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The overall responsibilities for the role are to develop HI social media / networking strategy and be active in all relevant social media networks to promote Hostelling International and hihostels.com globally. Help produce content for hihostels.com and the HI intranet hiway.

Responsible to: Head of Sales & MarketingLocation:Welwyn Garden City, Herts.  England. United KingdomContract type: 12 month Contract (may extend/perm)Salary: Up to £23k dependent on experience

Company Information

Hostelling International (HI) has over 4,000 unique hostels in 90 countries worldwide, located in some of the world’s most inspiring locations. Through nearly 70 Youth Hostel Associations, HI currently provides 38 million overnight stays a year, many of which are booked through the hihostels.com website. With over 4 million members worldwide HI is one of the largest youth membership organisations in the world. HI is a non-profit membership organisation, with a proud history and a relevant philosophy. Our mission is to promote cultural education, peace and international understanding through travel - offering affordable, safe, quality accommodation to people of all ages, races, religions and nationalities.

Job Description

HIhostels.com is the core marketing and booking mechanism for HI and currently receives around a million visitors and 5 million page views per month. The site is available in 4 languages (with more on the way) and is a key revenue-generator for the organisation and National Associations. Having conducted an SEO audit and developed an SEO strategy with an external search consultant, HI are now dedicated to improving the site’s search traffic, and are currently expanding the team to carry out a complete, holistic search marketing programme over the next 12 months (and beyond).

The Online Marketing Assistant will be heavily involved in implementing search activities, with a focus on linkbuilding and social media. As one of the first search-related posts within the business, the role is an initial 12-month contract which may extend/evolve after the search programme is up and running. Working closely with the Marketing team and external suppliers, the Online Marketing Assistant will be responsible for researching, executing and reporting on tasks that form part of our search marketing and optimisation programme, with an emphasis on:

• Linkbuilding, including social media and WOM campaigns

• Competitions, sponsorship and other online marketing opportunities that feed into SEM

Key Objectives and Responsibilities

• Researching and establishing an active presence on travel blogs, communities and forums which have the potential to reach our core audiences

• Proactively starting and engaging in online conversations and communities relevant to our business, representing HI in a way that is appropriate to different audiences and media

• Monitoring conversations and reputation in social media such as Twitter, blogs and social networks, and commenting/responding where appropriate

• Brainstorming, writing, managing and monitoring customer competitions/incentives to encourage links from blogs, Facebook, MySpace, etc

• Working with the Marketing & SEO Teams on link-building activities from HI’s body of National Associations and external 3rd parties

• Researching, managing, monitoring and reporting on sponsorship and other online advertising campaigns

• Leading HI’s blogging activities, such as travel blog copywriting, managing blog carnivals and/or assisting with the day-to-day activities of maintaining a customer blog platform

• Inbound link reporting and social media monitoring, including analysis of results and feeding into subsequent actions

• Assisting the SEO Specialist and Sales & Marketing team with other search- and writing-related activities

• Keeping up-to-date with latest industry trends and developments in online marketing

• Assisting with and writing copy (stories and articles) for hihostels.com and hiway (internal intranet).

Candidate Requirements

• Energy and enthusiasm are just as important as online marketing experience; the ideal candidate must be able to demonstrate passion for the web and keen interest in search/digital marketing

• Global travel experience, ideally student and/or budget travel (eg. backpacking, trekking, Gap Year); hostelling experience a real plus

• Excellent copywriting skills, and demonstrable understanding of how to target messages to different audiences and media

• Excellent online communication skills, with an understanding of how to communicate appropriately within online communities

• Self-starter, able to work autonomously as well as part of a team

• Strong working knowledge of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr

• Familiarity /experience with Google Alerts and RSS feed readers

• Strong organisational and research skills

• Good time management

• A willingness to learn and turn their hand to a variety of wide-ranging projects

• Confident manner

• The ability to multitask, prioritise workloads effectively and ensure campaigns are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required standards.

• A strong eye for detail

• French, German, Spanish language skills or international experience a bonus

To apply please send an up to date Curriculum Vitae, brief letter of application detailing your skills and experience and why you are interested in this role, to Kevin Allton, Head of Sales & Marketing kallton@hihostels.com

Benefits available upon request. Assistance with relocation will be considered for international applicants.