In 2011, Daniella Gullo approached Pulp & Fiber, one of Toronto’s leading marketing agencies, with a strategy to turn the company’s social engagement and awareness to the next level. The bold pitch worked, and Gullo now heads up an entirely new department, based on her vision, representing clients like Scarpetta, The Thompson Hotel, and more. She is also the brains behind the Pulp & Fiber Breakfast Drive with the Daily Bread Food Bank. 

What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

So, believe it or not, I Tweet for a living. Sounds like a dream, right? Well it kind of is. Not to brag or anything. Well, maybe I want to brag just a bit.

I come into the office around 9:30 AM and schedule my social media updates for the day. These are the non-engagement updates that I can have running on autopilot throughout the day. For clients, this includes promotional updates about menus or events, and seeding any press the client may have recently received. For my internal platforms this means going through all my aggregated content and searching for topics that will interest our audience. Then, it’s time to get to writing. I write a blog post for both Pulp&Fiber and Fiber Design, and schedule those to be published and seeded via our various social media platforms. Then, I eat lunch. Always make time to eat.

After lunch I will generally check in with my client or meet them for a one-hour face-to-face meeting. Here, we discuss the successes of their social platforms, upcoming events and promotions, upcoming press opportunities, and any production or design needs they may have.

Currently, I manage nine social media platforms. Now that, my friends, is a lot of Tweeting. If it’s the end of the month I would be working on a client’s month end wrap report, outlining the performance indicators of their Social Media Marketing efforts and Marketing campaigns.

Once the office day is over, usually around 6PM, I begin my dreaded westward commute. It takes me about an hour, and in this time, I like to zone out and give my mind a break from the analytics and hashtags of the day that’s passed. The break doesn’t last long though. I eat dinner, get into my comfy clothes, and log back into my social media platforms to see what’s happening online. If it’s a slow night on the net, I’ll get out of those comfy clothes, slap on some Russian Red, and hit the town. But let’s be honest here, after a day like that, I’m usually all tucked in by 11 PM.

What was your first job out of school?

Well, I managed two Mendocino Clothing Stores, including the Yorkdale Flagship store the year it underwent renovations. I know, right? I had been in retail for six years at the time, so it seemed like a comfortable fit for a while. It was a great for the time being, but I knew I wasn’t destined to be a shopgirl forever. I saw bigger things in my future, so I made up my mind and made it happen. My favorite part about working retail was engaging with clients and passing on my product knowledge, so it wasn’t such a drastic switch.

What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

These seem pretty obvious, but writing skills, people skills, and a genuine passion for the Internet. As a social media manager, most of the skills that I rely on could not be taught in school. Of course, there are programs of study geared towards social media marketing, but I feel like I have acquired all of the skills I need to be successful in my chosen career just from networking, as well as trial and error.

What do you love most about your career?

What’s not to love? I love meeting new people, and engaging both on and off line. Some people Tweet for fun. Here at Pulp&Fiber, I get to Tweet for a living. It’s really nice to love what you do everyday. I also love the challenge.

Do you have any warnings?

My only warning would be to be conscious of your online presence and persona. Of course, I have my own Twitter account, my own Facebook account, blogs, all that stuff, but even when using those I have to be careful about my image. At the end of the day, I represent a company, and I represent a bunch of brands. If I wouldn’t post a certain thought to my company Twitter account, I shouldn’t post it on my own account either. No one can hide on the Internet, and if you’re serious about building a career in social media, it’s important to always, always be mindful of this. It can destroy a career even before it starts. Also, never over-promise and under-deliver. Manage client and community expectations to the best of your ability. If you start out answering tweets and Facebook comments at all hours of the night, your client and community will become accustomed to it, and when this becomes impossible to keep up (which it will) you could potentially be faced with a social media disaster.

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

That’s an easy one. Experiential Marketing. I do get to participate in that side of Pulp&Fiber’s business whenever I have time in my schedule and I absolutely love it. We organize some amazing events for clients such as Bacardi, Drambuie, Thompson Hotel and Scarpetta. We even own an event brand called Film Fashion F1. The event takes place three times a year during Film Festival, Fashion Week and F1 weekend in Montreal. The name is pretty self explanatory, I guess.