Category Archives for Social Media
7 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Social Media Manager
Do I need a social media manager?
What is a social media manager?
How do I find a good social media manager?
These are a few of the big questions that may well be running through your head as you are preparing your next marketing campaign.
Many people thought “social media” was just going to be a fad. In fact, my friend and colleague, Ingrid Cliff from Heart Harmony Communications, and I ran some social media workshops for small business owners back in 2007. At that time, one of the common responses we received was, “That seems very interesting. But I don’t think it will take off.”
However it has turned into an integral part of most marketing plans. If you are one of the business owners wondering if you need to hire a social media manager or how to hire one, you first need to know what a social media manager is and how they can benefit you.
Do I need a social media manager?
Not every business needs a social media manager. If you find that you are missing out on potential business because you are spending too much time trying to learn or engage on social media, then it is time to hire a social media manager. Whether you are a large company or a small business working out of your garage, then a social media manager could benefit you.
What is a social media manager?
The thing that you, as a business owner, need to know is that social media managers are not there to simply post and reply to your customers and potential customers. They are not there to do what you could most likely do on your own. They are there to take you and your business to a whole new level.
A great social media manager will know how to:
- Manage a publishing calendar
- Schedule posts on the platforms you are using
- Work with you to produce content and curate content
- Properly engage with your clients, potential clients, and collaborates
- Watch the networks for mentions of your brand or certain keywords
- Produce and review analytics to determine the next step
- Follow up on projects
- Communicate with you and your other business managers for announcements that need to be published
- Run optimization experiments
You want your social media manager to help in all aspects of your social media marketing plan. In addition to the list above, you want them to be creative and self-motivated. You may have specific posts you want to go out, but they are there to help by knowing your brand and creating their own posts for your business.
How do I find a good social media manager?
If you have decided that you need a social media manager, then your next step is to find one that is a good fit for you and your company. Hiring that kid who grew up in the social media age may sound very promising, but it may not be your best option. They may know how to use social media, but are they able to effectively use it as a part of a marketing plan?
You may well find that someone over the age of 40 is better qualified so do not let age play a factor in your decision. Instead, look at their mindset, integrity, and marketing capabilities. You will quickly be able to decide who is a good fit for your business and qualified as an expert on managing social media by asking a series of seven questions.
7 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Social Media Manager
- “Which social media tools do you use for analyzing, monitoring, and publishing?” This will let you know if they use the limited free tools, or if they have used professional social media management software.
- “What relevant metrics do you use for tracking social media ROI?”
- “Which social media platforms have you used in the past, and why?”
- “What do you think of my business’ current social media efforts? Which social platforms would you recommend for my business, and why?” This is key in letting you know that they are self-motivated and have done their research.
- “Explain your understanding of the relationship between SEO and social media.”
- “How are large and targeted audiences of value on social media?” They need to know that there is a difference and that each has its benefits and downside. The answer to this can tell you a lot about how they tackle marketing.
- “Tell me how you would respond to a negative comment on one of your posts.” How they respond to this will let you know how much experience they have experience dealing with crisis.
So, if you know it’s time to hire someone to manage your social media accounts, look for potential candidates and ask them the 7 questions above. The answers they give you will help you to know if they are suitable for your role.
What Are The Best Times To Post On Social Media?
Recently I shared some tips on what social media your customers are hanging out on and how to choose the best social media platforms. That is, the best social platforms for your market and your niche.
In this post I want to take that one step further.
Now you (hopefully!) have chosen the best social platforms for your business, do you know the best times to post on social media? Knowing this can make it easier and much more effective for you. Wouldn’t it be great if you could know the best days and times when your customers and potential customers are likely to be online, giving your posts a better chance of being seen?
The Infographic below, courtesy of Quick Sprout, gives and excellent summary of the best times to post on each of the most popular social media platforms.
Summing Up
Keep in mind however that this is a very general guide only. These best times to post on social media may vary depending on who your target market is. It’s worthwhile testing this out yourself by posting at different times throughout the day and measuring the response. But using this guide above is an excellent starting point.
