Meet Jessica Scherlag: Senior Manager of Social Media and Engagement
Show what Akamai makes possible
Jessica Scherlag is the senior manager of social media and engagement at Akamai. As part of the global marketing team, she leads a group of creative marketers who have become the public face of Akamai.
Her group’s main objectives are to tell a story that shows what Akamai makes possible and to raise awareness about how Akamai helps billions of people live, work, and play everyday. This involves continuously articulating how Akamai improves lives and businesses across the globe.
“One of our key tasks is activating innovative campaigns to connect with prospects, customers, and the world at large,” Jessica explains, “and getting our point across in a matter of mere moments.”
The power of connecting on social media
Social media has the power to give organizations access to billions of people. In the digital age, this is a huge opportunity to use proactive engagement to make the biggest impact. The more actively you engage with your customers, the more likely they will come back.
“When customers tag us on social media, we often amplify their posts. Recently, a customer shared on LinkedIn the swag package he received as part of a coding challenge at Akamai. He was delighted that we amplified his post and with the number of Akamai employees who engaged.”
Social listening tools
Social media also has the potential to become a critical listening tool. “Social listening” allows Jessica and her team to respond to different conversations, understand emerging trends, and learn what’s next.
“With the ever-evolving social media landscape, we always want to be several steps ahead so we can continue to set the bar on social for the industry,” Jessica explains.
Expanding cross-channel customer engagement and reach
Having a highly responsive social team allows Akamai to stay on top of customer engagement across all channels. Whether it’s a Twitter or Facebook DM, Jessica wants to make sure that Akamai customers receive a response from someone who knows exactly what to do. This rapid response allows Akamai to give customers support whenever they need it.
Increase brand awareness
Business-to-business (B2B) social media is still an emerging space for marketers. There aren’t many examples to pull from or blueprints to follow that guarantee a successful execution of an innovative digital campaign.
To connect with Akamai’s target audience, Jessica and her team had to experiment with social media channels, using newer platforms and different partners to garner a larger reach and increase brand awareness. Since Jessica started, her team has increased Akamai’s reach on social media by nearly 75% by expanding Akamai’s presence on platforms like Reddit, and developing a world-class influencer program.
For example, Jessica’s team recently partnered with an investor influencer to share more about Akamai’s products and services with her followers on TikTok, a popular video-sharing social media platform that few B2B companies have yet to master.
Since Jessica started, her team has increased Akamai’s reach on social media by nearly 75%.
Engage authentically
“With social media, it’s all about engaging,” Jessica says. “We post to social media multiple times per day with messages that resonate, and we regularly interact with customers and influencers.
“When we’re not interacting directly with our audience, we’re publishing key pieces of content across our social channels. I’m always looking at engagement data to see how we might be able to reach more people.”
As a way to reach more people, Jessica’s team also decided to host regular Reddit “Ask Me Anything” sessions (AMAs) – during which Reddit users, known as Redditors, can ask Akamai leaders about their careers, life at Akamai, technical expertise, or, literally, anything else.
The AMAs are a unique opportunity for Akamai leaders and Redditors to engage with one another in an authentic way. Reddit is also known for its ability to bring out the most brutally honest opinions.
“Since people can ask anything, and the Reddit community can sometimes be snarky, we were quite cautious given the open-ended nature of AMAs,” Jessica says.
By allowing the Redditors to be their authentic selves, the personalities of Akamai leaders shine through. And it gives the leaders a better understanding of the needs of their audiences as a way to provide even more value in return.
“That means approaching our target audiences in their preferred spaces, and that’s where having the courage to step out of your comfort zone comes in,” Jessica explains.
With social media, it’s all about engaging. We post to social media multiple times per day with messages that resonate, and we regularly interact with customers and influencers. … I’m always looking at engagement data to see how we might be able to reach more people.”
Investing in employee advocacy
Jessica’s journey to Akamai was somewhat unconventional. She studied arts administration in graduate school, and participated in a focus group that turned into a job at a startup founded by a Google engineer, which later got acquired by Twitter. During her time at Twitter, Jessica began a role in user testing, which gave her hands-on experience with the inner workings of social media.
After developing social media strategies at a marketing agency and then at a real estate tech company, Jessica joined Akamai. She chose Akamai because she was impressed by its investment in employee advocacy. Jessica was encouraged to see how many “Akamai for lifers” there are (i.e., employees with tenures of at least 10 years). “Employee advocacy is an area where I felt I could make a big contribution and one that’s rare for companies to focus on.”
“I also knew I wanted to stay in the tech space and work for a company that wasn’t afraid to innovate on social media. On top of that, cybersecurity runs in the family! Both my husband and brother-in-law work in the security space, so I felt supported in my decision to join Akamai,” Jessica notes.
Push past your comfort zone
As life often teaches us, growth is what makes us who we are, and discomfort is a part of that growth. New experiences should therefore not be treated as a burden but, rather, embraced as an opportunity to grow and improve.
“Discomfort means you’re growing. Take comfort in being uncomfortable,” Jessica says. “You’re learning and experiencing something that might be new to you, but the experience is making you a more resilient and well-rounded person. One day in the not-too-distant future, if you know how and when to push yourself, you may find the boundaries of your comfort zone have expanded more than you ever thought possible.”
Take calculated risks, change your mindset
Stepping out of your comfort zone becomes a learning experience that may not only help you exceed your own expectations, but show others how to be successful during challenging times.
“Always bet on yourself,” Jessica says. “It's easy to fall into patterns of self-doubt and insecurity. Building self-confidence is one of the best things you can do for yourself and career.”
Jessica notes that doing so should not be tied exclusively to your workplace or even what may happen in a job. “The challenge with attaching yourself to someone's else's vision is that you live and die by their definition of success rather than your own. When you start to take calculated risks and bet on yourself, it will change your mindset.”
We’re all human
Learning to lean into the unfamiliar can be a way to step out of your comfort zone; it can also help shift your mindset and help you handle challenges or uncomfortable situations. “Remember that everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time,” Jessica says. “If someone is taking you out of your comfort zone, remember we’re all humans with complex emotions, histories, and back stories.”
Jessica divulges an example of how she applies her own advice. “If I have to present to executive leadership, I always remind myself that I have more in common with my audience than I might think and we’re all just people. It really does help take the pressure off.”
An inclusive, global culture
Speaking of people, Jessica shares how her own team works together. “I’m part of the wider marketing team, which is full of smart, passionate, hard-working people, who are fun and creative.
“We work together in an inclusive, global culture where everyone helps one another to succeed and learn. Getting out of your comfort zone can result in doing some of your most rewarding, impactful, and celebrated work. That has been my experience at Akamai.”
Learn more
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