No, you don’t need a social media manager! Truth is, if you want to enjoy social media success, you will need a team to help you exceed your goals. Here’s why.
The Need For Social Media
Social media platforms are increasingly important to marketing and advertising in today’s digital age. So much so, that social media marketing is an advertising undertaking all on its own. Add to that the increased reliance on a digital presence to tell the story of your business, brand, or project. Unsurprisingly, many businesses are consequently hoping to successfully enter and leverage the benefits of the digital and social media spaces.
Admittedly, while many professionals and organisations may want to make the most of social media platforms, many of them may not realise what it takes to do just that. Below we help hiring organisations and other parties take a closer look at just what is needed.
The Many Moving Parts of Social Media Management
In the minds of some hiring staff in organisations, social media managers are needed to meet the need for social media management, and these single individuals are expected to do everything. For starters, they are expected to conceptualise creative ideas and strategies, plus guarantee a return on the said investment strategies. Secondly, they are expected to create the content and strategically publish the same. Thirdly, they are required to manage client or customer feedback and more for several platforms. Lastly, social media managers are expected to do all the above daily (sometimes more than once) across an average of three social media platforms.
If you’ve read the above and you are thinking… ‘that’s a lot,’ you are correct. Social media management has many moving parts that one individual may struggle to smoothly navigate in any consistent way. That is, a single individual is likely to be inefficient in consistently achieving targetted key performance indices (KPIs) and helping clients or customers exceed their goals. This is true even for short campaigns. Thankfully, there is a solution.
Here’s Why You Need to Build A Team for Social Media Success
Yes, a social media manager or coordinator is needed for successful social media management. However, he or she is only one piece of the puzzle. It is important that any social media manager or coordinator has the proper personnel support to help get the job done. In other words, the manager needs to be assisted by a management team. Within the framework of that team, the social media manager functions much like a project manager and administrator. Team members should include the following:
- Creative Director
- Graphic Artist
- Audiovisual Creator
- Copywriter / Copyeditor
- Administrative Assistant
Let’s take a closer look at the above in light of the important features within the process.
The Process in Two Easy Steps
Step 1: Conceptualisation and Strategy
Conceptualisation is the step where content direction, as well as creation, happens. Naturally, every social media platform has its own personality and algorithm. Consequently, the content storyboarding that is being done for each platform must be done with this in mind. That is, the content storyboard for each platform must be unique in its design and is often drafted by the team’s creative director. This is because even the same content being used will be repurposed to tell the story differently – or in a platform-friendly way.
Under the guidance of your team’s creative director, the graphic artist, video creator/editor, and copywriter/copyeditor will all work collaboratively to bring the creative vision to life through created and curated content. Of course, content is not created in a vacuum. The same is created with a strategy in mind. As such, after the content is created, it is this strategy that would be used to effectively publish the created content.
Step 2: Execution
Once content conceptualisation and strategy are completed, it is time to execute. Execution (i.e. publishing content) is done through the team’s administrator. The administrator will be responsible for posting or publishing content in a platform-friendly way to the various platforms at the time and with the frequency for the best returns on investment (ROIs).
The team’s administrator will also manage the content after publication. That is, they will respond to comments, and messages while policing the platforms for anything brand-related. Reporting on the performance of the published content is also a critical role of the administrator. It is these reports that will help to validate the kinds of content that perform best (and on which platforms) and serve as information the team’s creative director can use to guide future content creation and strategy.
On a Final Note
The Two-fold Principle at the Heart of Effective Digital Media Strategy
Technological tools, platforms, and algorithms are always evolving. Consequently, the modalities used to create and publish content will change. Yet, two things remain constant. They are:
- You must first grow your audience
- Effectively engaging them (so they too can engage others)
- Finally, you must convert your audience from mere users to paying clients or customers
As we become more creative in our content creation and publication, we are doing so intending to first expand reach and engagement, and then leverage the same for customer conversion.
Pro-Tip: Build from the Inside Out
Starting with your creative director and a graphic designer, you can start building out your internal social media dream team. Your creative director will help you stay on brand and help draft copy until you have a copywriter or copy editor. Your graphic artist can help with posting to and managing your presence on the social media platform until you have a dedicated administrator or manager.
You can learn more about navigating the modern tech space without feeling overwhelmed by connecting with us via Tech It Like A Girl.