How to Best Work with a Social Media Manager
Maximize Your Time
How can you maximize your time so I can do my best work and get you the best return on your social media investment? Here are some ideas for you.
Know Your Audience
Know Your Audience
Is your audience young? Do they like sports? Are they in the manufacturing sector? Having a very narrow idea of who your audience is will speed up my work. And please don’t tell me that everyone is your audience! Unless you sell air or water, and even then, what kind of air or water do you sell? And here’s Rebranding for Startups, in case you missed it!
Speak to Your Audience
So if you have a forty-something mom who likes to drink too much coffee, I can taylor posts so that we’re talking to her. And the more specific you can be about who that person is, the better the social engagement will be. I can write blog posts or headlines for social posts. Chris Lema suggests that you understand not just who your audience is, but what their journey is.
Tell Me Your Audience’s Journey
Not everyone will buy from you when they first meet you. Some people will leave, come back, drive you crazy with questions, and so on. Bigger purchases usually require more questions, more visits to your website or social media, and more touch points.
Photo by garryknight 
Engage, Engage, Engage
It’s never simply about posting and going, or scheduling. Getting onto your social accounts every day is important. And guess what? You’re running your company! So while you’re busy running your company, I can be busy running your accounts for you. By the way, here’s an entire series I wrote on engagement. Take a look!
Scheduling
I can schedule ahead of time for you, and if you have your own scheduler, I can use it so you can see what’s coming down the pipeline. Would you like that? Some business owners don’t want anything to do with their social, just a monthly report.
What Does Your Business Stand for?
You may have hobbies or charities that work with your business. For instance, my friend Beth Staub’s business, Adventure Auto Glass, donates to animal organizations when you do business with them. Or you may be a manufacturer who believes that Made in the USA is the way to go.
What Do You Look For?
What traits do you look for in a social media manager? Leave me a comment and thank you!
Thanks for sharing your insights into the work of a social media manager. It sounds exhausting!
I think I’ll stick to writing articles and white papers.
As you say, everything starts with knowing your audience. Not just who they are but what their desires and fears are, what words and phrases the use, even what kind of coffee they drink.
Hi Clement,
It amazes me that people don’t know their audiences better. Even having conversations one-on-one with people, I often think “why are you telling me this?”
Yes, being a social media manager can be exhausting. But writing full time can also be tiring–maybe in a different way.
Thank you for stopping by. I always appreciate your thoughts.
Carol
Hi Carol,
With this post, you reminded me how I’ve avoided “learning, knowing” who my audience is. (Peeking out from between my fingers). This will make me work on that again.
Your posts have always been so helpful to me. There’s always at least one tidbit that I learn from or inspires me. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom.
Thanks,
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
I’m happy to have helped! The idea of writing to just one person has helped me enormously. It was eye-opening, and has changed how I write.
Sincerely,
Carol