Why do you go to a doctor when your kid is sick? Why did you hire a marketing/advertising professional for your business? Why are you asking why to hire a professional for social media? If you haven’t figured out why yet, then you’re not alone. Many businesses ask this question every single day.
Why hire a professional?
The answer is obvious: they are in the field full time. Social media professionals and experts are normally not just experts on social media; they come with a plethora of other talents and skills. Some come from the media industry, some from marketing/advertising/public relations, some come from advertising agencies. The thing is, there are very very few, if not any at all who can only do social media, and that is because social media is not just about Facebook and Twitter.
- They stay on top of industry trends.
- They know all the tricks and hacks of the trade, and where and how to use them.
- They understand how to read analytics, and what to do if you need to improve them.
- They are 100% dedicated to social media.
- They know and understand the importance of social media, and eat, breathe, dream it.
- And most importantly, they make your competition envy you. They fill in your weak spots, making your campaigns look flawless.
What do Social Media Professionals do?
Most of us spend half our day on social networks, and the other half occupied with other elements our clients require. Some write blogs, some handle other elements of marketing, some are photojournalists; but in every case, we offer different things to different clients. No two social media professionals are the same.
What to look for?
When hiring a social media professional, you have one main question: do you hire them full-time or part-time? That is entirely up to you. If you want to see them in office, that’s fine. If you think they are capable of working on their own, that’s fine. Full time versus part time is entirely up to the employer. Remember that social media marketing can be done from any corner of the world. Just make sure that the individual fits the position and time-frame you are offering; that is, don’t force someone into an office when they work most efficiently from their bed, or don’t let someone with little discipline work from home.
Hiring Tips:
You’re looking for someone multi-faceted, but that is approximately ninety percent of the social media world, so we’ll need to narrow that down.
- First and foremost, they must have the credentials to back up their claims. Make sure you do your research and take a look at their past work.
- You’re looking for someone passionate. Without that deep passion for social media, you won’t get the best out of them.
- All social media marketing professionals should have a great understanding of time and consistency; if they are late for more than two meetings, they are probably not the professional you’re looking for.
- Customer service, patience and manners (yes, manners) are a must. Remember they will be representing your brand/company. If someone gets rowdy on your page, they need to be able to quell the storm without being rude.
- Brand loyalty is important. They need to be passionate about your brand too.
- Creativity, innovation, consistency, and the ability to be on the ball 24/7 are requirements.
- If you know that you’ll be running heavy campaigns, get someone with a project management background, or send them for basic training; it will come in handy.
- If you know that you’ll need a blog, look for someone with writing experience. If they have some journalist or professional writing experience, it really would be beneficial.
- Marketing experience is always great because they have to have a clear understanding of brand consistency.
Every business has different requirements. Once you determine where you want your social media to go, you can hire the right person. If you can’t determine that, you can have a professional (like me, *hint hint*) to do a social audit, which will tell you what you should be doing, where you’re going wrong and what you’re doing right.
