Let's talk. It's time to hire a social media manager. I am talking about an actual invested, reliable employee. If you are the type of founder that has been skirting by using nieces, nephews, and interns to handle your company's social media, then this episode is for you. I am going to break down exactly how to get started with a social media manager and explain a bit why someone with experience is well worth the money... no more interns.
Social media platforms have gotten incredibly complex. It is more and more difficult to reach your audience organically and paying for ads, while effective in generating impressions, can't always be measured for ROI. It's very important to have a responsible, knowledgable adult keeping tabs on your social media. This is because, for the companies that do get this right, social media is an amazing catalyst for growth and revenue. The problem is, many businesses are playing around on social because "it's the thing to do," but the performance isn't tracked or improved upon over time. The following guidelines will help align your brand's mission to your social content, get your manager on the right page to support sales and marketing, and help grow your most important asset-- your list. Let's dive in!
When hiring a social media manager, you must keep in mind these three things:
Create a content strategy that makes sense for your brand. Before your marketing manager begins to post, it's important to have a content strategy and guidelines for them to follow. This should be a document that gives examples and describes in detail the tone, voice, and aesthetic of your brand. Set boundaries and give meaning to the content. Examples should include written copy and the kinds of images to post. Then, explain how those examples help support the bigger mission of the brand. Everything should tie together and make sense. All content on social must support sales and marketing goals. Don't just follow what everyone else is doing. You should offer suggestions on hashtags and groups that are connected to your target client, and update the document periodically to stay current.
Develop a growth plan. Be clear on the results you are after. Determine how your social platforms should contribute to helping your bottom line. For example, if you're concerned with brand awareness, you may be tracking a metric like impressions but if web traffic is important to you, then client acquisition would be the thing to watch. Regardless, your social media manager should have a clear mission-- and have it be just one or two KPIs to track. It's better to focus their energy on getting one thing right, rather than trying to be perfect at everything.
Grow your email list. It is IMPERATIVE that social media help to increase email subscribers. Social platforms come and go- and you do NOT own your contacts on social media. This is so important to keep in mind. Your social media needs to push its audience to some kind of lead magnet. A lead magnet is something you offer clients in exchange for their email address. It is an incredibly powerful tactic. However, if no one sees your offer, no one will give you their email address. You need to make sure your social media manager is aware of this fact. Your manager must work to ensure that the audience they are building on social media gets into your mailing list so you can sell your products and services to them directly in the future.
Lastly, always have your target client at the forefront. Too often, social media content becomes stale and repetitive. That is because many businesses don't take the time to consciously work through the steps I outlined above. Speak to your niche. Use tailored language and be specific That is the way to truly stand out and build a solid reputation for your brand in the digital space.
Looking to hire an experienced Social Media Manager? I can help. I am a virtual Chief Marketing Officer passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow and scale their business. Let's schedule your free 30 min discovery call where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your sales-focused marketing strategy. Book Now.