Hiring a social media manager doesn’t have to be difficult. There is an onboarding process, and it can take a few days or weeks to get into a rhythm, but hiring a Social Media Manager is a great way make your life as a brand owner much easier. There are a lot of things a Social Media Manager can do to help your business succeed on social media. But keep in mind, your Social Media Manager is not hired to do additional marketing or virtual assistance services unless specified in your agreement. They may not even create the content for your brand’s social media. So what exactly will hiring a Social Media Manager accomplish for your brand? Today we’re sharing behind-the-scenes information to help you better understand what a Social Media Manager does.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
Social Media Content Planning
Your Social Media Manager should be an expert in content planning. A professional SMM will evaluate content and market trends. Your Social Media Manager will use this information, combined with your brand’s niche, goals, and your ideal audience’s description to create a solid content plan. Usually the content plan will be done on a monthly basis, but it can differ based on the terms of your agreement. Content planning is the foundation for consistency. Algorithms and users prefer consistency when it comes to content, so having a solid content plan is imperative to social media success.
Typically, a brand will have access to approve or adjust the content prior to posting. Understand that your Social Media Manager has probably worked hard on organizing, planning, and maybe even creating the content for your brand. It’s important that you make any suggestions or changes to the content plan well in advance to the scheduled post date. This will prevent any posting issues (like having to archive or delete a post) and will make sure you aren’t charged for extra time spent on content preparation.
Content Creation
Content creation may or may not be included in your social media agreement. You may be able to provide your Social Media Manager with content you’ve created or paid for such as professional photos and videos. However if this IS included in your agreement, your Social Media Manager will take on the job of content creator.
A Social Media Manager may outsource brand or product photography by contracting out a photographer. Then they will utilize the photography or videography for your social media posts – to create feed posts, videos, graphics, etc. Some content can be repurposed across multiple social media platforms. But platforms usually require varying types of content for ideal performance.
Content Implementation – Daily Posting
Your agreement with a Social Media Manager can include anything from daily posting and stories, to just a couple of posts per week. This will depend on your budget and the package your Social Media Manager offers. Your Social Media Manager will follow the content plan and will likely use a scheduler rather than manual posting. That does not mean that your SMM will be neglecting your account once posts are scheduled. Using a scheduler allows a Manager more time to analyze insights, engage, manage your community, and create content if applicable.
Community Management
Community management refers to your Social Media Manager’s responsibility to manage the users that interact with your account. If you receive direct messages or comments, your Social Media Manager is responsible for responding to them. They can answer any simple questions about your brand or products and take that extra task off of your plate. A professional Social Media Manager can also forward any difficult questions to your brand’s customer service email.
If you prefer to have direct contact with your followers, you can absolutely negotiate who will respond to DM’s. However the perk of having a SMM to do this job is that they will be responded to in a timely manner, which social platforms and their users also prefer. It can be beneficial that your Social Media Manager acts as the front line of your customer service on social media.
Daily Engagement
Engagement is a necessary daily task. The purpose of engagement is to create relationships between your brand and others. It’s great way for your brand to connect with other accounts that you otherwise may not have come in contact with. Your Social Media Manager will spend time engaging with other accounts daily. This increases the number of likes and comments, or amount of “engagement” on your posts. It also increases brand recognition and trust, which are top priorities for social media and brand success.
Analytics Reporting
Your Social Media Manager may or may not report monthly analytics. This will depend on the agreement you have set with them. But a professional SMM will always study and consider analytics and insights when strategizing future content. However, a Social Media Strategist is someone who specializes in analytics. You can request an analytics report from your Social Media Manager at any time. Keep in mind if this isn’t included in your agreement, you may be charged an extra fee for the report. Analytics will include engagement and general performance statistics.
What Can We Add On?
Influencer Relations
Relationships with influencers, and influencer marketing, is a huge part of social media success for brands. It is a form of marketing and therefore is not typically included in a basic Social Media Management package. From market research to establishing a relationship with the influencer, contract negotiations, and content approval, to post-campaign reporting, influencer collaborations usually take several weeks to work through. You do not need to hire a full-time Social Media Manager in order to have this service. At SoBo Social, we specialize in Influencer Relations and offer it separately from Social Media Management – as Collaborations Services.
Social Media Ad Campaigns
Social Media Marketers, not Managers, specialize in Social Media Ad campaigns. They generally have a marketing background and more in-depth knowledge of ad copy and running ads for brands. Your Social Media Manager may be able to run successful social media ads, but this is generally an add-on service.
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is a great way to maintain contact with your audience outside of social media. It’s another task that your Social Media Manager is not directly responsible for, unless included in your agreement. Email marketing is often done by professional marketing agents who have extensive knowledge on writing copy and creating emails that convert to sales. This is another thing that your Social Media Manager may be able to do, if they have the experience. Be sure to include this in your discovery call questions if it’s something you’re interested in.