Interview With Matt Navarra - One Of The Most Acclaimed Social Media Consultants - L'OFFICIEL Austria, the latest fashion trends, beauty, accessoires

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Interview With Matt Navarra - One Of The Most Acclaimed Social Media Consultants
Matt Navarra is one of Europe's most reputable and sought-after social media consultants. Carrying more than 15 years of industry experience, Matt is a former social media director for "The Next Web" and has worked with some of the world's most popular brands. In an exclusive interview for L'Officiel Austria, Matt shares his visions for the industry and tells us his career path.
09.17.2022
Reading time 6 minutes
Tell us more about the beginning of your career.
Matt Navarra: I never set out to work in social media at the start of my career. In fact, social media was not even a thing when I graduated from university in 2002. 
I studied Business and Marketing for four years in Bristol, UK. In my final year, I applied to over 50 different graduate management trainee schemes with well-known brands. After many tests, application forms, and interviews, I was fortunate to be offered a marketing management trainee scheme position with a central high street bank in London. I held this role for two years and hated it! 
I spent a further two years trying my hand at many other jobs, including training to become a school teacher.
It wasn't until I started a new job working for the UK Government as a Press Officer in 2009 that I found myself taking on my first social media-related responsibilities. It was also around this time that I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD. Completely unexpected. And it was a transformative moment in my career. 
Months later, I found myself in the right place at the right time and was given the opportunity to work on social media inside Number 10 Downing Street for the British Prime Minister. 
From there, I was headhunted by a technology news publisher  'The Next Web'  (TNW) based in Amsterdam. They wanted me to become their director of social media. I took the job and ended up working with the most amazingly talented people.  My new boss  was the co-founder of the company. He was by far my best boss, a great mentor to me, and now a life-long friend. I spent five unforgettable years leading the company's social media strategy. It was a tough decision to leave the role in 2018, but I needed to start the next chapter in my career.
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Matt, tell us how you decided to strike out on your own as a digital consulter.
Matt Navarra: It was a nerve-wracking decision to make! I loved my role at TNW. But I had achieved all I could with the company. I was no longer learning anything new or developing any new skills. I needed a fresh challenge. 
I spent many months seeking advice from close friends and work colleagues about my possible next career moves. I remember feeling very indecisive. Finally, I decided it was time to venture out on my own as a freelance social media consultant. But I was nervous. I was scared no one would hire me for my consultancy services. I had always had a full-time salaried job role — the safer option. But my friends and family gave me confidence in my abilities. And I went for it. 
That was four years ago.  It worked out ok . People hired me to consult for them — a lot of people. And I've worked with notable clients, including Google, Meta, United Nations, Pinterest, BBC, and more.
What, according to you, are the critical skills required to become a successful Digital Marketing Professional?
Matt Navarra: You have to be passionate about whatever line of work you do. You have to love your work and the projects you work on. It seems obvious, but many people I know either hate their jobs or are bored in their careers. That makes everything so much more challenging.
Another critical, helpful skill to have when working in social media is the ability to stay tuned in to internet culture — understanding what is trending and why lies at the heart of much of my work.
And storytelling. People who can tell rich, engaging stories in any form are often very successful working in social media-based roles. 
"The ability to captivate an audience and connect with them on a deeper level is essential in social media." (Matt Navarra)
Can you please tell us about the trending Social Media Marketing techniques these days?
Matt Navarra: Right now, it's all about short-form videos (think TikTok, Reels). 
A battle rages amongst the leading social media platforms to grab as much of your attention as possible.
We're also seeing a shift in the balance of power between social networks and creators. Great creators are in limited supply, and all the major social platforms want (need) them to keep users from opening their apps and spending time endlessly scrolling their feeds.
How do you stay updated with the latest digital marketing trends?
Matt Navarra:  Geekout Newsletter for social media professionals . It's like the bible for social media managers! Everything new and noteworthy in social media is all in one place. It is sent out every Friday. It has over 22,000+ subscribers who love it.
After Facebook changed its parent company's name to Meta in October 2021, the metaverse came to the attention of marketers. Can you please tell us more about this?
Matt Navarra: 'The Metaverse' is what Meta (Facebook) hopes are the following significant social media and tech evolution. It needs to be. It's investing $billions and $billions on it in the hope it takes off. 
In simple terms, the metaverse is like the internet on steroids. But, rather than just reading or watching online content, the metaverse would allow you to fully immerse and interact with it using augmented and virtual reality tech. And you would be able to do this with friends, family, and others in the same metaverse spaces.
Technology is still underdeveloped and some way off from being something everyone can experience in any meaningful way. 
Where can people find you online?