Meet the Speaker: Christy Hajoway, Social Media Strategist, FirstEnergy

Meet Christy Hajoway Social Media Strategist at FirstEnergy. Learn how she enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and has transformed FirstEnergy’s social media presence across several platforms.

Question: Name, title, Company

Christy Hajoway, Social Media Strategiest, FirstEnergy

Question: Family, hometown, where you live

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. After attending Ohio University, I moved to northeast Ohio where I still live with my husband and our one-year-old son. Our parents are local and in Pittsburgh, and our siblings are spread out across the country, giving us fun places to visit!

Question: Utility/Social Media experience

I joined FirstEnergy in 2012 as the company’s first social-focused team member. I build the foundation for FirstEnergy’s social media program, including publishing, engagement, customer care, paid social and crisis management for the company’s corporate brand and 10 utility companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and New Jersey. Prior to FirstEnergy, I worked in account management roles where I oversaw client programs and campaigns heavily focused on content marketing and social media. It has been extremely rewarding to help so many companies put social media front-and-center of their communications efforts.

Question: What do you like to do when you’re not working? Hobbies?

My family loves to get outdoors for hikes year-round (yes, even in the winter!). We also love to travel and most recently visited Asheville, NC. When we’re not out-and-about, I love all things food – cooking up new recipes, trying new restaurants, and sampling wines and craft beers.

Question: Notable achievements

When I joined FirstEnergy, we were sporadically sharing content and had a bare-bones customer care process. We also had only two Facebook pages – one for the FirstEnergy corporate brand and one for our utility company in New Jersey. I established a Facebook presence for the remaining nine utility companies, and we now share compelling content and actively engage with customers every day across social platforms. I’m so proud of our efforts to transform FirstEnergy into a social media powerhouse.

Question: Where do you see Social Media in utilities in two-to-five years?

Customer service will continue to shift to social We must keep investing in social media so we can be there when our customers need us.

Question: Who are a couple of your role models (and why?)

My younger sister, Leslie. After graduating college, she packed up and moved to a town where she hardly knew anyone. She didn’t let that stop her. In no time, she was teaching classes at local fitness facilities, organizing big community events, and developing a great network of friends and professionals contacts, on top of being a successful engineer and finding time to have fun. She has also won several awards for her hard work and volunteerism. She never lets fear of the unknown get in her way, and I’ve always admired her ability to just go for it!

Question: What’s the biggest misconception you run into in your role (or what people seem to think about Social Media)?

“So, you get to be on Facebook all day?” If they only knew =)