Once you have a clearer idea of the best days and times to post to the social media platforms you’re using, chances are it won’t always be possible for you to be online at these exact times. So… what to do?
Where possible you can set up scheduling, so your own posts are shared at the best times. Tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer or Edgar can help you with that.
Following these suggestions and the ones on how to choose the best social media platforms to post on should give you clarity on what to do. The only thing left is to plan some time to take action and just do it!
What Social Media Platforms are YOUR Customers Hanging Out On?
Over the last few years social media has become an important part of many business’ marketing strategy (and if it isn’t part of yours yet, it should be).
It seems like every day a new platform is popping up. You can very easily get overwhelmed and confused deciding which ones to use. And unless you’re happy to outsource this part of your business, it simply won’t be possible to use every social media platform effectively.
Before you can decide on which one is best for you as a way to reach your customers, consider the following two questions:
1) Which ones do you feel most comfortable using; and
2) Which ones are your customers using?
Answering these questions will automatically put you leagues ahead of your competition. You will be able to focus on the platforms that give you the most results for your time. However, you also need to be aware that simply because Twitter is your favorite platform, it doesn’t mean that your customers are going to be there.
You need to pick the social media platforms that you are comfortable with – or comfortable outsourcing to a social media marketer – and that your customers are hanging out on. Sometimes this means that you may need to get a little more familiar with one of the platforms.
As an example, if you are wanting to communicate with women looking for new clothes and styles, out of all of your choices, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn are likely to be your best choices.
Here’s a quick run-down on some of the most popular social media platforms:
Facebook has the largest user base with 1.71 billion active users and 1.31 active users each day. That is a large population of people that could possibly hear about you or your business. Unfortunately, these same stats may make it difficult to get the attention of your potential clients. Facebook is a good place to reach members of all age groups, especially those between the ages of 20 and 50.
If your ideal customer is a woman, then Pinterest may be your choice. Having 82% of Pinterest users being women, you are truly missing out if your marketing is targeted to women and you are not on Pinterest.
The teens have truly taken to Instagram; 32% of teenagers choose Instagram over Facebook. So if you are marketing to teenagers, then you need to be on Instagram.
Another demographic that has key impact on Instagram is the 25-34 age group. Instagram is a very visual platform. Therefore, with society becoming more and more digital, if you are trying to reach teens or Gen X-er’s then you need to be on Instagram. Remember, Instagram is not just an image platform; it is also a video platform.
YouTube
YouTube has over 1 million viewers each month; it follows second to Facebook. If you want to reach a large group of people, using YouTube could be your answer.
You will have a great advantage reaching adults between the ages of 18 and 34 by integrating YouTube into your social media plan. Another great thing about YouTube is that it shows up in Google searches.
LinkedIn is not like other social media platforms. You will find highly educated people and those who fall into the higher tiered income on LinkedIn. Over half the users of LinkedIn have an income of over $75,000.
This is also a great place to find business professionals and businesses who need your expertise. If your target market is business professionals or businesses, you need to add LinkedIn to your social media plan.
Do not leave Twitter out of your plan. Twitter has a user base of 313 million, with 100 million of them using Twitter each day. Again, you will find you easily reach those between the ages of 18 and 34, however there are people of all ages using Twitter. Since you can only use 140 characters in a tweet it is more difficult to get your message across, so it’s important to learn how to use Twitter effectively to get the most from your time here.
Before you begin changing your business strategies, take time to answer the important questions. Decide which platforms you are comfortable using, or which you will need to learn to use. And, determine which social media platforms your potential customers are hanging out on. You want to find the common ground between the two.
If you love Pinterest, but your customers are not there, then you will need to go to another platform. You can easily find where you customers are by doing some additional research. Search for groups that fit your perfect customer, search for posts related to their problems, and ask your current customers where they hang out.
Although each platform has its larger demographics, you may find that your customers are hanging out there even though they are in the lower percentage.
The most important thing though is that you are using social media to connect and engage with your customers (and potential customers).