Social media isn't all about sharing funny memes, posting your political beliefs, and connecting with old friends. It can make or break a business.
An online social channel manager is one of the most important things you need in a business to keep clients, find potential customers, and help the business thrive.
Job Responsibilities
The job of a media leader online is to develop a company's strategy throughout all social channels.
They need to manage sites like Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and newer channels like Tik Tok. This person is the main voice of the company.
They not only develop and run the channels, but they also analyze the results of these channels.
All of the fun work leads to the results of campaigns. These leaders track engagement metrics on all sites.
They know what works, and they know what's a waste of time.
Big Time Skills
Many people spend their extra time scrolling their favorite social channels. The literacy of these channels isn't that high.
A monkey could sit there all day, scrolling, and reading. Knowing and loving these channels, however, won't go far as an actual leader of them for a company.
This person must know how each works, the demographics they reach, and what times are best to post on each.
It's also very important to be able to write at a high level and be able to communicate with thousands of different people.
Going Beyond The Title
This social channel leader does a lot more than post and analyzes statistics. They're the ones behind the catchy posts on Twitter.
They're the ones that know the latest Tik Tok dance. They understand the importance of connecting with other businesses on LinkedIn.
The voice on all channels must remain consistent.
Though one social channel platform may be a bit more serious than another, they know which posts work better on each channel.
For instance, they know that Instagram is more about catchy photos than long posts.
The feel of the community needs to be strong throughout each channel.
The online social leader ensures each person feels as if they're the only customer, the most special customer to the brand. They need to stay on top of new trends and new social sites.
There's never a dull moment managing different accounts with the same voice in mind.
Writing Is A Craft
Writing is an art. Not everyone can write social content. It's not about writing the new American novel.
It's not about only writing a few words. There's a magical place in between these areas.
Posts can be challenging as they need to be light, yet hit straight to the point. They need to be different yet consistent.
They need to steer clear of opinions. The last thing you need is someone fighting on your post comments.
Marketing Strategy
The old days of advertising via billboards, magazines, and in the newspaper aren't effective for some businesses anymore. The traditional ways of advertising shift as demographics change.
As the older generation establishes an online presence, they better know how to navigate online.
The younger generation already uses social media for almost everything they do. Connecting with these target audiences is less expensive online than traditional advertising ways.
Of course, there are sponsorships and boosts on different platforms that cost money. Online presence doesn't mean advertising is totally free.
You sometimes need to spend money to make money.
Boosting on social platforms is just fine. Your numbers will show you where you need to boost yourself online and on which platform.
You can still advertise the traditional ways while maintaining a positive online presence as well. There's always a healthy balance.
Consistency Is Key
Most people hate when they search for a company online only to find a limited presence.
When a page hasn't been updated in months, even years, potential clients may turn away looking for those that are more on top of their game.
A leader of your social channels knows how to remain consistent on all sites.
They know what each audience on each site responds to the most.
They understand it's best to not post funny gifs on a more serious professional site.
They understand people on another site like Instagram don't need to see graphs and metrics.
There's a place for each type of marketing while remaining consistent with the message.
You also drive traffic to your actual business website by staying updated on these sites.
Sharing blog posts, sharing exclusive offers for your company, and/or other links will lead potential clients back to your business site.
Sometimes these sites are used more than your actual business website.
Online Response
It's hard for many businesses to keep track of customers asking questions, commenting, and needing help through social channels.
Besides the online presence, there are also voicemails and emails to go through each day.
A manager of your online presence is in charge of answering these people. Sometimes it even takes a thick skin to deal with the tough people.
They know how to handle every question and every attitude.
They know first and foremost to always remain positive. It's important to make customers feel like they're number one. Leaving them waiting for answers will leave you looking for more customers.
One of the most important parts of your presence as a company online is that it's also your customer management took.
People want customer service online. They think places like Facebook are a place they should find customer service.
You must provide this to stay on top in the business world online. Interacting with customers online makes them feel more of a personal connection. They feel like they're friends instead of just clients.
Social channel managers should have a personality where they can bend and flex, yet remain professional with clients.
Low Engagement On Pages
Results make money. If you've been in charge of social channels and think you've got it going on, but aren't getting results, you're losing money.
Social channel marketing is all about results. A person that manages these sites knows how to get these results.
If your engagement falls below ten percent, you're doing something wrong—strategy and analytics work.
A person in charge will know how to measure all of these things, when to post, and when to reel in potential new business. It's all about getting those results.
Go 24/7
A business owner is usually knee-deep in "business" all day, every day. A social channel leader does the same thing with an online presence.
They have to stay on top of changing trends at all times. They need to know what is going on with each site at all times.
If a negative post hits, they need to answer it quickly. Letting things fall through the cracks means losing money for the business.
They need to stay on top of changing metrics at all times.
They have to change campaigns and structures online depending on these metrics. One great thing is that things are never the same. This is also a scary thing for some business owners. They have to put their trust into someone else to run their brand.
Boost Brand Engagement
Branding online is best. Once you've got your brand down, your numbers should rise.
A leader of your social channels online knows how to bring ideas to the table that are fresh and fun.
They know how to boost your brand. They know how to pump that brand on each different platform.
This means by promoting what your company is all about, sharing testimonials, and representing your company, you're making people feel comfortable with your brand. This means they spend more money.
Engagement of your brand is essential to the growth of any company.
They need to understand exactly what you do as a business. They need to know why they should do business with you and not your competitor.
Your brand experience is the face of your business. A leader of your social channels will ensure this face is the best it can be.
Time Means Money
Most business owners spread themselves too thin. Whether a business is big or small, there never seems to be enough time to do it all.
The last thing most business owners want to do at the end of a busy day is to update all social channels online. Analyzing the results of these sites is just another thing on the "to do" list.
Most days start with a social channel leader researching all of the metrics on each site.
They search for new trends in the industry. They need to then update each site. Some sites need to be updated a few times a day. Some sites require "stories" to interact with potential customers.
This takes preparation and effort to execute. It's easy to think as the online world as just a bunch of random social sites. Many business owners think it doesn't take much to update these sites. They couldn't be more wrong. Without these sites, their business goes down the drain.
That's just how it is in today's world of media and technology. Without a social channel leader doing their magic with their time, an online presence is lost.
Overall, hiring a social media manager helps most businesses grow and keep clientele.
It saves time, brings in people from all over with fresh ideas, and is a less expensive, more effective way to advertise.
Customer service and branding grows as your social channel leaders lead the way for your company's next generation of business.
