Management & Strategy are the keys to running the social media side of your company.
By now nearly every company that has a web presence has discovered the power of social media to reach current and prospective customers. The potential reach is far beyond what most even realize. However, I have found that many are making the mistake of not properly managing those social media accounts.
By mistake I mean social media marketing takes a great deal of time and effort, especially if you have several accounts. Some CEO’s decide that job should fall squarely on their Marketing Manager. While it is true the marketing manager should help develop a social media marketing strategy, they should not be implementing it as well.
Marketing managers have an important role to help promote your business’s products and or services and developing marketing strategies. Many are also the media spokesperson for the company. If you are putting too much work on one individual, what you get is an overworked and stressed out employee who will not be able to effectively perform all the tasks you have put on them.
The companies who are most effective in social media marketing are those that hire a social media manager or an outside social media management company. Both will work with the marketing manager to develop the best strategy for your target market and work together to reach those goals.
At the same time, the social media manger can help keep your company in a positive light by not just being social with your perspective customers via social media but also escalating any customer concerns or complaints to the correct person as needed. If those concerns are ignored, it will give the impression that your customers do not matter. Not only will your customer see those concerns, but potential customers as well. Is that the message you want to convey?
Likewise, the social media manager will help you increase your social media presence and therefore increase your potential customer base.
The key to social media is being social. You must interact with those interacting with you. Imagine being at a party trying to have a conversation with someone and the other person just stands there and doesn’t respond. It would be a bit unnerving to say the least. You would simply walk away. The same thing will happen with those you are trying to reach. Can you afford for that to happen?
If you have only one person doing the job of two, it will be nearly impossible to take your social media marketing efforts to the levels you want.
Consider finding a marketing manager either in house or hire an agency and help you and your company climb to new levels in social media.
Jim Palmer is the marketing director for BuyDirectUSA.com and The Buy American Movement, a marketing company. If you are interested in having a social media manager for your company, contact him here.ny
