Finding the Right Social Media Manager for Your Small Business
Today’s digital world makes it easier than ever for small business owners to establish a marketing presence. Anyone with internet access and a computer can build community across global audiences from the comfort of a home office or coffee shop.
While most business transactions occur through websites or online stores, the engagement that leads to those transactions often occurs over social media. The plethora of platforms and strategies involved in social media marketing make it an exciting time to be a business owner. Still, most of us don’t have the time to keep up with the ever-changing nuances and trends.
This is where hiring a social media manager can be a lifesaver. Not only will doing so save you time, but it also could boost your business. As forbes says, “The most common reason that people do not buy your product is that they do not know about it yet,” and social media is one of the top ways of getting exposure.
If you want to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth when hiring a social media manager, read on. You’ll learn what qualities to look for in your new hire and how you can best prepare for onboarding.
What is a Social Media Manager?
“Social Media” refers to websites and applications that enable interactions and content shared among people in virtual spaces. Although new platforms are coming out all the time, the following have proved to be tried-and-true:
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• Pinterest
• YouTube
According to the digital marketing institute , a “social media manager” is “the person in an organization who is trusted with monitoring, executing, filtering, and measuring the social media presence of a product, brand, corporation, or individual.”
While vibrant colors, hilarious memes, and creative instant messaging possibilities associate social media fun and leisure, harnessing its marketing power is not child’s play. Just because anyone can post pictures on social media does not mean everyone can intuitively use trends and analytics to convert those pictures into sustainable clicks and sales. As audiences demand more engagement, social media marketing and the endless possibilities for promotion that it creates becomes all the more critical and complex.
Whether through certified training courses or self-instruction, social media managers learn to leverage the tools and functions of social media apps to create an overall marketing strategy. Although there are some niche specialists out there, the everyday tasks for social media managers include the following:
• Creating content
• Scheduling posts
• Running campaigns
• Engaging audiences
• Interpreting analytics
• Determining marketing strategy
• Researching competition
• Following trends
• Building community
• Keeping current with social media tools and features
A social media manager adheres to and helps develop the brand's voice in all these tasks. Every last detail, down to word choice and color palette, tells the story of the business and what expectations consumers can have for it.
With so much exposure dependent on trends and popularity, it’s easy to understand how having a social media manager could be the difference between flying and falling for a small business.
Qualities of Skilled Social Media Managers
While every social media manager will bring different skills to the table, there are a few essential qualities to always look for when hiring. You should be in good shape if your potential candidate hits many of the following:
Solid writing skills.
Social media management involves lots of writing. An excellent social media manager will be able to work with you to adapt to or create the specific voice of your brand. They will also know how to write pithy, engaging, easy-to-read posts that trend with current terms and slang. Yet, even with casual tones, meticulous grammar and spelling are essential to keep your brand looking sharp.
Basic design background.
Although you don’t need someone with a graphic design degree, your social media manager should know how to use tools such as Canva and possess a basic understanding of how color, fonts, and image placement contribute to the overall feel of a post.
Understanding of marketing strategy.
To create effective campaigns and optimize content, social media managers should know how to interpret each platform's analytics. They should then work with you to develop marketing goals and know what actions to take to work toward those goals.
Growth mindset.
Social media platforms and trends are constantly changing. The best social media managers are excited and willing to try new things. They do what it takes to keep current and tweak what’s not working. Adaptability and innovation are key.
Customer service skills.
Unlike other content creators, social media managers often engage directly with audiences. For this reason, they should be aware that everything they say or do represents the brand. Emotional intelligence, professionalism, and helpfulness go a long way.
Search engine optimization (SEO).
Just like most online resources, SEO drives social media rankings. Even basic knowledge of SEO will allow your social media manager to help your posts receive more traffic.
While it’s possible to find skilled social media managers from every background, candidates with backgrounds in English, design, creative writing, marketing, public relations, communications, and even psychology will likely possess hard and soft skills that contribute to social media management success.
Preparing to Onboard Your Social Media Manager
Even if you’re lucky enough to find the most skilled social media manager, you’ll still need to do your part as the business owner to help that person succeed. Thinking through your goals, desires, and expectations before onboarding will foster better communication and allow the two of you to dedicate your time and focus to marketing.
Here is a short list of steps you should take before bringing on your new social media manager.
1. Determine your budget.
Decide in advance the salary you can offer and what funds you’ll have available for marketing campaigns. Knowing these things up front will save you time by allowing you to find hires who can work within your budget
2. Prepare a basic job description that outlines work and communication expectations.
Whether you prepare a document in advance or craft one with your new hire, having an outline of tasks or a job description in writing will prevent misunderstandings and allow marketing campaigns to flow more smoothly. The document should express the number of hours you want the social media manager to work, what type of engagement you want them to have with the audience, how much autonomy and decision-making you want to give them over each post, a plan for how you will communicate with each other, and expectations for turnaround times. Internet searches and tools such as honeybook can assist you in preparing a draft of this document.
3. Gather any materials your social media manager will need.
Before bringing somebody on, consider if your new team member will need account passwords, credit cards to purchase subscriptions, etc. Gathering these things in advance will make onboarding more efficient for you both.
4. Have at least some understanding of your target audience and desired brand.
While a good social media manager can help you establish your brand and find audiences, the more you know in advance about your preferences and goals, the better. You don’t need to have everything figured out, but having some idea of color palettes, graphics, and word tone will allow your new employee to springboard into action.
Discuss measurable goals and scaling.
While a skilled social media manager can also help you in this arena, it is imperative that both of you are on the same page about which platforms receive the most attention and what your top goals will be. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) whenever possible. While you want to aim high, it’s also essential not to take on too much. As alfred lua, former product marketer at Buffer, notes: “It’s better to pick two to three sites and do them well rather than create so-so content for five or more different platforms.”
Expect a learning curve.
As with starting any new venture, remember there will be a learning curve when you bring on your social media manager. If things don’t flow seamlessly at first, don’t panic. While it could be that the hire isn’t a good fit, it is more likely that the two of you are still working to clarify communication and expectations.
With all of these steps, it’s important to remember that there is no “right way” to have a social media manager. The important thing is to make a system that works for the two of you and your business.
It’s Time to Get Out There!
Hiring a social media manager is an exciting step for any business. Although using social media as a primary marketing stream is still a relatively new concept, it has exploded and changed the scope and reach of modern marketing.
With the right social media manager on your team, you can start dreaming about new clients and a more significant internet presence. If this is not a step you’ve taken yet for your business, it may be time to put yourself out there.
WRITTEN BY: KATIE BARNETT
