In my previous post, I gave you 4 reasons why your business needed a social media manager. If you’ve recently hired one, or are looking to, you may be asking yourself, now what?
First of all, let me congratulate you on making that decision. A social media manager will be your business’ champion and a time-saver for you and your business!
Okay, so where do we go from here? Here are some suggested steps to take to get your social media manager going:
1. If you are actively searching for someone, I suggest starting with LinkedIn.
Search various related keywords such as “social media strategist”, “social media consultant” or “social media manager”. It will pull a list of professionals in those fields. You can tailor it to your geographic area or it can be worldwide. LinkedIn gives you a great way to look at each person or company. You can see their work experience, their social media links and recommendations. After finding a candidate on LinkedIn, check out their other profiles – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+. You want someone who is practicing what they preach.
2. Once you have found the person to represent your business online, schedule a power session or two with them.
You want to get to know the person you chose. They need to get to know you and your business so they can accurately represent you and your business. You want your social media manager to understand the tone of the business. Do you take a more humorous approach? Maybe you are quite serious. If you are a medical business, your social media manager needs to understand how HIPAA plays in to it. It is key that you stay in constant contact with him/her!
3. If you do not have any social media profiles set up, you and your social media manager can go over where you need to be and how often you need to post.
Somethings to consider:
- Where are your customers – do they tweet? mainly hang out on Facebook?
- What are some peak times to post – is your market on at night? lunchtime?
- How much guidance are you going to give your social media manager? Will you give him/her a list of specials or promotions? Links to websites to pull information from?
4. Make sure everything is put on the table and be open-minded!
You will want transparency in this relationship. Tell him/her your expectations, goals and ideas. Be open to ideas they may come up with. Sometimes the most successful promotions are those that are outside of the box. Tell him/her you expect honesty from them – if something isn’t working, have them tell you. Occasionally you may have to switch strategies until you find the one that works.
Now you are ready to start your social media campaign! You social media manager is someone who will become dear because they will be your eyes and ears on the internet – bringing your brand online.
One word of caution, however. There are a lot of people who call themselves “experts”, but lack the know-how and experience to back it up. You want someone who is proven and gets results. Check out their profiles first 🙂
Are you ready to get started?
will be reading more..;)
Great information and very true! I have seen some people claim to be social media experts and they have very few updates on Facebook or Twitter! Not someone I would want handling my social media:)
I know! It’s crazy that there are all these “experts”. SM changes so fast I can’t see how someone would call themselves an expert!
Great blog post!
Super Info!
Excellent blog post and should help many…
I couldn’t agree more with your article!
Great blog article Mandy. Good advice when searching for a social media manager since they will be representing you online.
Just added a social media manager and I like reading what people should do!
You have a good one too 🙂
This is great advice. So many people ought to have a social media manager, but don’t.
I agree!
This is great!
I agree totally, starting out with a Linkedin search is the way to go.
LinkedIn, I feel, will give you a good list of professionals to start with.
Great article, thank you for sharing. Valuable information for us all.
I actually do call myself a social media expert! However, I am NOT a social media manager. I show people how to use social media to increase their online visibility and turn their online marketing into bigger profits by utilizing social media. You make a great point though. All social media managers are not created equal. If they can’t show proof of an increased bottom line, then they don’t know what they are doing.
Martha -I would consider you an expert 🙂 There are so many who call themselves that, but have nothing to back that up or show for it! You definitely do!!
Excellent information, Mandy! Communication is so important when hiring a team member. This gives really clear questions to ask and this is so helpful.
Thanks Lisa! Yes, communication is very important!
Very good info, so many people need help to have a clear message on the internet!
Thanks Sally!
Excellent advice! Thanks 🙂
Thanks Helena!
Great information, Mandy.
Thanks Marie!
Been considering this lately…this article really helped me get some insight to the process of finding just the right person. Thanks!
Thanks Denny! If you have any questions, let me know!
Great info…it goes on my to do list for sometime in the future!
Thanks Michele!
Great article and solid points to consider. In fact, it helped me diagnose what type of social media person I am! thanks! and have a great day! great job! Patricia
Thanks Patricia!
