For modern organizations, participating in social media is no longer an option. Today’s consumers expect brands to not only have a presence on social media, but to actively engage with their audience in real time. Consider these stats about consumer expectations and behavior as proof that social media matters:

• Consumers report they expect brands to be active on at least three to four social channels. (via Hubspot)
• More than half of all U.S. consumers now turn to social media to air questions and complaints about products and services. (via Nielson)
• Over 80 percent of consumers between 30 – 44 years old expect brands to use Facebook. (via Blue Corona)

Clearly, brands need to be active on social media and interacting with customers where they are hanging out online. So, the question then becomes: How do brands and organizations successfully manage their social media presence? How can we set social media managers up for success?

Whether you plan to hire an internal staff member or bring on an agency to supplement your efforts, there are certain assets anyone managing social media needs to know and have to be successful. These tips and tricks will get your social media staff up to speed with all the info they need to rock your social media channels.

The Intangibles

Business Goals

When onboarding a social media manager, it’s important for them to understand why your organization is using social media in the first place. I know, I know…everyone needs to be using social, so that’s why you’re doing it. But that’s not enough. You need to think deeper. Based on your business goals, what purpose do you hope social media will serve? Increased referrals? A boost in sales? Rising customer satisfaction? Whatever your endgame may be, it’s important for your social media manager to have a good understanding of them in general AND how they relate to your social media efforts.

Organizational Culture

Every organization is different and this is never more clear than when discussing social media. For your new social media manager, it’s extremely important that they understand how internal stakeholders perceive and use social media. Is your culture progressive? Conservative? The answers to these questions will help guide your social media manager through creating and executing your social strategy. Also, you want your social media manager to be an advocate for social media, so understanding the current organizational landscape around digital media will help them know how to start educating your employees and advocating for all the great reasons to use social media.

Brand Voice & Tone

If you have already defined a voice for your brand, that’s great! Your social media manager can take this voice and translate it to the digital world. If you haven’t yet defined your voice, now is the perfect time to do so. Social media allows for fast communication with customers, but sometimes that communication can be taken out of context or in a way you didn’t intend. Because of this, it’s important to work with your social media manager to define your voice and tone and develop a brand personality that can shine through in your online communications.

Success Metrics

What will success look like for your social media manager? Online pundits would have you believe that social media is tough to measure, but there are many ways that you can set goals and strive to reach benchmarks with your social media efforts. As with all marketing and communications efforts, these should relate directly to your business goals. If you want to have higher customer satisfaction, monitor and measure engagement. If referrals and online sales are important to you, track your campaigns and conversations for links to your website. The options for ROI are truly endless!

The Tangibles

Social Media Dashboard

Brand monitoring and audience engagement are arguably the most important parts of a social media manager’s job, and without the proper online tools, it becomes nearly impossible to keep up. Using a social media dashboard to monitor your accounts and engage with consumers is a great way to get a holistic view of your organization online and also streamlines your efforts into one, neatly packaged place. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and Sendible are all great options for scheduling, analytics, brand monitoring, and more.

Creative Guidelines & Resources

Today’s online world is a highly visual one and your social media manager will need access to your brand’s creative assets and guidelines to be successful. There are many tools available today that make creating social media graphics SO EASY (Canva, PicMonkey) but having the right fonts, colors, and images will help your social media manager produce quality visuals that fall in line with your brand.

People

Building a presence on social media is all about relationships, and that starts internally with your own employees. Helping to connect your social media manager with brand advocates within your company will go A LONG WAY to creating a successful social media strategy. Identifying champions for your efforts is also a fun way to get more people involved in something that they may not always have a chance to be exposed to—it’s definitely a win-win!

What are your go-to resources and tips for collaborating with social media managers? How do you think social media managers can be set up for success in their new role? We’d love to hear from you!