There’s a major difference between recognizing that social media is important and having the knowledge and skills you need to use it effectively.
If you’re struggling to find the time to devote to social media, or you want to take your strategy to the next level, it might be time to hire a social media manager.
In this episode, I talk with Solutions Consultant Theresa Summerlin about the different ways that hiring a social media expert can help your business’ marketing, sales, and customer service.
Theresa also shares some practical tips for leaders who are managing their accounts and discusses a few key signs that it might be time to start outsourcing this piece of your business.
Here are some takeaways we shared:
1. Social media is just one piece of your business strategy.
It’s easy to think that posting on social media will transform your business, but you also need a strong sales and marketing strategy to back up your efforts.
But you have to start by asking yourself the question, ‘Why?’ Why do you think you need to be on social media for your business?
After you work through that answer, dive in a bit deeper.
Is it critical to the success of your business or is it more of a placement solidifying your brand or solidifying your existence even? It’s good to differentiate your unique social wants and needs — and what is best for you.
2. If you're struggling to post consistently, consider hiring a social media manager.
Building an online presence is time-consuming, so if you and your team are overwhelmed, it’s probably time to outsource.
People are getting sophisticated in the way they want to consume their content.
And a Social Media Manager not only knows how to engage and create that social content, but they should be able to initiate campaigns that are maybe edgy or bordering on taking risks, while at the same time practicing great business etiquette.
It’s a consistently game as well. One of the biggest things to realize is if you can’t be consistent in maintaining quality, it might be time to look at hiring a Social Media Manager.
3. Organization is the key to managing social media effectively.
Invest in a scheduling tool and make sure you’re storing everything in one place.
Next, do some research. Identify what your assets are, and keep them organized.
Having the bandwidth and the margin to even create the posts is a challenge. Make sure your content library is fresh and organized so that when you do go to create a post — or when you do go to spend time focused time on creating and scheduling posts — you’re not scrambling every single time.
Which one is right for me?
To make it easy for you to determine if you need a Social Media Manager or a Virtual Assistant, we’ve put together a side-by-side comparison of both.
That way, you can be sure you’re getting the right-sized support that meets your exact needs.
This week, download our Social Media Manager vs. Virtual Assistant checklist to help you determine the best way to tackle social media for your organization!