You’ve heard the hype around hiring a social media manager. Exhausted from running the day to day of your business and managing clients, overwhelmed by trying to post consistently one platform (let alone multiple!), having another person handle all of the content sounds ah-mazing.
I don’t want to rain on your parade, but I am going to need you to pump the breaks briefly. Before starting to look for a social media manager, you need to have certain things established. This not only helps you get clear on what you need out of the role, but ensures that your social media manager can actually be successful.
First Things First: Know Your Business Plan & Strategy
A social media manager helps take your business plan, strategy and goals and turn that into a marketing strategy that translates to Instagram. You need to know what your Unique Value Proposition is (if you don’t know what I mean by this, check out the definition here!), who your target audience is, and why your product or service helps them. You have to bring a clear goal(s) for your business to the table. Your social media manager is not also your business coach, sales strategist, and financial advisor – we need you to come to the table prepared to give us the information we need to do our jobs.
Straight from my onboarding packet, here’s a breakdown of questions you should know the answer to before onboarding:
- Why did you start your business?
- What do you offer, and who does it help?
- Why would someone choose your product/service over a similar option?
- Where do you see your business going in five years?
(pssst: Curious about what the onboarding process looks like? Check out this post to read all the details!)
#2: Branding Before All Else, Baby!
Number 2 on my list is so important. Here’s why:
While I offer basic graphic design to clients, I am not a professional brand designer. I can’t create a brand’s visual identity, but I can take the information my clients give me and turn it into social media templates.
Do you need to work with a professional brand strategist in order to hire a social media manager? Hot take: Yes. Before outsourcing a task in your business, you need all the foundations in place to make that hand-off successful. If you haven’t undergone professional brand strategy, and are just haphazardly guessing at hex codes and fonts without reasoning behind them, you’re not going to be able to provide actionable feedback to your social media manager on their designs. When you enter the working relationship with a thought-out, intentional brand strategy, your social media manager’s job becomes easier and your social strategy can actually work the way it is intended to.
#3: Photos + Videos
Social media managers are not also your photographer/videographer. Unless you are also paying them for brand/product shoots, you as the client need to provide your social media manager with visual content to use in posts. This includes photos of you (posed and in action), your service/product, and videos of the same. Without a well-stocked, frequently-updated folder of visual content, you won’t get the results you’re hoping for from your social media.
But don’t worry! When you work with me, I will tell you exactly what content I need from you so you don’t have to guess.
#4: Content Library: Going Beyond the Visuals
In addition to visual content, you need to provide your social media manager with content for them to learn about you, your brand, and your offer. Allie Mason (an amazing Instagram strategist) breaks down in this post how to create this content library. From podcast episodes, to blog posts, to interviews – give your social media manager an organized list of content that will help them learn about you.
Does this have to be hundreds of pages long? No. But any information you can provide, that gives insight into what you do, how you help and you as a business owner and person, allows you to truly get the task of social off your plate. Make it easy for your SMM to embody you!
#5: Patience
I saved the most intangible item for last. All of the other items on this list are things you can check off. But what you truly need, more than anything?
Patience.
You need to give your social media manager time to understand your brand and how you speak. Especially if your strategy has been lacking thus far, or you haven’t been posting much at all, you need to allow time for the shift to take effect. Is this easy to do? Definitely not, especially when you are making a significant investment. But social media is not a game of overnight success, and expecting it to be only leads to disappointment for both parties.
Ready to hire a Social Media Manager?
Checked off all six? Feeling excited about the thought of getting social media management off your plate? Book a call to chat about how my services can take you from overwhelmed and stress-free. And if you want to check out my pricing before we chat, click here. I work with businesses in the interior design, home decor, and vacation rental/boutique hotel industries, as well as online service providers, and I would love to get the chance to support you!
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