Social Media at Southampton Solent University

A former Southampton Solent University student who helped to promote Sodexo during her course has landed a part-time social media job with the company. Broadcast journalism graduate Heather Kemp interviewed Sodexo social media and marketing manager Marc Jaytin for the university’s in-house radio station Radio Sonar. Read on for more

Marc pioneered Sodexo’s use of social media at SSU and was keen to appear on the radio to get Sodexo and its various on-site offers better known amongst students. His use of Facebook and particularly Twitter has developed to such an extent that he now needs extra help to keep it evolving and growing at satellite SSU sites.

Heather emailed Marc to see if there were any internships available within Sodexo and the request arrived in his inbox at just the right time!

“I wasn’t expecting it to turn out how it has,” said Heather. “I am unbelievably grateful for this opportunity particularly as my specialism is journalism. I’ve grown up with social media so I’m confident I can pick up from Marc how to use it in a corporate context.”

Marc has been running Sodexo’s social media activity at SSU since August 2011, largely focused around the main campus restaurant, The Dock with him now wanting to develop it at Warsash Maritime Academy site and The Square cafe, a short distance from the East Park Terrace campus. In particular, Marc wants Heather to develop social media at The Square, which is open to the public as well as SSU students and staff.

“It will be an interesting challenge for her,” he said. “With students you can be a bit tongue in cheek, a bit irreverent; with the public you have to be a bit more careful,” he explained. “Heather is going to manage the Facebook and Twitter accounts.”

Since arriving at Sodexo Marc and Heather have expanded to various other avenues of the social media world, the accounts they now manage are:

Eat Solent: twitter.com/EatSolent
Artisan Cafe: twitter.com/TheArtisanSO14