So your business has grown to a level where you have to outsource some tasks. Amongst all of those tedious tasks, you’re likely to find that social media is one of them.
I mean… it’s a never ending cycle of posting, learning new updates, engaging with followers, trying to gain more followers.
Rinse and repeat…
It’s time consuming and you really just wing it and hope for the best.
So now you’ve decided to outsource, you’ve probably heard of VA’s (virtual assistants) and SMM’s (Social Media Managers) but what is the difference between the two?
Well, in my experience; a VA will possible create content for you, they’ll definitely schedule content for you… but not all of them research hashtags, look into your optimum posting times – but more importantly, they won’t have a strategy in place.
When it comes to social media, businesses often underestimate the value that is has to a business for their marketing.
So what does a social media manager actually do?
A manager is responsible to not only create your content for you, but to have a strategy put in place that takes into account what your optimum days, times and platforms to post on.
They will utilise the brands tone of voice to replicate posts that seamlessly take on the way the business talks to ensure followers do not notice a change in takeover.
They will also adjust strategies to allow for changes in algorithms, analytics or also to test new strategies to maximise sales/leads or also if there has been a shift in the businesses goals.
One thing I will highlight is that each Social Media Manager is likely to work across all platforms to a degree; however, they will most likely have a platform where they are experts in. I for one have more knowledge and success on Pinterest. But that is not to say I know nothing about other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, nor do I lack in experience or successes on these platforms either.
If you are considering taking on a Social Media Manager, it is recommended to have a clear understanding on what they can do for you so you’re both on the same page and expectations can be managed for both parties.
I also want to highlight that each social media managers packages are different and a discover call is strongly recommended to not only see if you gel, but also to discover what they could provide within your budget.
To help you understand just some of the tasks that a Social Media Manager can do for their clients… but of course clarification of all tasks will be made before any work commences:
- Implementing a marketing strategy.
When a new social media manager starts with a client, one of the first tasks they undertake is browsing through documents, gauging what the current marketing plan is, considering previous discussion notes and putting together a strategy going forward for each platform of the clients business. - Consider optimum times for posting.
When planning content, it is required to know when the best days and times are to post to achieve successful posts for the client. - Create content.
This is what people expect social media managers to do, but do not realise there is so much more behind it. There is creating a graphic or sourcing images, ensuring the dimensions are right for the social platform it’s needed for. Then there is the caption to place alongside the image… this needs to be intentional, with a hook at the start and a call to action at the end.It’s really not a case of throwing a sentence together and hoping for the best! Lets’ not forget, there are also hashtags to add into the caption when sharing content on Instagram. - Incorporate SEO.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a strategy that helps your business not only show up on Google, but also Pinterest and Instagram. Social media has started implementing SEO on their platforms so now it’s definitely needed to keep in mind when creating your content. But not just in your captions, Pinterest can read the text overlays on all Pins, so it’s worth using this on your images too.Not only can SEO help you rank on Google, but it can increase traffic to your website, boost brand awareness and generate more leads. - Analyse data.
To know if a strategy is working or not, you need to analyse the data results. Keep track of the data that aligns with the business goals to ensure their social media is being impactful and supportive as part of the bigger sales funnel.Should it not be successful, tweak the strategy until the data is changing for the better. - Create an engagement strategy (if included within the package)
Social media is there to build relationships, but is often ignored when it comes to social media strategies. If you’re wanting this to be included, make sure you speak up or forever hold your peace!If you feel like you’re needing support with your social media accounts, click here to book in a free chat with me and we can go through everything that you’re needing help with and make a plan!
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