Social Media Marketing | Management
What exactly is a Social Media Manager?
A Social Media Manager is the strategist, storyteller, and analyst behind a brand’s online presence. They’re the ones making sure a company doesn’t just post on social media, but actually connects with people in a meaningful, consistent, and strategic way.
How Does a Social Media Manager Help You Succeed?
Strategy, Brand, Brand Recognition, Lifestyle, Loyalty, Company Value, Metrics of Success, Strategy Implantation, Posting and Scheduling, Engaging With Prospects, and Community
Strategy
One of the most important steps in the process of determining the Social Media Strategy, is to meet with you, the business owner or Marketing Director. The intention is never to hijack your brand, but to truly understand your brand, through your eyes vs. how your potential customers view your brand. The next step is to bridge that gap. We find that most companies are reasonably good at showing the features of some of their products. But this is only part of the equation for truly successful brands. Consider the vehicle you drive. Was there a less expensive option with power windows and an automatic transmission? Of course there was. What other factors did you consider? Resale, perceived quality or perceived status? Maybe a general feeling that if something went wrong, you had faith, the company would make it right.
Lifestyle
Great brands sell lifestyle and something bigger than just the product. I can buy a drink cooler at my local big box store that will work great! Why do I purchase one that costs four times as much and might be only marginally better? People choose brands that reflect their values, aspirations, or lifestyle. The reality for consumers, is that their choices define who they are as a person. Right or wrong, this is the reality. Many companies market a good, better, best approach to garner the entire consumer marketplace in their vertical. Some folks are thrifty and some folks want the best. In either case the consumer’s identity lies in their product decision. Where is the best margin within your industry? Have you considered your strategy or serving thrifty consumers or those who want the best. Our experience shows us that stagnant companies try to stratal the consumer marketplace.
A Focus on Quality
We hold our work to high standards. We focus on sustainable results built on smart strategy and real insight.
Brand
A Social Media Manager works, with their client, to intentionally plan how the brand will show up online. We establish Brand Guidelines to be used across the organization saving you and your employees time effort and energy. This builds consistency in your message, tangible tasks and the intangible. Brand Guidelines can be the fulcrum point for employees to finally see the vision of the owner(s). A brand is considerably more than a logo or a catchy name. Your brand is your identity, reputation, and emotional connection that will set your business apart. This sounds fluffy, we know. But when you strip it down, a strong brand becomes one of the most valuable assets any organization can build.
Company Value
A well-established brand boosts your company’s perceived value. It can attract investors, justify premium pricing, and even make the business more appealing for partnerships or acquisition. How much is a Social Media Manager really worth to your business?
Engaging with your Prospects
Responding to comments and messages on social media platforms can be a full-time job. For small businesses, a Social Media Manager may be all you need to handle questions or a request for services. In a higher volume environment, the SMM can implement a language bot that brings people to the doorstep of your sales team. This provides your team with real-time qualified leads. IMPORTANT: How much money are you spending on lead services? Are they exclusive leads? What if a shift in your lead funds could generate your very own exclusive lead process? What if your business was using the exact same process as that lead company? Might you own your marketplace? What would you do with all of the bids you can’t handle?
Metrics Of Success
Defining goals and KPIs as it relates to brand awareness, engagement, and sales conversions takes this digital Marketing world from feeling squishy, to living in the reality of weekly metrics. A Social Media Manager should be reporting to your organization frequently on what is working and what needs to be adjusted. We find that many business owners don’t take the leap into this world, because they say it is hard to measure success. Or they have tried to work with an editor in the past, that was only focused on their role. Siloed contributors, that are myopically focused on placing an ad or posting a reel on Instagram, without the bigger picture of the companies bottom-line is a bad recipe. There are only so many dollars to generate New Business and we get it, sometimes it’s safer to go with what you know will get you something on the board.
Community
Many local businesses give back to their communities. And so many business owners are not looking for anything in return. But, sometimes it’s not a bad thing to bring the community together. Do you have a particular charity or cause that is close to your heart? Once a Social Media Presence is established, incredible good can easily be distributed in your community. A simple toy drive or raising money for your favorite cause becomes an opportunity to build brand for your business, while helping people in need. It doesn’t matter which one is more important to you. What matters is everyone involved wins. A Social Media Manager can handle the details of getting the message out while you focus on delivering a great product or service.
Brand Recognition
Consumers will always lean toward a brand they recognize. If you started making shoes tomorrow and they were the best shoes on the market, would you outsell NIKE? No, because they focus on Brand. They tell the story of who wears their shoes and the lifestyle they live. This will always sell more shoes than describing the features and benefits of a shoe. A clear, consistent brand across all platforms and apps, makes it easier for customers to spot you in a crowded market and remember you later. Think of a brand as your face and what people can see from the outside. We all judge a book by its cover, unfortunately. If a person appears as though they are put together and doing well, we might trust them to watch our computer bag for a few moments, while we head to the restroom at the airport or coffee shop.
Why Should They Believe You?
A clean and polished, consistent brand signals professionalism. When customers see that you’ve invested in your identity, they’re more likely to believe you’ll invest in delivering quality too. Trust is the currency of modern business, and branding is how you earn it. If a restaurant can’t get their bathroom right, what is the assumption about a complex and busy kitchen operation?
Strategy Implementation
A Social Media Manager chooses which platforms to focus on, dependent upon the brand guidelines and where your potential customers are waiting for you to arrive. Every platform from YouTube to TikTok has its specific content preferences to be successful. The old days of posting the same reel that worked on Instagram to TikTok are over, unfortunately. It can be a daunting task trying to keep up with these daily changes across platforms. A Social Media Manager should be an expert at the approach and knowing which customer segment lives on particular platform(s). Working directly with photographers, designers, editors and videographers can be a real challenge for business owners or executives. Anytime creativity meets a rigid system or process there can be fireworks. A Social Media Manager can be just what the doctor ordered. They are experts in taking the creative process and funneling it into a focused strategy. We have learned from experience that photos, video and written content is worthless, if there isn’t a tight strategy on how to use it. This is the number one reason many small businesses have walked away. They dabbled in the social media world with little measurable result. How can so many businesses and individuals swear by the success of Social Media Marketing and at the same time others dismiss it and remain stagnant.
Loyalty
A brand creates repeat customers, and repeat customers become fans. When people feel aligned with a brand, they talk about it, recommend it, and they will even defend it.
Posting and Scheduling
Never again have the panic of being unprepared. Your Social Media Manager will have the calendar planned out for you. Video, photos and written content will be ready in advanced. Your posts will be scheduled for the optimal time and date for maximum impact. Some reels may be focused on pushing product during the Christmas Season, while others will be focused on building your brand. If dad wants a new power tool, other than price, why should he choose yours? And of course, because each platform can be particular in its algorithm and content preferences, your Social Media Manager will cater the content, while maintaining the brand guidelines.
In Short
A Social Media Manager is the voice, strategist, and data analyst behind a brand’s online identity. They blend creativity with analytics to grow communities, strengthen brand loyalty, and drive business results. If you’re thinking about becoming one—or hiring one—I can help you explore skills, salaries, or even build a job description.