More and more businesses are seeing the measurable benefits that social media can deliver and are trying to find inexpensive ways to access such benefits. The most common trend is to give the job of social media management to an existing employee as a bolt-on to their current role.
The idea of promoting from within probably seems natural. But if you want your social media efforts to drive traffic and conversions, you should avoid tasking an existing employee with the challenge. Hiring a full-time social media strategist or a social media agency is the way to go and here’s why:
Social Media Management is a Full-Time Job
Social media can be fun but it requires constant attention and trying to manage it on top of a normal workload isn’t ideal as it is only a matter of time before one gets neglected. Although some businesses may thrive from having a personal customer approach, the principle can’t always be applied to social media. I would advise for your social media to work well you will need a dedicated employee (i.e. brand ambassador) that fully understands how it works and how to implement effective social campaigns.
You Need Real Social Media Experts
Your employees may claim to be experts because they have Facebook accounts or send tweets during the week, but that doesn’t mean they can manage something as important as your company’s social image. Social Media experts stay up to date with the latest trends in your market place. They will also research and use the latest tools and applications to help generate interest and drive conversions. Most importantly they understand how to keep your brand image and personality consistent across social media networks. Having that engaging relationship with your audience is key in today’s industry.
Limited Possibilities
If your employees understanding of social media is limited to personal use they are seriously limiting your possibilities. A Social Media expert will use a strategy to make sure you are maximizing your reach and use social media tools that are right for your business. Plus you need an individual who is able to consistently come up with creative ways to capture your target’s attention.
Personal Viewpoints
One of the key elements you want to avoid is posting comments or responding to your customers using personal viewpoints. A social media expert knows how to appeal to a target audience while remaining neutral about “sticky” issues. Remember your social media expert is a brand ambassador for your business so they are the voice of your brand and they will work via a social media policy for your brand so their every word represents your business in the correct fashion.
Planning
Anyone can post generic comments or tweets but for your social media campaign to be effective, a social strategy is crucial to success. A social media expert will create a plan which will sync with your marketing plan so they too can promote various products thought the year. Social media is great for building up hype and drawing in attention when launching new products or exhibiting at events.
So do you think you have a social media expert? If you have questions about social media strategy, techniques or hiring a social media expert, contact me.