WHAT DOES A COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE DO?

Published: August 12, 2024 - The Communications Associate creates and manages content for social media channels, ensuring consistent engagement across platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. This role involves supporting communication efforts by drafting newsletters, marketing emails, and success stories while assisting with digital and traditional marketing campaigns. The associate also represents the company at community events, fosters connections, and supports internal communications that build a culture of respect and belonging.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Communications Associate

1. Communications Associate Roles

  • Communication Strategy: Develop, implement, and manage overall communication strategy for distribution.
  • Content Distribution: Cultivate and distribute engaging communications through various mediums, including email, video, and the company intranet.
  • Copywriting: Develop concepts, write, and edit copy tailored to targeted audiences in an engaging manner.
  • Simplification: Simplify complex ideas and strategies with an understanding of how to make them relevant to employees, often within short time frames.
  • Audience Understanding: Demonstrate strong knowledge of audiences and how to effectively communicate to drive readership and awareness of important information.
  • Strategic Communication: Create and implement communication strategies to support product rollouts, administrative updates, and new initiatives.
  • Representation: Represent distribution in business conversion, system enhancement, and product rollout meetings.
  • Information Dissemination: Demonstrate ability to make appropriate decisions regarding dissemination of sensitive information and understand when communications require legal, compliance, HR, and leadership sign-off.
  • Writing Support: Provide writing and editing support for senior leaders and business partners.
  • Event Support: Support moderate to large meetings and conferences by developing scripts and other supporting material.
  • Collaboration: Work effectively through shared processes with others at all levels within the organization.
  • Independent Work: Work independently with the ability to take high-level direction to complete complex assignments.

2. Communications Associate Tasks

  • Content Creation: Help tell the College’s story through the creation and distribution of strategic communications content, including feature stories, news articles, social media posts, newsletters, press releases, event promotions, reports, and other content across all platforms.
  • Content Development: Develop and publish content on the College’s website and its social media platforms in an integrated, comprehensive manner.
  • Vendor Liaison: Serve as the main liaison to the vendor that hosts the College’s website.
  • Web Monitoring: Monitor and approve web updates submitted by other campus users.
  • Event Promotion: Manage the College’s promotion of on-campus events including the production of regular promotional materials, advertising, and cultivation of faculty and staff relationships across campus.
  • Web Content Support: Assist other offices/units of the College with web content development.
  • Graphic Design: Assist with graphic design, layout, and printing of marketing materials, including posters, invitations, advertisements, and programs.
  • Media Relations: Serve as the initial point of contact for journalists and other members of the media.
  • Media Strategy: Implement strategies to increase media interaction and placements.
  • Brand Implementation: Assist in the implementation of the College’s branding and advertising initiatives.
  • Brand Standards: Serve as the point person for brand and visual identity standards for both internal and external constituents.
  • Publication Management: Manage print and electronic publications production schedules.
  • Communications Monitoring: Develop and maintain the system for monitoring and assessing communications initiatives, including media coverage generated on behalf of Wells College.

3. Communications Associate Overview

  • Communications Plan Support: Support with the design and implementation of a comprehensive communications plan to strengthen overall brand recognition and meet its communications goals.
  • Plan Execution: In collaboration with the Director of Communications and Marketing and Communications Manager, execute the communications plan.
  • Strategy Monitoring: Monitor the effectiveness of various communications strategies and produce reports to assess progress toward the marketing and communications goals.
  • Recruitment Support: Develop school-specific context and resources to support schools in student and staff recruitment.
  • Content Creation: Craft, edit, manage, and publish several pieces of digital and platform-specific content each week, including images, blog posts, videos, infographics, and graphic design elements.
  • Website Management: Review and update websites to provide relevant information to stakeholders and process website update requests.
  • Collaboration: Collaborate with schools as well as Operations, Human Capital, and other district Office departments to develop and update collateral.
  • Audience Engagement: Design and implement effective audience engagement on the web, social media, email, and SMS to maintain a high level of parent and family communication.
  • Resource Maintenance: Maintain school and organization-wide resources on behalf of the schools and organization (templates for newsletters, videos, etc.).
  • Information Dissemination: Disseminate information to schools and stakeholders directly, as appropriate.
  • Program Promotion: Research and collate specific programs and experiences at schools and promote them on social media, blogs, etc.
  • Email Marketing: Work with colleagues to manage the email marketing program and content.

4. Digital Communications Associate Functions

  • News Writing: Write, research, and edit news items for ACC’s website and email communication vehicles.
  • Article Writing: Write and edit articles for ACC’s print publications, such as Cardiology magazine and the Annual Scientific Session newspaper.
  • Newsletter Coordination: Write, edit, and coordinate content for weekly Advocacy e-newsletters to domestic members, monthly e-newsletters to clinical data registry and accreditation participants.
  • Content Coordination: Coordinate the ACC contributions to the twice-weekly CV Quality SmartBrief e-newsletter.
  • Social Media Content Creation: Assist with the creation of Advocacy and Quality content on ACC’s social media channels.
  • Event Social Media Support: Provide live event social media support.
  • Editorial Team Participation: Member of the cross-divisional editorial team and provides intelligence on upcoming newsworthy activities, events, and findings.
  • Draft Writing: Write first drafts of releases, statements, advisories, newsletters, etc.
  • Meeting Reporting: Attend and report on meetings of program teams and external coalitions.
  • Digital Toolkit Creation: Create digital toolkits for use in our, the allies', and the coalitions’ social media accounts.
  • Social Media Execution: Create and execute Human Rights First’s social media output.
  • Analytics Monitoring: Monitor digital and social media analytics.
  • Press Clip Distribution: Monitor and distribute press clips across the organization.

5. Communications Associate Job Summary

  • Social Media Content Creation: Write and design daily and weekly content for PCV's social media channels, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.
  • Success Story Writing: Research and write monthly success stories about the small business and community partners.
  • Team Collaboration: Work collaboratively with the small business lending, development, advising, and good jobs teams.
  • Digital Material Drafting: Draft and build marketing emails, newsletters, and other digital materials.
  • Marketing Campaign Support: Assist with digital and traditional marketing campaigns, PR and earned media, and other communications projects.
  • Community Representation: Represent PCV in the local community in Oakland and San Francisco, participating in community events, workshops, and conferences, interviewing business owners, and attending in-person activities.
  • Communication Support: Support internal and external communications that build a culture of respect and belonging.
  • Group Rule Establishment: Establish group rules for major internal channels and escalate areas of conflict or concern to relevant teams.
  • Employee Engagement: Engage directly with employees to promote a culture of feedback and respect in key internal groups.
  • Internal Communication Strategy: Support internal communications strategies for global issues impacting employees.
  • Trend Monitoring: Stay informed on external conversations about the company and trends impacting the global employee base.
  • Engagement Analysis: Analyze employee engagement trends to proactively identify risks and opportunities for the internal communications team.
  • Intern Supervision: Supervise interns and update the website.
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