5 Reasons You Need to Hire a Social Media Manager
Unless you are in an industry that doesn’t require direct contact with clients and customers, you must have a social media strategy. Even then, having a social presence isn’t the worst idea. This is the way to gauge clients’ interest in future products, tap into the sales power of social media, and grow your brand identity beyond your physical location. Social media is the one place where people can really explore who you are along with how you are serving them. But how do you know when handing off the responsibility of this is the best for your small business?
If Social Media is Not Your Jam
We get it. Not everyone loves to just sit there and interact on social platforms all day long. It really can be exhausting for the average person. That’s why social media managers are a different breed. We adore social media because of the beautiful nuances that every business, person, and creator brings to this social space. You have to be on the platform while also learning about the changes that are happening within the platform all at the same time.
There will never be a formula that every single account can slap on themselves to rise to fame and fortune. That’s why there are all those accounts trying to sell you THEIR formula for success. At the end of the day, it just takes the work that social media managers love to do. I love to help small businesses especially because you are already wearing most of the hats anyway. There is always a great collaboration between my clients and I do really see the growth they are looking for.
If All the Different Platforms Just Overwhelm You
Does thinking about having to be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and whatever new social media platform all day or nearly all day make you want to chuck your phone out the window? That is a sign that you do not thrive in social media work. As an entrepreneur or therapist, you have so many other things to worry about besides those platforms. Not only that, but you don’t have the time to sit there and monitor the metrics of how your work on the platforms is doing. Mastering any social media platform takes time.
Owning a small business means finding ways of maximizing your time, so adding on to learning something new is extremely overwhelming. Building a successful and well-rounded team can help you to master your niche faster than you ever could on your own and with far less stress.
If You Don’t Have the Tools to Get It Done
You are going to have to invest money either way into your marketing. Tools and analytics are a major part of the social media world. You may think, “Well, I use social media on my phone and tablet, what more could I need?” Instagram is a great platform to pick apart for this.
Instagram shows you a surface-level view of how your page is performing. If you are lucky to make it to 100 followers on your own, you’ll get access to their platform’s insight feature. This reveals some, but not all of what social media experts are looking at. Engagement, along with growth, is one of the biggest indicators of performance. Your level of engagement drives sales directly. There are tools for this, scheduling, hashtag tracking, and potentially all the editing and design software as well.
This one platform is a great example of the significant investment you have to make in order to take this kind of work internally. Then, there is also the salary of the person who understands these programs at a level that will bring you success. Social media managers are similar to outsourcing IT. It comes at a cheaper cost, and you don’t have to pay the extras that come with having a person like that in house all the time.
If You Hate or Aren’t Good at Writing
Believe it or not, social media is far more than just pictures. It is a ton of writing. Captions, ad copy, and interactions with clients are just a few of the spaces you see your writing skills put to the test. Often, what you are seeing on the other end of the screen, is the result of several drafts and tweaks that led to the perfect text to motivate the clients and potential clients to take action.
If you find that you are doing okay on a social platform, your copy may be the place that you are shooting yourself in the foot. Creating conversion copy is a delicate art. It is about understanding the core of the company and the WHY behind the brand. We use this to craft the perfect strategy to get clients to enter your sales funnel system. If you do not already have a sales funnel set up, do this. This is crucial to convert those people from eyeballs on your profile to paying clients.
If There Is Never Enough Time
Almost every small business owner I talk to always says they started because of two reasons.
They were passionate about the product or service they are selling.
They wanted more time for themselves and their families.
The sad part is, most small business owners take on way more than they should leaving them burnt out, and without the time they thought they would have by working for themselves. One jokes that she gave up her 9 to 5 just to be working 24-7 now. Social media management is an easy thing to pass off to somebody else and barely think about. We are there to take your vision and make it a reality so you don’t have to.
Time is precious.
Do you really want to be responding to DMs at your kids’ sporting games or while you watch TV after you leave the office? Please say heck no! Time is not just about time to run your business. It’s about the time you don’t have to run your business. This can be the difference between struggling to survive and making the systems you put into place work for you.
How to Select a Social Media Manager
So you realize that you are needing a social media manager, now what? There are some important things that you should be getting from whoever you interview to be on your team. Even though you are outsourcing this, they are still an extension of your business. Here are some things you should ask them about:
A portfolio of work on previous campaigns with examples of graphics, writing, and voice. You’ll want to make sure they are either diverse enough to meld with your business or match well from the get-go. Your business voice is important.
References if they are not under NDA with other clients.
Ask about results from previous campaigns. Look at the key performance indicators and how they are tracking this. You can inquire here about the tools that they are using.
Don’t walk away without a pitch or solid proposal. This should include your ideal platforms, pricing, the scope of the project, and what they are going to be using to measure how your campaigns are progressing.
Ask them about their current client load. You can’t expect to be their only client, but often they can only onboard a few client projects at a time. If you see someone with a bunch of clients and pitching you a ton of time per week, you may want to be sure they can handle the load of another client. Most people won’t pitch beyond full-time without a team working with them.
Ready to add me to your team?
A partnership with me is catered to fit exactly what your business needs. I am prepared to step into the role that your company is needing. Schedule a free 30-minute discussion with me to see if we would be a good fit for one another. My specialty is small business and therapy practices because I enjoy seeing the growth and joy that comes from people keyed into something special. Let’s do something special together!
