Kyla Primmer elevates Capital University’s social media marketing
Growing up in a small town in southeast Ohio, Kyla Primmer's journey to her current role as a Social Media Specialist at Capital University is a story of passion and discovery. Initially uncertain about pursuing higher education, Kyla eventually found her calling in marketing at Cap, as students and alumni refer to it, where she graduated in May 2023. As an undergrad, she completed four internships in digital and sports marketing and took on leadership roles in student organizations. But was during a pivotal internship within the school’s athletic department that Kyla's love for social media marketing blossomed. Her success in engaging students on Instagram solidified her passion for the field. Now, as a recent graduate working at her alma mater, Kyla brings a unique perspective to her role, leveraging her intimate understanding of the university's culture to create compelling content and connect with students.
In this Q&A spotlight, we talk to Kyla about her journey and her insights into social media marketing for Cap.
What inspired you to pursue a career in social media marketing?
Growing up, I didn’t think I wanted to go to college. During my senior year of high school, while my friends were applying to schools, I was researching how to be a flight attendant. That’s all I ever wanted to do. But as I was taking a deep dive into the life of a flight attendant, I just kept thinking, “What if something bad happens, and I don’t have a degree, so I can’t get a job?” I started applying to colleges. (A year later, we had a global pandemic, so my intuition was correct!)
I changed my major roughly ten times before settling on marketing. During my senior year of college at Capital University, I had a marketing and communications internship within the school’s athletic department. I used this position to push for more student engagement at games: I created an official student section on Instagram and started producing content to get students involved. I was able to create a team, and by the time I graduated in May, the account I had started the previous August had over 700 followers on Instagram. That number is pretty substantial, considering we have roughly 2,400 students enrolled. My success in this role made me realize I love the world of social media marketing.
What do you love most about working at Capital University?
I have spent the last four years here. This university shaped me into the young professional that I am today. I love that I am in a position that allows me to showcase what makes Capital so special.
How are you uniquely positioned for this role, as a fresh college graduate?
I graduated from Capital in May of 2023 and started working here in July of the same year. I am one of the voices of the university to the students, but I am also so close to the students that I can also advocate on their behalf to the university. As a recent graduate, I understand the cares and concerns of college students as well as campus culture. The student interns who work for me are even closer to it. Knowing what’s important to the student body gives me a huge advantage in understanding my audience.
How do you and your team use the Sprinklr platform?
I primarily use Sprinklr, but I am getting my interns onboarded this semester. I use it for scheduling posts and optimizing post times. I spend a lot of time on the social listening dashboards. It’s very important to know what is being said about Capital University. Quite a few professors are still active in their fields, so it’s nice to catch them in the news to highlight them. I also use it to check our reporting and insights. It’s nice to have the widgets for each individual platform. My favorite part of social media marketing is the balance between analytics and creativity, and Sprinklr provides all the analytics I could ever need.
Can you share a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a typical day in your work life?
I start my day by checking platform notifications. Then I hop onto Sprinklr to see what is scheduled for the day, look at our social listening dashboard, and then inbound messages. Once that’s finished, I’m either creating or researching content, in a meeting or working with an intern. My interns take a lot of my time and planning. We do weekly lessons and projects. They have individual campaigns or projects that they run. I try to incorporate their interests into the project so it’s relevant for both of us. Depending on the day, I could have an extra event like a concert or a basketball game after hours.
How do you learn about new trends in social media and stay ahead of them?
I am very lucky to have a dedicated team of interns who are great at keeping up with trends. They dedicate just as much time to content research as content creation. I’m also young, and these trends are on my feed, too!
How do you prioritize what you post when you collaborate with many different departments?
This was a huge concern of mine coming into this position. Most departments have their own platforms, so I utilize our story a lot on Instagram. I have to remember that our platforms are mainly for the students, and if they want to follow the other accounts, they are probably already doing so. I try to create a feeling for prospective students who visit our social platforms. I want them to see themselves in the pictures or relate to our TikTok. Our current students are already seeing themselves and their friends, and parents are seeing their children and can share it and be proud. I think about what I would want to see in my feed, and sometimes that means I have to leave some things out of the feed.
What’s one of your top tips for being successful in social media?
Understanding your audiences will be your key to success. Trends are great, but you're wasting your time if your audience doesn’t care about it.