Most entrepreneurs take up the role of social media manager out of necessity. If you’ve been handling your social media pages until this point, you’ve probably wondered if it’s time to bring in an expert. Making the switch from managing it yourself to hiring a third-party social media manager can be a big decision, but the benefits outweigh the risks.
Social media marketing is crucial to your small business’’s overall marketing funnel.
Keeping that in mind, here are seven signs it’s time to hire a social media marketing manager.
1. You Depend on Social Media for Sales
If you generate a sizable chunk of revenue through your social media presence, then you owe it to yourself to hire an expert to maximize the results even further.
Every platform – from Facebook to Twitter – has a very specific algorithm that you have to understand to get the most eyeballs on your page. As an entrepreneur, you know the value of your time. You can spend your time learning how to adapt to these algorithms (which are always in a state of flux) or you can hire someone who does this for a living.
2. You Are Ready to Invest More in Advertising
If you’re not investing in social media advertising, you are missing out. You can bet that your competitors are aggressively targeting ads on social media platforms to bring in a new generation of customers.
These ads should be optimized appropriately, with the right choice of visuals and copy. Otherwise, you could be wasting your time and money. There is a clear difference between organic posts and advertisements on social media.
Social media managers know how to address these differences, whereas entrepreneurs may struggle.
3. You Are Overwhelmed by the Sheer Number of Social Media Platforms
Ever felt that there are too many social media platforms out there?
While Facebook and Instagram remain dominant platforms, YouTube continues to remain the dominant platform for video content. And are you using Pinterest in your marketing strategy?
Every platform represents an opportunity for sales and growth – and if you’re looking to utilize each platform, you would do well to have a unique strategy for each platform.
4. You Don’t Have All the Right Tools to Measure Progress
You’ll need access to the right social media tools to help you measure your campaign’s performance. These tools are a dime a dozen. There’s hashtagify (a free tool) to help you determine which hashtags to use for each niche, and there’s Buffer to help you schedule posts on different platforms. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, below is just a short list of some great tools (that may or may not be useful to you):
The list goes on and on…
What tool should you invest your time and money in? If the answer confuses you, then it’s time to call in an expert on board.
5. You Don’t Have Time to Write Posts
While you don’t have to write Pulitzer-award-winning social media posts, it’s imperative to understand how to write a compelling copy. This can be challenging because you have to be aware of several factors, from understanding the audience’s pain points to knowing which hashtags to use. Your posts need to be easy to understand and use a voice that remains consistent across all platforms.
Some of the content can be rehashed on different platforms, but it requires rewriting skills that can be time-consuming to develop.
If you don’t have the time to dedicate to content writing, you could do well with a social media marketing manager.
6. Your Engagement Rate is Low
As social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram evolve to reward authentic social media behaviour, activity and engagement remain vital for your page.
Suppose you’re great at writing, have access to all the right tools, and a lot of free time to optimize each post. However, your posts don’t generate enough interest. If this is the case, you’re probably not seeing the results you need to generate sales.
If that’s you right now, it may be time to hand over the reins to a social media manager. They’ll use their experience and proven strategies to bring up engagement levels and give you the results you’re looking for.
7. You’re Working Over 40 Hours a Week
Entrepreneurs never seem to have enough time in the day even to breathe – let alone learn a new trade (social media marketing). For most overwhelmed and overworked founders, social media marketing is like the straw that broke the camel’s back. They hang up their gloves and close up shop.
But that’s just not the right attitude to have. You can take some of the pressure off by hiring a social media manager to manage your sales funnel. This will free up some time for you and your employees to focus on the core areas of your business that need your attention.
If you can identify with one or more of the above signs, then it’s high time you hired a social media manager. These professionals will bring your marketing efforts to the next level and take the burden off of your shoulders.
It may take some time to interview and find the right social media marketer for you, but it will be worth it in the end. Contact us to determine if we are a good fit.