If you’ve seen the movie Jerry Maguire, you remember the scene when Tom Cruise’s character is trying to convince Cuba Gooding’s character to focus on the love of the game. You can watch the :30 clip here: “Help Me Help You”
There are few things more frustrating than being hired to change the world, and then not being given the tools, the resources or the access to said world in order to change it.
This blog post has been revised a few times in the past couple years as we work to keep up with the fast-moving target this is social media. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that hiring someone to manage your brand’s social media presence can help:
- Generate brand awareness
- Provide opportunities for you to answer questions, solve problems and share relevant information with your audience.
- Turn anonymous leads into known prospects
- Discover new audiences
- Build trust
- Engage with loyal customers, brand advocates, and potential customers
Not to shabby, right?
But in order to do that, you’ve got to do your part. Even though you are hiring someone else to manage your brand’s social media efforts, doesn’t mean you should stop thinking about it altogether. You are the brain, the passion, behind your brand. You understand your “why” and your customers’ needs better than anyone else. Share your Intellectual Property with the person (or people) managing your social media accounts will help you to maximize the ROI of your social media efforts. Here are 8 tips for getting started on the right foot:
Social Media ROI Tip #1: Listen to your customers.
It’s critical that you keep a pulse on what your customers are saying about your brand. That doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time social listening – that’s part of your SM Manager’s job. A few places to practice listening outside of social media:
- The customer service department (What questions does this team frequently get asked?)
- Online reviews (What do your customers like best? What do they disapprove of?)
- Sales (What are the most popular products/services, and which ones are stagnant?)
Social Media ROI Tip #2 Keep up to speed.
What’s trending in your industry? What’s relevant right now – today? You have access to your customers, industry publications, and peer groups that your SM Manager most likely does not. Keeping a pulse on your industry, and feeding your SMM those tasty tidbits will help her focus in on the most shareable content.
Social Media ROI Tip #3: Provide feedback quickly.
This is so important, especially because of the very nature of social media and how immediate it is. If your SMM sends you a blog post for approval, or a list of topic ideas, respond as quickly as possible. Social media doesn’t wait.
Social Media ROI Tip #4: Ask questions.
For every “social media guru” out there who wants to impress you with their vast knowledge, and keep you in the dark so that they can continue to take your money and never make you the wiser – there are those of us who truly do want you to learn the how and why of what we do so that you can step in little by little over time and take over the reigns of your social media presence (if that’s what you choose to do). There will always be new avenues to explore and new social platforms to develop. But asking questions about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we’re getting it done just shows us that you’re invested in your business and in us. Ask away!
Social Media ROI Tip #5: Share best practices.
Just as we’re showing you the how and why of what we do, we need and want to understand your industry better. Tell us about your best practices – what makes you stand apart in your category? What’s different about your customers? What’s exiting about the field to you?
Social Media ROI Tip #6: Share your objectives.
Sometimes these will change. And that’s absolutely okay. In fact, that means you’re meeting your objectives and moving on to greater challenges. Bravo! Sit down with your SMM and come up with some new objectives. Devise a new plan and talk about how you want to reach those goals.
Social Media ROI Tip #7: Speak up.
Whether you’re pleased with the results or disappointed, nothing can change unless you have the courage to discuss it.
Social Media ROI Tip #8: Loop us in.
Social media must be a part of your larger marketing strategy. Loop us in on meetings with your marketing team, just as you would (hopefully) bring in whoever heads up Sales. If you’re going to run a promotion on a product or service, for example, everyone from customer service to sales and social media must know about it, so that we can all shout it from the rooftops and talk the same talk to customers. We have had clients reach out to us saying things like: “We spoke at an event last week, can you post these pictures on our Facebook page?” We can, yes. But if we had been looped in a few weeks ago, we could have promoted the event in advance to generate excitement and encourage attendance. And we could have been there, tweeting and posting in real-time, capturing photos and videos to show our expertise.
Don’t get me wrong… your SMM should be a star in her own right – with experience, drive and know-how. But she needs your support to make magic.
Interested in leveraging social media platforms to engage your target audiences? Let’s talk!
