You already know just how crucial social media is to not only the success of your business, but also to your relationship with your customers.
But if you're not taking the time to update, analyze, and tweak your social media platforms every day, you're missing out on enormous branding opportunities and new markets. Chances are that unless you give social media the attention it deserves, you'll end up losing those untapped markets to your competition.
Read on to learn why hiring a social media manager is no longer an option, but a requirement, for your brand — no matter your industry or target market.
1. You'll Build Brand Recognition
No matter which phase of business you're currently in, hiring a social media manager is guaranteed to do wonders for building your brand recognition. When someone searches for your business online, they expect to find much more than just your company's website or a listing on a review site.
Social media management is what makes that happen.
Today, consumers want to get to know your brand. The more places customers have a chance to interact with your company online, the more they'll grow to recognize your logo, your products, and even the way you communicate online.
A social media manager works to use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more to build your brand and to promote your company on as many different platforms as possible. This leads to a sense of trust and transparency between you and your customers — and consumers want to buy from companies they can trust.
That recognition is crucial towards continually propelling you forward as a brand. It also ensures that, when customers are in need of the product/service you offer, they'll know to go straight to you to get it.
2. You'll Expand Your Market
Of course, engaging potential customers and building a strong social media presence is only half the battle. You also need to continually expand your business by accessing untapped markets.
A social media expert has the ability to seek out, interact with, and win over these untapped markets — and they can help you to do all of that before your competition even knows these markets exist. To get these new customers, an expert will focus on targeted insights, advertising and promotions to new markets.
They can do this by creating events on social media, updating your pages, sending out messages, commenting on popular industry articles, and much more. These professionals create content that is shareable — the key to getting more eyes on your brand.
3. You'll Access Valuable Data
Social media provides you with incredibly valuable information — not to mention hard data — about how your customers behave online. However, you can't make the most of that data if you don't have the time or the expertise to analyze it.
By examining your social media accounts, you'll be able to tell where your target market spends their time online. Do you get the most responses on Snapchat? Facebook? Whichever platform is your most successful, you know to devote more time to it.
This is where the importance of data comes into play. A strong social media manager will use platform insights to confirm and analyze the interests of your target market.
Then, your social media manager will tag posts, promotions, and more to ensure that the correct data is reported into both Google Analytics and the individual Social Media platform analytics.
This data will show how you can determine the success of a marketing campaign, or direct/rewrite blog posts that lead new prospects back to your site.
4. You'll Get Consistent Postings
If you're frustrated with your seeming inability to gain followers and increase your clout online, a lack of consistent updates and poor social media management are likely to blame. A professional social media manager can update your social media platforms several times per day. They can post statuses and tweets, respond to user comments, and get involved in important conversations in your industry. Plus, they can do all of this across multiple platforms — not exclusively Facebook or Twitter.
That kind of consistency and constant contact just isn't possible if you've delegated your social media to your office's interns or employees, all of whom are busy with numerous other tasks.
Social media should not be an afterthought.
Instead, hire someone whose sole job it is to manage your social media accounts. That way, you'll ensure that no comments go unanswered, and that your target market always knows the latest news from your brand. This matters, because…
5. Social Media Is A Part Of Customer Service
Recent statistics show that 70% of consumers use social media platforms to contact brands for customer service questions and concerns.
You wouldn't leave a client's telephone call unanswered, nor would you skip out on a meeting with them. So why leave a complaint unaddressed or a question unanswered on social media? No matter how you feel about it, the reality is that today, people see your brand's social media profiles as an efficient and easy place to follow up on lost orders — or even to thank you for exceptional service.
A social media manager ensures that those customers who choose to reach you through your social media platforms aren't overlooked.
Don't let a political divide or difference of opinion come between you and your customers, but don't miss out on voicing your support or opinion on important conversations simply because you were afraid of saying the wrong thing. Hire a social media manager to help you strike the perfect balance.
6. Social Media Management = Reputation Management
We've all said things we wish we hadn't. But when you're a business, an ill-timed or potentially offensive tweet can mean the end of your business.
If you consider yourself to be out-of-touch with the latest cultural conversations, hiring a social media manager to vet your posts before you hit send is essential. A savvy manager can help you to craft messages that are appropriate, empathetic, and inoffensive no matter your demographic.
Ready To Hire An Expert Social Media Manager?
Your brand's social media accounts are simply too important to leave in the hands of an inexperienced social media manager. Your company's online reputation — alongside your relationship with your customers — is at stake.
Whether you're currently ready to hire a social media manager, or if you'd simply like to learn more about why social media is such an integral part of your overall branding strategy, spend some time on our website and blog.
When you're ready to elevate not just your social media accounts, but every aspect of your digital marketing plan, book a consultation with Seeger Consulting to learn more about how to make it happen.