By now, we all know our businesses have to have a social media presence. That’s a non-negotiable in today’s world.
And, at least initially, it was easy enough to manage it on our own. A Tweet here, a follow there, and some icons in the footer of our websites and emails. Set-it-and-forget-it, right?
Well, maybe once upon a time.
Because now? Social media moves at the speed of life – sometimes at the speed of light if the headlines are compelling enough – so more and more businesses are hiring full-time managers to handle the 24/7 influx of activity, engagements and opportunities.
If you’re a small-to-medium business, the thought of hiring someone to manage your social presence seems lofty at best, and decadently impossible at worst.
But here, we break it all down for you.
Consider the findings of a 2019 study on the state of small business marketing:
A recent study discovered one mission-critical factor when it came to maximizing social media’s potential to grow their audience and business.
“... while social media continues to be a challenge for many small businesses, it can also help small businesses grow their audience and push customers to their site—but only when executed well.”
“But only when executed well.”
So while SMB owners worry that they can’t afford to have someone dedicated solely to social media, they really can’t afford not to. Why?
Because when you think about how social media has – at least in part – leveled the exposure playing field, its opportunities are endless for SMBs to increase brand awareness and new customer gains, and all without paying-to-play like in the traditional advertising and marketing media days of yore.
“Why can’t my Virtual Assistant just handle my social media?”
Great question! Technically, they can. And maybe for what you and your business need, that could be perfect. But maybe your needs exceed the bandwidth, expertise or experience of a Virtual Assistant.
So here’s a side-by-side comparison of two of our contractor services – social media manager and virtual assistants – so you can decide which one is right for your business – and realize why you probably need one, like yesterday!
A Social Media Manager is responsible for the overall strategy of your social media from a big picture perspective.
Tasks
A virtual assistant can implement an existing social media strategy and manage engagement.
Tasks
“Got it,” you say. “But then why not hire a social media assistant or manager? Aren’t they the same thing?
Another great question.
So let’s break this down. They all involve ‘social media.’ So we can nail that down. We know what they work on. But who does what?
See, a manager can pull double duty as an assistant but the assistant is likely not a manager.
Clear as mud, right? Stick with us here.
Fear not – we can do this! Below, we compare both managers and assistants side-by-side, too!
A Social Media Manager is responsible for the overall strategy of your social media from a big picture perspective.
Tasks
A Social Media Assistant or Manager is responsible for the execution of the manager’s plan.
Tasks
A Social Media Manager can focus on a personal brand or a corporate brand. Which is right for you?
Easy! Just check out the side-by-side for each below.
Example Represents 40 Hours A Month
Every 1 – 2 Days:
Weekly:
Monthly:
Quarterly:
Meetings:
Example Represents 80 Hours A Month
Daily:
Weekly:
Monthly:
Quarterly:
Meetings:
As Needed:
It’s been said that time is money.
But BELAY CEO Tricia Sciortino knew better because unlike money, time is finite — and she had none to spare.
Because after assuming the role of CEO in January 2020, the demands on Tricia’s time increased exponentially, and still with only 24 hours available to get everything done.
Something had to give.
So Tricia hired Robyn Ware to be her Social Media Manager, realizing that her social media presence was a non-negotiable.
“Working with Robyn has allowed me to get completely out of the weeds when it comes to managing my social channels,” Tricia says. “There is now an ROI on the time I spend because the content aligns with a strategy that is effectively increasing followers and engagement.”
And beyond the time Tricia has reclaimed to do the things only she can do – and let other people take care of the rest – she now enjoys a ‘next-level’ social media presence.
“Robyn has taken my social channels to the next level by integrating brand colors and focusing on the overall aesthetic of my pages, giving them that ‘wow’ factor,” Tricia adds. Read more here.
Ask yourself: Do you …
… need help managing Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms?
… still do everything manually?
… get very little results from your social media efforts?
… need help responding to online inquiries, getting feedback from clients, and sharing customer success stories?
… lack in brand personality?
… need help producing and scheduling content?
… have no campaign strategy?
… overuse hashtags, not using them at all or worry that you’re not using them correctly?
… not know how to use data to optimize your campaigns?
… have an engagement rate less than 10%?
… not use paid ads and if you do, the average cost per click is more than 10 cents?
Sure, many business owners would likely answer ‘yes’ to those questions and still manage just fine.
But what if a social media manager could take you from managing ‘fine’ to managing ‘great?’ What if – with very little effort – you could address nearly all of the above pain points to fully leverage social media?
A social media manager can help you manage all of your unique social media needs – which can be varied, extensive and exhaustive – and build a strong online presence to get you back to what you love most: running and growing your business.
Do any of these ring (too) true?
To do something well – not ‘good’ not ‘OK’ but great – you have to understand it. But, admittedly, you don’t, so it’s not top-of-mind.
Whether it’s a Facebook message about one of your products or a Twitter mention you missed from a week ago, you know it should have been addressed sooner – as in ‘within-five-minutes’ sooner to earn the new ‘very responsive to messages’ Facebook badge.
As with most things on your to-do list, those you don’t enjoy or understand are often relegated to the way bottom. However, it’s virtually impossible to gain traction in your social presence without proactive execution of a well-thought-out strategy.
I know – if you’re a business owner, 40 hours probably seems like a light week. Being an owner is time-consuming – and there just aren’t an extra 30 hours a week left to manage social media.
You’re just not converting enough people, gaining enough new followers, or advancing your campaigns.
You need help. Delegation is one of the most effective tools in a leader’s tool kit. Delegation empowers your team and helps you grow your business. Here are 25 tasks you can start delegating immediately with the help of a Social Media Manager.
You know those menacing red-number notifications and deafening a cacophony of ‘pings,’ ‘dings’ and buzzes from your phone, tablet, computer as prospects and customers alike all engage with your social media?
Our Social Media Managers can handle that.
Or what about when you see no new notifications and are instead met with the deafening silence on all your social media accounts?
Yup, you guessed it: Our Social Media Managers can handle that, too.
This new service line will help our clients take their social media presence to the next level by managing their social channels, engaging with their audience, and tackling their scheduling to help them stay ahead of their competition and make lasting connections with their community and target audience.
Ready to reclaim countless hours a week? Contact us today to get started!