Words of Wisdom – Hire a Social Media Manager
by Bill Nolan
“He who represents himself has a fool for a client” is great advice but it doesn’t just pertain to Law, it extends into every aspect of life where pride interferes with good judgement. Without a doubt, you are probably good at what you do. Right? So am I. Give me the opportunity to market your business and you’ll be astounded by the results. With that said, if I need work done on my car then I will take it to a mechanic, and if I need work done on my teeth then I am definitely going to a dentist. The point is, I’m not an expert at everything, and neither are you. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is thinking they can do everything themselves – including their marketing. Here are just a few of the highlights going wrong – that make me chuckle when I see businesses handle their own social media marketing.
Hire a professional. Stick to what you know best.
No Filters
Let’s face it, things can get personal. When you get irritated you may be tempted to vent on your social channels, business and personal, because nobody is there to stop you. Obviously this is foolish. It can damage your personal brand as well as your businesses reputation. A social media manager is the filter that you so desperately need at this point. With ice running through our veins we stay calm, cool and collected.
Negative Feedback
This requires an additional filter. If you can’t handle Trump’s latest remarks without blowing your newsfeed up with thoughts, how are you going to handle a former client trashing your business online? Not very well I’m guessing. And, turning off comments or having no social page at all is not an option. That is ignoring the problem. A social marketing manager is a seasoned veteran at handling negative feedback, trolls and so on. They will take an un-biased approach to resolving the situation in a respectable manner. They may even win the customer’s opinion and business back!
Security
Who’s watching your accounts when you’re not? Obviously, you should be concentrating on your business and need someone to watch your back. Hackers are everywhere and becoming more of a problem everyday. They want control of your website and social accounts just for practice and to say they can. Who is there to stop them? Well, hopefully you have a social media manager in place. Otherwise, good luck picking up the pieces. A manager constantly monitors accounts and is being alerted on all activity. In the event of an account being compromised we are there to take action.
Quality Content
Posting generic content just to post will get you nowhere. Your business needs to stand out, and it takes more time than most expect to put it all together. Relevant and timely articles, not just about yourself, combined with that perfect image, infographic or high quality video clip are what grabs attention. You don’t just pull that out of the air. It takes commitment and investment in time to research, develop and implement a social media marketing strategy that sees ROIs. And time is one thing we know successful business owners don’t have a lot of.
Understanding the Networks
Years of experience enables social media managers to place content where and when it will have the biggest impact. This is chess, not checkers. Some content that’s good for Facebook won’t fly on LinkedIn for instance, and it may even get you belittled by other users if you post it. Pertinent hashtags are crucial for Twitter, not to mention the fact that you better know which ones are trending as well. Are you active in the Google+ communities? Do you even know what Google+ is? Well, I suppose I can forgive you for that one, but your SEO won’t.
Perfect Timing
Here’s a piece of advice, forget about all of the articles you’ve read regarding the best times to post and even the Facebook insights telling you when your followers are online. They are just not accurate. You know what is accurate? Spending countless hours daily, over the course of years, on various social networks experiencing the best times with different types of audiences and posts. Hands on experience gives you the knowledge to understand optimal posting times. Hint! Hint! And, keep in mind that posting at 1 a.m. is not prime even when you feel it’s a must while working late to catch up on that time you lack.
Latest Technology
Oh yeah, this is the fun one! How familiar are you with all of the latest mobile marketing apps, upcoming social networks, marketing analytics tools, etc. that are out there today? Well, you’ll need to become even more familiar if you’re planning to manage your business marketing accounts yourself. And just think, this technology changes daily, if not hourly. How fun!? The good news is that you do not need to understand them all, just the ones that work for your business. Which ones, you ask? Hmmm… a magician doesn’t share the secrets to his tricks.
Cross Marketing
And this is the greatest trick of them all. Do you think starting a Facebook page for your business and posting occasionally is all you need for marketing? If so, you really need to consider consulting with a marketing professional right away. You are missing out on over 90% of the other affordable social and marketing outlets for reaching customers. People see, listen and experience things in so many different ways. Your business needs to be prepared to reach its target audience through all facets of marketing. Consistent, cohesive and repetitive brand messages through multiple outlets wins clients and drives SEO as an added organic bonus. Oh yes, better SEO, what everyone wants. That will need to wait for another blog or professional consultation.
Now, putting these mistakes aside, it’s time to get serious. Get serious about your business and its success. You need a professional on your side. In order to make money, you need to invest in your business and its marketing. Ask yourself, how do you want your business and its products and services perceived? It’s not really something you should handle alone or have your teenage kid in control of either. Your brand, on all outlets, needs to be as professional as the company it represents. A good marketing team, including social media manager, is ready to listen to your goals and bring you greater returns on your investment.