Behind every great social media campaign, page or post is a team of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to bring it all together.
And if they haven’t, you probably won’t stumble across their work. The role of a social media team is to strategise, ideate and rollout content that speaks to your ideal customers through various social media platforms.
At a glance, people make the mistake of thinking they can manage their social media on their own. App developers have done their best to make their platforms user-friendly, which is why people may think it doesn’t take much effort. Upon further investigation, you’ll find it goes far deeper than what one person is capable of.
To help your business grow, let’s dive into how you can build the optimal social media team.
Before You Build the Team
Set aside time to research. Start everybody off on the right foot by putting a team together under one prepared and well-thought-out strategy. And that’s up to you and what you already know about your business.
Figure out your brand’s current needs and strategies. What do you already have in place? Where do you see yourself growing in the next 12 months? Because here’s the thing: social media isn’t a fad. It changes, yes, but it will forever be a constant for brands and individuals alike.
Once you recognise that, you won’t hesitate to put together a qualified crew of social media experts.
Set clear objectives for yourself, and know that these may change once you open the discussion with your team. Outline what results you want to see. For example,
“We will use (social platform) for (value/purpose of this social platform) to help (business goal).”
Your self-set objectives give your team direction and a common goal.
And because they’re working tirelessly towards this common goal, you need to know your budget. Now is not the time to hire a December holiday intern to transform your digital presence. An effective social media team needs to be backed by a sufficient budget for ad spend, salaries, technology, and social media management tools.
Side note – when you have your team set up and running, bring on the interns! Investing in industry growth is where it’s at.
Find out wha the key differences between boosted and paid media are here.
Why Choose the Team Approach?
Because you simply can’t do it by yourself – at least not long term.
The more you grow, the more hands you need on deck. And once you start growing, you don’t exactly want to lose momentum because you’re understaffed and can’t keep up. Socials don’t sleep, and a huge part of the social media value-add is that customers can connect with you whenever.
There is opportunity everywhere, but you can’t be on three or four platforms at the same time, on top of trying to get through your day-to-day responsibilities. The more eyes you have watching the landscape for you, the better your chances of finding something awesome.
Who You Need on Your Team/Building Your Team?
Head of Social
The person you hire as your Head of Social will be responsible for overseeing everything that goes on behind the scenes of your digital persona. They will lead strategy and campaign planning, brand awareness and building your online reputation.
They will need to forge good relationships with key stakeholders and generate these into leads and conversions.
Your Head of Social also needs to be able to create valuable content with creative copywriting skills and a sharp eye for aesthetics. With regards to skills, you will need to find somebody with digital and SEO expertise and experience in social media management and client relations.
This person will need to be able to communicate well internally and externally and have a talent for leading others and presenting ideas excellently.
Content Creator
If you want somebody on your team who is responsible for keeping a finger on trends and industry news (and you do), you’ll add a Content Creator to your team.
The title has become somewhat saturated, but an effective Content Creator is a powerful asset if they do the job correctly. A Content Creator will find content to share, content to write, and pieces of content to create. They’ll also decide what should go where for optimal engagement.
They will be researchers and curious by nature. When you share content that matters to your audience, that’s when you start becoming a valuable presence online. A Content Creator’s job is to find and create that value.
With experience in social media management, their responsibilities include staying abreast of industry news and trends and sharing third-party resources within the team to inspire strategy. They will implement micro and macro content across all relevant platforms and work closely with your designer.
Community Manager
Your Community Manager is the communicative backbone of your social media team. This person is the talker of the team, but they aren’t just talking for the sake of it.
They’re talking for a reason: to clearly communicate with your audience on a community and individual basis.
A Community Manager absorbs all there is to know about the brand and its people. This is so they can answer any questions with a flurried whir of the keyboard or by contacting exactly the right person for the job.
You’ve probably noticed a certain skill set that goes across the board: being able to write. A Community Manager has strong language and writing skills that they use to personally interact with your audience.
This person sticks to your brand tone of voice whilst still being personable and professional.
Social Media Ad Manager
Ads are an entirely different beast, but a beast you want on your side. The successful rollout of Facebook ads, Google ads and Instagram ads are pivotal to the growth and reach of your brand.
A Social Media Ad Manager is responsible for advising the ad strategy or creating the ad content. They will conduct thorough A/B testing to gather quantitative and qualitative data on your customers to make sure your ads are hitting the mark. They will guide you in terms of ad spend and budget – and it’s your job not to be too shocked when you see their suggested numbers.
Whilst Social Media Managers should be working within the scale of your business– they are often seeking to push the boundaries for the benefit of your brand. Of course, strong Excel and analytics skills are necessary.
Social Media Analyst
All your hard work will be for nothing if you don’t have somebody to crunch the numbers, delve into the data and present it to you in words you actually understand.
A Social Media Analyst will analyse where your business has been, where you’re at and where you’re projected to be. They will use relevant tools to create comprehensive reports that show what’s going on in the social media sphere.
Their analysis will lead them towards insights, industry trends and new avenues. A Social Media Analyst will be a dynamic mix of somebody who understands numbers and, most importantly, understands the people behind the numbers.
They should have skills and experience in analytical tools, social science, and management tools.
Influencer Manager
Collaboration is an integral part of any social media strategy in 2021. The Influencer Manager position has grown because of collaboration and influencer trends, and they’re a welcome addition to the team.
Utilising influencer marketing extends the reach of your brand and the way these relationships are managed is vital.
You need somebody on your team who facilitates mutually beneficial collaborations between the brand and the creator. They will be responsible for finding people who can personify your brand and who interact with the target audience you’re after.
An Influencer Manager also creates and monitors the content, especially the content created by competition. In their skill set, they will need social media expertise, exceptional communication skills and experience in project management.
Check out how you can start selling on Instagram here.
Goodluck Out There
Once you have your team, it can only go up from there. Our advice? Put your trust in your social media crew and watch how your followers, engagement, brand perception and profit start to grow.
Hiring qualified individuals to monitor each integral aspect of your social media presence is how you create a solidified, trusted digital presence. And in the digital landscape of today, what more could you want?
Make sure to keep your eye on our socials for more guidance on how to take your business to new heights in 2021.
