The younger employees in your business are more than likely the best ones to manage your company social media accounts… right?
We’re here to tell you that this is a definite misconception!
Just because a younger person may happen to be more active on social media in their personal capacity, does not mean that they are the ideal candidate to manage a professional social media presence!
Virtually anyone can be successful at social media marketing. Success is not based on age, experience or even qualifications, but is rather based on having the right attitude and a key skills.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key attributes of successful social media marketers. If you’re looking to seriously incorporate social media marketing into your overall online strategy – use this article as a checklist to help you identify the best person for the role.
The ideal candidate may be found within your organisation, but if not – remember that there are always professional marketing companies that you can outsource this function to.
The 7 Skills and 7 Talents of great social media marketers
Skills
Writing – good grammar and correct spelling are absolutely non-negotiable, and the best social media marketers agree that the abbreviated text so often used by the younger generation, is an absolute no-no. Conversational style language and the ability to capture concepts and compelling messages within a limited number of words is key.
Design ability – with the rise in the use of graphics and images within all forms of social media marketing, proficient social media marketers have at the very least, a basic ability to do photo editing, while the best ones have some actual graphic design knowledge. A good eye that is able to hone in on graphics that look professional and promote the brand (even if he or she is working with a graphic designer), is a definite must.
Technical ability – a good standard of computer literacy and a high level of ability in working on the internet is a basic requirement of anyone managing social media marketing, however with the fast pace of technological development, the individual must also be able to keep up with emerging trends and new technologies.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)– social media marketing is as much about developing an online community and raising engagement with customers and prospects, as it is necessary for boosting the page ranking of your website in search engine results. Great social media marketers therefore adopt SEO best practices and recognise the importance of incorporating relevant keywords, quality content and suitable hashtags into their posts.
Planning and time management – successful social media marketing is always based on a solid strategy and the implementation of a realistic plan for posting valuable content. But managing time well goes beyond this. Effective social media marketers maximise their time online to scan and review emerging trends, competitor activities and customer behaviour and they’re flexible enough to swiftly change strategic direction if needed. They maintain an updated editorial calendar and continually seek out ways of doing things more effectively and efficiently, by using management tools such as Hootsuite, Sproutsocial or Sendible.
Responsiveness – when customers or prospects leave a query, complaint, comment or compliment on any one of your social media pages, it is imperative to respond as soon as possible. There is nothing worse than waiting for hours for a response, which is why great social media marketers are able to make decisions quickly, respond accurately and resolve issues in the shortest possible time.
Analytical ability – the expectations of audiences are constantly changing, as is the technology that they use. The precise location of the goal posts in social media marketing, therefore shift on a regular basis. Outstanding social media marketers are not only able analyse and understand what is important to their audience, but they’re able to use statistical reporting and interpret insights constructively to ensure that current expectations are met, while effectively aligning with the social media marketing goals that have been set.
Talents
Communication – the ability to have a meaningful, productive conversation with another person is central to success in social media. The world’s best social media marketers are able to communicate easily and naturally with others, and can make themselves understood in writing, in a concise, yet compelling manner.
Social savvy – most organisations need to be able to appeal to various generations concurrently. Gifted social media marketers understand that in many cases, a 75 year old pensioner will interpret a specific message differently to that of a 15 year old scholar. Because they understand this, they’re able to pinpoint what makes different people tick and speak to their audience members in such a way, that their message is correctly understood by their audience.
Empathy – one hurdle lies in the fact that social media lacks the face-to-face communication that is so important in effective communication. Intention is often lost in the written word and so insight, empathy and the ability to see things from someone else’s perspective, are what successful social media marketers naturally use, to respond to queries accurately. Always remember this: a cut and paste answer is NEVER the answer!
Customer service oriented – social media marketing should ideally be focused on enhancing the level of service that you deliver to your customers. Social media marketing winners who achieve 5 star customer service are naturally caring and are able to deliver useful content, answer queries personally and timeously, and sort out problems to the satisfaction of clients in a pro-active manner.
Humour – a good joke goes a long way to showing the world that there is indeed a human face behind the brand! When you make someone smile, you draw them in – and good social media marketers know this. They’re able to share a tasteful funny that is neither too smarmy nor too crass – and they make sure that something a little light-hearted is included in their social media communications often.
Recognising signals – as an important aspect of the buying journey, social media is often highly influential in assisting prospects to make a buying decision. Effective social media marketers are naturally perceptive and they have the ability to quickly recognise buying signals from individuals and pro-actively capitalise on these by working side-by-side with the sales team to nurture leads forward.
Marketing savvy – social media marketers know what differentiates their organisation from their competitors, and they weave their unique selling points into every communication. They understand marketing strategy, are able to see the big picture and yet they have the attention to detail that is necessary to make sure that every word posted on every social media platform, promotes the brand and corporate personality.
A question of time…
We know how much time it takes to check, post, tweet, share, pin and respond to queries on social media. The issue of time is the reason why many smaller companies tend to place social media marketing on the back burner. But did you know that every company, regardless of its size, can positively influence their bottom line, if they simply invest in the time it takes to get the social media marketing ball rolling and keep it going?
Savvy companies who are seriously committed to achieving success, either make provision for social media management within their own ranks, or they elect to outsource the management of their social media accounts to the professionals.
If you feel that you don’t have the necessary skills within your organisation to efficiently or effectively manage your social media marketing, then we would recommend that you consider outsourcing this valuable marketing function to a trusted and experienced pro such as The Formula.
In addition to assisting you to develop your social media marketing strategy, we are able to set-up your social media pages for you, as well as manage the posting of daily and weekly content to the different platforms that are applicable to your business.
Ring us on 021 556 5661 or email us: engage@theformula.co.za to set up your FREE consultation. We look forward to helping you and your business flourish!