These are such great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Great information, Mandy! I will be hiring a SMM in the near future. Thanks for all the wonderful tips! It will make a huge difference and save a lot of time!
Thanks Alexandra! I wish you much luck when you start that process! If you have any questions, let me know!
This is excellent advice Mandy!
Thanks Sara!
I will soon have to have a social media assist to handle this other business ..as my other business skyrockets! Thanks for the tips.. You rock my love!
Thanks Liz! Love watching how your business is growing! If you ever need help, let me know 😉
What a great article! I can absolutely see its utility – when hiring a social media pro, it would be too easy to make a whole bunch of assumptions and be disappointed – on both sides of the hiring decision. Great step-by-step tools for ensuring the business relationship is a fruitful one and that it results in increased engagement and an increased bottom line!
Thanks Pauline!!
Great info; starting with LinkedIn is key and finding out what the person does on all the other platforms is also key; that way you can get to know the person him/herself and if that person would fit your personality..Thanks for the great info!!
Thanks Olga!
Great article again Mandy. The importance of finding the “right” person can make all the difference in the world.
Thanks Gretchen!
great tips! So you typically write the posts/tweets for your clients? Do you also look for new people with whom to connect on all the platforms? I’m enjoying learning more about what you do!
Thanks Heather! Yes, I usually write the content for my clients – some give me some guidance on what they want, but for the most part it’s all me! I do frequently look for new followers/fan for myself and my clients. It’s one way to help their business grow! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Great advice… and I agree, a social media manager should have a good track record, as you suggest. Thank you for such a thorough information Mandy! 🙂
Thanks Solvita!
Yes, it’s one thing to say you are a Social Media Manager and another to be able to show who you have worked for and what you have accomplished for them. Always ask for references of past clients.
YES! Always ask for references. Thanks Denise!
All points are excellent, but what I loved the most is #4 Make sure everything is put on the table and be open-minded! Without that, you really have nothing else when working with someone to help grow your business.
Thanks Susan! I feel that when you have everything out there, everyone is on the same page.
Excellent advice Mandy! Know what your needs are and ask questions accordingly…
Thanks Suzanne!
You have laid this out so clearly, Mandy, and I appreciate the tip about total transparency! Great post!
Thanks Sherie! I try to run my business that way!
Thanks for all the helpful info, Mandy. I wasn’t thinking seriously enough about WHERE my customers are – – something so obvious but just didn’t sink in!!! Thanks for that!
You are very welcome Sue!!
Great post. I really need to learn to outsource some things. Learning social media has been a lot of fun though.
It is fun Michael! I love it!
Communication is really vital when creating a team. Great blog post!
Thanks Lorii!
I’m curious what one would expect to pay for a sm manager. I have no idea, but it seems like stuff I surely want to outsource.
I sent you a FB message 🙂
Great post Mandy and what great questions to review with clients! Thanks for another great article!
Thanks Jen!
Excellent tips on how to find a good social media manager!
Thanks Kim!
Fabulous tips Mandy! And it is so true what you said, that the client and the Social Media Manager become close. It’s an amazing part of the profession!
Thanks Tara!
Great article, Mandy. It is so important for businesses to have regular communication with their social media managers. Too often I have had clients who think it ok to leave me on my own. That really isn’t what it is all about…it is a partnership.
This is a journey I am preparing to take! Thank you for great tips to make a successful one!!
Thanks Carl! If you ever need help, just let me know 🙂
This is an excellent article Mandy! Great blueprint for asking questions and getting the conversation started. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Sarah!
Great points Mandy, because there are plenty of “experts” out there. This will definitely help someone get started on the right track to choosing a good SMM.
Good suggestions and very interesting to read, but how to judge one is very good in social media activity, if you search for profiles, we get many profiles, selecting one to represent is a tough call though – but i am sure – the things you have put will help someone at the end of the day!! Thanks
Thanks Raj! It is hard if you look at one profile, so you should look at all of them. You can tell from that what their strong suit is.
This is great Mandy, I’m am about to interveiw a sm for my business…but how do I measure performance and how much should I pay them? This artcle was so timely..