Pictured above: Saulo Menezes de Oliveira and Sharon Smart

Following a major relaunch and a huge increase in traffic to its website, Birmingham City University is expanding its online team.

Sharon Smart and Saulo Menezes de Oliveira joined the University in May as Web Marketing Manager and Social Media Officer, respectively.

Sharon trained as a multi-media journalist at Bournemouth University in the late 1990s before working at the Heartland Evening News, a local newspaper covering Warwickshire and Leicestershire for nearly five years. She moved into Public Relations, spending half a decade with the British Psychological Society before joining the Amateur Swimming Association/British Swimming (ASA) as their PR Manager in 2008.

While at the ASA she led the launch of the sport's new website - www.swimming.org  - and worked with the Director of Communications on the expansion of the web team. Her swansong was as part of the team developing a web portal for a swimming partnership with the BBC.

Ms Smart said: "The University's approach to the web and social media is at a really exciting stage and I'm relishing the chance to help develop and drive content for www.bcu.ac.uk  along with Saulo and the existing web team. When I started as a student I was impressed if an organisation had a website but luckily our students and partners are now more savvy and we're committed to delivering the type of online experience they expect."

Sharon has been tasked with raising the profile of Birmingham City University regionally, nationally and internationally through the development of an effective web marketing strategy, while also overseeing content and design improvements and enhancing the University's internally and externally-focused Social Media presence.

Saulo Menezes de Oliveira has worked in marketing and communications for a number of years, working in the legal and charity sectors. From early on, he demonstrated a grasp for digital marketing, having led a range of digital projects - from national and international e-marketing planning to the development of two websites and management of social media applications. Saulo graduated in Journalism in Brazil, qualified in Multimedia at a Masters of Sciences level in the UK and later completed a CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing. He is an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

As the University's Social Media Officer, Saulo will be responsible for ensuring that the use of social media will be based on strategic objectives, following guidelines established by the organisation and in line with best practice, also taking into account the way social media should be managed in a corporate context. His role will also involve measuring the success of social media campaigns to continuously improve the way the University communicates with its students, staff and stakeholders. Sharon and Saulo will be working alongside the existing web team employees Web Developer, Chris Davies, and Web Content Editor, Guy Harrington.

Director of Marketing and Communications, Kathryn Jones said: "Our website is the most important marketing tool we have; year-on-year figures show visits to our website have jumped by 33% and to reflect its popularity we have had to expand our team.

"Sharon will be responsible for the strategic overview of the website and Saulo will specialise in social media, which is dominating the news headlines at the moment, therefore demonstrating what an important communications tools it is. Sharon and Saulo's expertise will help further strengthen the Birmingham City University brand both on the web and within social media."

The two new appointments come as the Marketing and Communications Department has received a joint nomination for Outstanding Marketing/Communications Team in the Times Higher Education Leadership & Management Awards 2011. The nomination, which is shared with Aston University, University of Birmingham, Newman University College and University College Birmingham, is for collaboration with the Lonely Planet which resulted in the production of a student guide to Birmingham. 

Birmingham City University is running a major awareness campaign in the Midlands to demonstrate how it is upgrading the future of individuals and companies.