I often get inquiries from solopreneurs asking if I could “do” their social media for them. Most of the time, my answer is no. The purpose of social media marketing is to put a face on your business, and that means interacting with your clients and prospects to show them how you can help them. Can someone else do that for your business as well as you can?
Maybe.
Here’s a few questions you might consider before your hire someone to be your online voice:
1. Is your social media manager really familiar with what you do and what you’re all about? Your ideal manager might be an employee or a contractor who already knows a lot about you and your business.
- 2. If you hire someone you don’t already know, will that person take the time to learn about you and your business so he/she can develop an authentic voice for you? Or will they just pepper your profiles with a lot of canned posts?
3. Do you intend to have some ongoing input on the content they post? Or will you just turn them loose?
4. Lastly, how will you measure their effectiveness? Will you be tracking website traffic, interaction on social media, new clients? Decide on your criteria for success before you start your campaign. At that time, also establish your benchmarks so you can track your progress.
In an ideal situation, I believe business owners should take the time to interact with customers and prospects through social media. However, if that’s just not feasible for you and your business, consider hiring a social media manager. But don’t just “turn them loose.” Set up guidelines and criteria for your campaign so you know if your investment is paying off in increased visibility, brand awareness, and new customers.
