Are You Sure You're Ready For A Social Media Manager?

So you’re thinking about hiring a Social Media Manager.

You think you're ready.

Maybe. Kinda. Probably ...?

As you probably know from doing it yourself, social media can be pretty time-consuming. So now, you may be eager – anxious, even – to hand it over to a professional once and for all.

And while we love to hear it, it's important — we're talking mission-critical — to know what it will take to have a successful engagement.

Here, we break down what it will take to get your prospective SMM up to speed in thirty days. Yes, you read that right.

Get ready to roll up your sleeves, be completely honest with yourself about the current state of your social media, and see if you're really ready to hand it over to a professional to help you take it to the next level.

Week 1: Discovery

This week is your SMM’s ‘getting to know you, getting to know all about you’ phase.

Yes, this list seems exhaustive. Yes, this will take a little more time upfront. But we can assure you this is a critical, necessary step to align your goals and expectations with theirs, so you'll need to have the answers to these questions.

This week, you and your SMM will work on …

Your Why.

• What is your purpose on social media?
• What do you hope to achieve using social media?
• How will you know you’ve achieved it?
• What is your biggest challenge on social media?

Your Who.

• Who is your target audience?
• Who is your ideal client/customer?
• Who else (brands/celebrities/people) does your audience engage with?

Your What.

• What is the main message your brand is trying to communicate?
• Why do customers choose you over your competition? What makes you different?
• Do you like anything in particular that your competition (or industry) is doing on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.?
• What do you expect from your social media manager?

Your Words.

• What resources do you have available for creating content?
• What type of content do you want to create for your audience (images, video, quotes, blog posts, etc.)?
• Do you want to observe/acknowledge holidays? If so, what holidays?
• What topics are off-limits?

Your Status.

• What social platforms are you currently active on?
• Are you looking to expand to new platforms?
• What tools have you used to manage your social media profiles (if any)?
• What is working for you (and not working) right now?

Your Details.

• Logo in all versions and file formats
• Icons in all versions and file formats
• Colors and hex codes
• Fonts and font files
• Social post templates (for stories, quote graphics, etc.)

Week 2: Competitive Analysis

So now that they’ve learned about you, it's time to determine how you’re different from others in the market.

This week, your SMM will dive into your competitors to see what they’re doing on social media. You have your own brand and your own spot in the market, so you need to make sure your social reflects that by having them do an in-depth content analysis of what other companies might be doing.

This week, your SMM will work on …

Comparing & Contrasting.

Determine your competitors’ brand voice and objectives from their publicly facing pages.

• What are they saying that makes their brand the best?
• How does your brand differ from theirs?

Standing Out.

Make sure brand voice and objectives are designed to be unique in the competitive space.

• How do you stand out from your competition?
• Have you developed a voice that isn’t already being used?
• Do the best qualities you’ve developed as a company shine through every social post?

Week 3: Graphic identity & Asset Creation

Now that your SMM has determined how to sound different, this week, your SMM will work on creating the graphic identity that will make your brand look different from the rest.

You may already have a strong idea of what your brand looks like, but that might not translate to how your social media will look. Typically this will complement your brand identity but not exactly mirror it.

This week, your SMM will work on …

• Creating Canva templates
• Refining existing graphic identity
• Sourcing any images/ assets that you already have

Week 4: Full Strategy Presentation & Implementation

You’re in the final stretch – great job!

This week, be prepared to schedule a two-hour call to calibrate with your SMM to get started implementing all that they have put together.

You’ll ask questions, tweak strategy, and get rolling on how your week-to-week process will work.

This week, your SMM will work on …

• Presenting their full strategy book, and discussing any tweaks needed
• Working out a process for moving forward with how to approve the content calendar
• Creating a calendar or process of how and when they will receive creative assets and regularly get content
• Beginning to implement approved strategy

So, How'd You Measure Up?

If you got this far and had answers, ideas and direction for most of the above, you just might be ready.

*CUE: The clouds parting, the angels singing, and you breathing a sigh of relief*

Ready to learn more? Check this out. Need to know what, exactly, a Social Media Manager can do? Check this out. Not clear on how a Social Media Manager differs from a Social Media Assistant? Check this out.

Ready to reclaim countless hours a week? Contact us today to get started!