If you were to pick one role in an organization’s marketing department, one that needs to be agile, immersive, creative, and approachable, who would it be?
Look to your Social Media Manager. Not only do these tech-savvy individuals need to keep up with ever-changing platform algorithms and features, but their responsibilities also change as the world looks to social platforms to gather news, collect inspiration, and connect with friends and family members.
Let’s run through a day in the life of a Social Media Manager. To start, there is no 9-to-5. It’s an always-on role, one your brand depends on heavily to ensure consumers’ needs are met. On a given day, a Social Media Manager is helping fans find various products, drafting responses and memos, creating and posting content, engaging with core fans, crafting and implementing a social strategy, measuring and reporting on performance, etc. The list goes on.
Simply put, there is no typical day as a Social Media Manager.
That doesn’t really sound like a tack-it-on service for someone already loaded down with marketing projects and responsibilities, does it?
Sounds more like something you’d trust a full-time employee to handle. Because at the end of the day, this person has to be always-on in the current state of social.
So, to help you kick 2018 off on the right foot, here are our top-5 tips for social care.
1. Reach people where it’s convenient for them.
The beauty of social media is that brands are now reaching their customers where it is most convenient for them — in the palm of their hand (#mobile). Depending on your brand, pick platforms that make the most sense. If you’re in the #foodie space, you may want to consider Pinterest in your social strategy. If you’re in the retail space, perhaps you would want to prioritize Facebook or Instagram over other channels. At the end of the day, be strategic and know where your customers are in the digital sphere.
2. Listen.
Social has changed the game for brands, allowing them to receive instant feedback. Gone are the days of branded handwritten surveys. Now, brands can immediately discover how their product or service is being perceived through social listening. Set up searches for your brand name and products, both directly and indirectly mentioned. Establish keywords topics that you want your brand associated with, and even better, engage with these keywords. In turn, you could gain a new customer.
3. Timing is everything.
There is something inordinately calming about a swift reply and/or solve when a customer is angry on your social channels. Hiring a full-time Social Media Manager to respond to these inquiries is essential in our current digital state. With the rise of social, Twitter and Facebook have become customer service hubs, and by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with brands online.
4. Invest in the expert.
You wouldn’t want just anyone to manage your brand’s social channels. Do your research and make sure you hire a qualified candidate that knows the ins and outs of all things social.
5. Connect and create a community.
Lastly, Facebook announced this past year that brands would be able to create groups within their Page. This tactic is begging for Social Media Managers to further establish a community amongst their most loyal fans.
At the end of the day, your brand’s Social Media Manager is there to create a community.
Are you and your brand trying to build a house of cards or lay a firm foundation digitally?
The choice is yours, and the talent is out there.