency, also focusing solely on social media and content strategy for Fortune 500 tech companies. I started my career as a journalist and realized I enjoyed promoting my stories on social media and connecting with the readers way more than I enjoyed reporting itself, which sparked my interest in social media!

What does a Director of Social Media do?

It’s funny because there are actually a lot of different descriptions of a social media director if you Google it or look at other job descriptions. The most common one you’ll find is a social media manager, who manages social profiles or ad accounts. While others (like mine) mean that you manage the social department of a company! My job is to support all of the incredible social media specialists, AEs, ADs, and sales as needed. Another major part of my role is to come up with strategies (both organic social and paid social) for our partners on a brand level and individual franchisee level. Strategy and data are two of the pieces of my job I never knew I’d like as much as I do! But they’re so important to helping us make smart and strategic decisions for our partners.

How has your role changed from when you first arrived at CL?

My role has evolved since I started. We were a bit smaller of a company and the needs of our partners’ services were more focused on organic social content calendars and have since shifted more to paid social. Like anything in digital marketing, we’ve had to be able to quickly adapt and pivot to offer social services to our partners that meet their needs and support their business goals. I’m so thrilled to say that our department has grown exponentially (literally it’s doubled in people!) since I started a little over 2 years ago.

What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now?

I’m working with my team on adapting our best practices for both organic and paid, which is really cool because honestly working collaboratively with my team brings me the most joy I could ever ask for. I learn SO MUCH from each and every one of them, and I love hearing their perspectives on what we should be focusing on and how social is adapting.

How has AI changed how you work?

It’s definitely made our time management better and more streamlined. It’s also allowed us to focus more on strategy and digging more into data storytelling for our partners.

What’s the biggest misconception about what you do?

I laughed at this question because I still don’t think my parents even know what my job even is or what I do no matter how many times I try to explain it. Most people think my job is scrolling all social channels and posting social posts and that’s it. But the biggest misconception of all is how long it takes to create a social post, because people don’t always understand the thought and strategy that goes into each aspect of the post.

What would you say to a partner who’s hesitant to make social media a part of their marketing strategy?

I love love love this question! I would say to someone who is hesitate to make social media part of their marketing strategy is to think of it this way: Picture this: You’re going to meet someone for the first time and…They show up late. When they get there, you want to get to know them and learn more about them but they just kind of give you short, one-word responses. They seem distracted. They keep getting up and disappearing for a while then come back. They only talk about themselves. How likely are you to see this person again or have a good impression of them? Probably not very likely. The same goes for new people visiting your social media accounts – your social media channels are oftentimes (and these days, now more than ever) the first impression that a potential customer or member will have of you. So it’s critical that the impression you leave them with is the one you want to make.

What is the future of social media?

The future of social media in my opinion is already here! It’s become the new search engine. In fact, Google Integrates Social Media Posts Into Google Business Profiles! And that is just one way I see Google integrating social channels into search. Social is the new SEO.

What’s the most memorable or creative thing you’ve ever seen on social?

Memes are truly the gift that keeps on giving. I also love when brands humanize themselves and interact with their audience on a regular basis. The thing we often times need to remember is that social media is about connective with your community. You should be social on social media. One account that does this best is Wendy’s. If you ever need a good laugh or want to see some great community building, Wendy’s was the OG at humanizing their brands. The other big chain restaurant brands followed suit. Now you see brands interacting and collaborating with one another (i.e. McDonalds and Burger Kings), and people LOVE it! Not only do they think it’s funny or cool to see how they interact on social media, but when they’re hungry those brands come first to mind. Now you can’t tell me that’s not a good marketing strategy.

What social media app can you not live without?

Instagram. I use it to interact with my friends and family, to follow my favorite brands and influencers, and to shop. It’s my all-in-one app for any way I interact with most people (and brands) in my life.

Tell us something surprising or unknown about you.

So I could tell you that I was adopted from Bucharest, Romania when I was 2 weeks old (which is true), but since we’re on the subject of social media I’m going to tell you that I’m obsessed with R&B singer, Usher, and he follows me on X (Formerly Twitter), and Usher has said Happy Birthday to me on a Facebook Live (yes, I have the video as my receipt), AND to top it all off, Usher’s brother Jack follows me on Instagram!

Abby Alusheff, Director of Social Media, has worked for ChoiceLocal now for almost three years. She is a Dayton, OH native, graduated from Bowling Green State University where she met her now “Falcon Flame” husband, Alex. When she isn’t working, she is spending time with her two toddlers, most likely listening to Usher at the gym or shopping at Aldi.

About ChoiceLocal

ChoiceLocal is a franchise marketing agency dedicated to leading a purpose-driven business as the first and only franchise marketing agency with a money-back guarantee. This has led to successful partnerships with over 50 franchise brands and a spot on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies. Our core values are driven not only by the digital marketing work that is done but reflected by each person who becomes a teammate; we volunteer in our local communities every quarter and make a difference to those around us. Named a top workplace for four years straight, ChoiceLocal is dedicated to making the lives of everyone we are involved with better.