An Interview With Rachel Jo Silver, Director of Social Media at Birchbox

Lifestyle

An Interview With Rachel Jo Silver, Director of Social Media at Birchbox

They say that social media is a 24/7 job, and Rachel Jo Silver, the Director of Social Media at Birchbox, has it down to a science. In a nutshell, Rachel takes her adoration for beauty products and lifestyle accessories and puts that passion to lucrative use via virtually every social media platform on the market today. Whether she’s unveiling the latest trends or sharing on-brand grooming tips, it doesn’t take long to realize that Rachel has the kind of infectious and bubbly personality that is just perfect for a blossoming company like Birchbox.

Her secret? It really all comes down to Rachel’s unwavering determination, creativity and hard work. She was the first social media hire at Birchbox in 2012 as a community manager, and since then she has built the entire strategy from the ground up. Prior to joining Birchbox, Rachel played an instrumental role in launching a non-profit focused on providing social media resources for human rights activists. Her role there as executive assistant helped her to gain the skills she needed to thrive at the discovery retail company.

Today, Rachel captures the magic of what it’s like to work at a “beauty mecca” like Birchbox. And she also understands how social media plays a valuable role in promoting the brand’s presence online. For those who are looking to break into a similar role, Rachel advises to “think like a blogger” when it comes to creating an effective social media strategy. Oh! And, of course, don’t ever forget to hustle.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rachel left her position at Birchbox in April 2016. She is now running her own business, Love Stories TV.

Her Starting Point

What was your first job out of college? How did you land the position?

After my Masters, I moved to NYC and realized almost immediately that I didn’t want any of the jobs related to what I’d studied. A friend told me to look on MediaBistro.com, so I did and saw the Executive Assistant Job at Howcast Media.

How did your role at Howcast Media prepare you for your current role at Birchbox? What are some of the correlations between the two companies?

I started at Howcast as the Executive Assistant and Office Manager. This was such a fun, educational and hard job! I managed everything—personal, business, travel schedule—for a busy CEO, planned events (everything from parties to conferences) and helped create and implement office HR policies. I learned how to do everything! It was the perfect introduction to the working world and to NYC.

While at Howcast my boss, the CEO, started a non-profit focused on empowering young people who were using digital technology and social media for human rights and pro-democracy causes. Because of my educational background and experience gained as his EA, I managed this organization for him. That experience taught me a lot about using social media for marketing, (both marketing the organization and helping the activists market their causes). This is where I fell in love with social media and gained the skills I needed to be hired later at Birchbox.

Social media is an evolving space filled with a never-ending learning curve. How do you keep up and how did you learn the ins and outs of social media as a career?

I’m a power user! I follow tons of brands, but most importantly, bloggers and YouTubers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. I listen, watch and engage and get ideas this way!

How did you land your job at Birchbox? What was it about the company that initially drew you in and how would you describe the culture?

My experiences at Howcast were amazing, but in the end I didn’t want a career in non-profits so I started looking around. I saw the job at Birchbox and asked an acquaintance of mine who worked there (she lived in my building on the Lower East Side!) to introduce me. I went to the office and fell deeply and immediately in love with everything about it: the team, the mission, the product and the customers. There is a story about how I hugged my now boss after my first interview. I called my now-husband and said, “Well, I hugged Mollie Chen. So, I either really got the job, or really didn’t get the job.” Fast-forward three years, Mollie is one of my managers and best friends.

Her Big Break

You started out at Birchbox in 2012 as the Community Manager. You then moved to Sr. Manager of Social Media, and your current title is Director of Social Media. How did you go about making these changes? What are some of the major differences between the three roles you’ve played at Birchbox?

I started at Birchbox at an exciting time. I was the first and only member of the social media team, so I was able to invent processes, strategy and evolve both as the business grew. It was the perfect combination of the right place, right now, plus an extreme amount of creativity and hard work.

What are some of your strategies for staying inspired and creative when brainstorming ideas for Birchbox’s social media? How do you make sure your audience is engaged?

I always say, “Think like a blogger.” I think bloggers and YouTubers have the best social media strategies and channels. They are their own business/brand, so they have to do their own content creation, their own promotion, their own marketing. That’s who I look to for ideas and inspiration. Bloggers hustle.

What other Birchbox departments do you work with to create content? What social media tools do you use daily?

All teams and tons of tools! We work with marketing, editorial, beauty partnerships, customer service, tech—everyone! We have so many tools (I wish each tool did more so we could eliminate many!). We have tools for social listening, social analytics, social publishing and customer service/community management. The latest/coolest is called Soldsie and allows us to sell product directly from our Instagram feed when customers use hashtag #BirchboxCart in the comments.

What role does social media play within a company like Birchbox? What is the goal of the content for each distribution channel?

At Birchbox we credit much of our early success to social media, specifically YouTube. When we launched, makeup YouTubers started shooting “Birchbox unboxing” videos that helped us really take off! We’ve always appreciated that fact and see social media as a key to our success across all KPIs: subscription, e-shop sales, retention, beauty partnerships and customer service/customer happiness.

Her Perspective

Could you give us a glimpse into your day-to-day?

I manage a team of four (soon to be five) and they are rockstars. I am basically in meetings all day! I spend my time scurrying from conference room to conference with my laptop and phone.

Lately, there’s been a rise in e-commerce sites and beauty/lifestyle blogs. What does Birchbox do that sets it apart from the competition? How do you make sure that Birchbox’s social media stands out from the crowd?

Birchbox is the best place to shop for beauty online. If you subscribe to our monthly box you get to try five personalized beauty samples every month, and you can review those products to earn $5 every month to spend in our shop. In the shop we sell everything we sample, plus tons more skus from those brands and lots of lifestyle items (jewelry, makeup bags, wallets, totes, entertaining accessories, décor). And, for every $1 you spend on Birchbox.com, you earn 10 points to spend in the shop. So: make a $50 purchase, get 50 points (which is $5!). It really pays to shop on Birchbox.com. Plus, we have tons of content to help you learn about and discover everything that we sell.

What advice would you give to aspiring social media professionals? Where should they start their career, and how can they stand out in the crowded space?

Do internships. Real ones in offices—not virtual ones.
Be a great photographer and an even better writer.
Be an Excel expert.
Love your customer and your product. If you want to sell makeup, you have to love makeup. You have to "eat your own dog food" in this business.

And finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?

Birchbox global domination. I love my job, I love the Birchbox team, and I love our customers. I can’t wait to go to work every day. I am extremely lucky and extremely appreciative. Every day.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rachel left her position at Birchbox in April 2016. She is now running her own business, Love Stories TV.