Is it time for your business to find a social media manager? Whether big or small, businesses today are becoming more dependent to social media in their awareness, marketing and customer service efforts. With millions, if not billions, of monthly active users constantly connecting with one another and add to that the aggressive technological innovations in the mobile industry, these potential targets are a tad too many for businesses to ignore.
Social media, however, is a highly volatile platform. Newcomers and non-tech business owners can easily get lost in this labyrinth. The scary thing is that– one wrong move and a business can easily find its way to the gutter. No wonder the demand for social media manager continue to rise over the years. When thinking of hiring one for the first time, it is essential to know what to look for to prevent ending up with a pseudo-guru wreaking havoc to your social presence.
To give you an idea, here are some guidelines on how to find an excellent social media manager:
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Check for experience. Don’t just hand out the keys to your business social kingdom to anyone. Have the temerity to ask for his or her work portfolio. Look how he or she sends out posts or tweets on behalf of those brands. Keep in mind that this person will be representing your business to everyone– customers, partners and prospects, and the general public.
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Check for strategic management concepts being espoused. Social media managers are tasked to uphold a brand’s marketing concepts and goals. See to it that he or she shows focus on meeting business objectives.
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Verify how he or she build a social community before. Content management is part and parcel of every social media manager’s responsibilities. Engagement must be their cup of tea and sustainable growth must be its master. The way they interact with followers as well as bashers will help give you an idea if one is right for the job.
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Consider giving a crisis scenario for a social media manager to solve. Make it an impromptu request. Keep in mind that social crises happen in real time and often, they caught businesses unaware. Through strategies given, you can easily see how he or she responds to such highly risky scenarios.
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Paid social is a common strategy nowadays. This means paying ads for Facebook, Twitter or any social media channel of your choice. Knowing how they handle money spent on ads as well as what cost-effective efforts he or she initiated will give you an idea if, indeed, he or she can lift up your bottom line.
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A social media manager must also be adept in measuring results. See how they analyze results to fine-tune initiatives as you move forward. Also, check how frequent and how soon they do report back on metrics of particular campaigns.
Social media managers must be considered as a business prime mover. Adequate care must be done when hiring one. If possible, go for a team as “more heads is still better than one.” Overall, look for a social media manager who can nurture your social presence and mentor you on how this volatile system works.