When it comes to social media management, having the wrong person, or people, leading the charge can cost you customers and money.
What happens for many traditional business owners is that one day they discover that not having an online presence is hurting their bottom line. They decide it’s imperative to join every platform (not a very good idea – but a topic for another time) and jump in with both feet without a plan.
Society and culture have created an environment where relationships between customers and businesses have become much more integrated and multi-leveled. People not only want to buy your goods or services, but they want to connect with you via social media for more value-added options and to make a personal connection with you. Making sure you hire, or become, the right manager for your company’s social media presence is critical.
Know What You Want and Who You Need
Just like most things in business, there are a variety of levels of expertise when it comes to social media management. That expertise takes time, effort, interest, and continuing education. In other words, sure, you could hire your 16-year old to manage your companies Facebook page, but will the tone be correct and do they have the experience and knowledge needed to accomplish what you want?
There are four main iterations of social media management, courtesy of this highly informative blog post over at NicheVertising:
- Social Media Manager – curates content, proofreads, and monitors/moderates comments
- Social Media Manager with emphasis on Lead Generation – all of the basics in addition to creating and launching campaigns, A/B testing, and creating original content
- Social Media Manager with emphasis on Brand Awareness – all the basics along with marketing research, PR, and influencer outreach, and community building
- Social Media Manager who does both Lead Generation and Brand Awareness – they do it all!
So, your first step is knowing what you want from a social media manager because that will help you find the right person for the job. If you’re looking for someone who does it all but hire someone who has only curated content, there is going to be a big learning curve for everyone involved to reach your goals.
Everyone On The Same Page
Once you’ve determined what you need for management of your social media and have taken on the task yourself or hired someone for the job, you need to make sure you’re on the same page. What is your company’s message? What is the tone?
Planning out what you want to say and how you want to say it in advance eliminates a lot of guesswork and frustration. Writing it all out assists with time management as well, making the whole system more efficient.
Like Trying to Hit A Moving Target in The Dark
With your plan in hand, keep in mind that the reality of social media is that algorithms are always changing. Platforms are always updating and tweaking how they operate. Whoever is leading the charge on your social media juggernaut needs to keep up with industry news, adjust the plan when necessary, and, it should go without saying, be social.
