If you have ever tried to create social media content for your brand, we can almost guarantee you have wished there was a magical fairy out there to do it for you.

Are we right?

While magical Facebook and LinkedIn fairies are not lurking in the background of every successful brand strategy, there’s a really strong chance that a social media manager is.

And the results they can produce are every bit as magical as a fairy. Plus, they aren’t in danger of keeling over like Tinkerbell if people don’t clap loudly enough around them!

So, let’s take a peek at the answers to some key questions you might have about social media managers and whether hiring one is the right decision for your brand.

 

What Does A Social Media Manager Actually Do?

Great question! Let’s start at the beginning – this is often where many junior marketers kick off their careers, typically managing multiple social media accounts, either on behalf of an agency or by exploring the extensive realm independently. Alternatively, the responsibility for social media often lands in the lap of marketing roles by sheer necessity, as it’s integral to most businesses today.

Contrary to popular belief, social media managers do not spend their days scheduling pretty pictures on the Gram in between trips to Starbucks. And while many of us do enjoy a mocha—especially on the grid—a skilled social media manager knows that success involves more than just aesthetics.

 

 

It’s about deeply understanding your target audience and their buyer journey, then communicating the right message at the right time to achieve your desired business and marketing goals.

Sadly, this level of expertise isn’t usually taught in design schools or online masterclasses; it’s gained through real-world experience, years of industry engagement and a considerable amount of trial and error.

Social media has become a beast of its own and in recent years, requires a highly skilled marketer to execute it effectively without throwing your valuable time and hard earned cash down the drain.

Often, many businesses falter by underestimating the workload involved in effective social media management, leading to poor hiring choices or insufficient resources.

The truth is, social media management can be a giant blackhole. There we said it. It requires a robust framework of systems and processes for designing, messaging, dispatching, scheduling, community management, optimisation and importantly, analysing the results to make strategic adjustments that enhance business ROI for their investment.

 

 

Neglecting these essentials can severely impair a business’s ability to measure and improve their social media impact and growth.

But the difference between a good and skilled social media manager, is a skilled and experienced manager understands it’s not so much about the pretty pictures, but more so about the target audience, their buyer journey, the messaging and content to drive your business goals to achieve success – fortunately for you, we can help with just that.

Alright, we know that all sounds rather impressive, but what does it actually mean in practical terms?

Well, to put it simply:

• 5.17 billion users regularly frequent social media platforms.
• Considering 56.1% of internet users purchase something online once a week, there is HUGE potential for your business to gain brand exposure and make sales.

A skilled social media manager, in more senior cases a social or content strategist, will help you weed through those billions and connect with the ones that are your ideal customers so that you can maximise the return on your content investment.

This approach allows them to map out a strategic plan that not only aligns with your business goals but also fits your budget—because the best content strategy, is one you can afford to execute effectively. Anything else is just hearsay.

 

 

Is It Worth It To Hire A Social Media Manager?

Depending on your current business requirements and goals, the answer to this question might be yes or it might be no. The reason we say this is because you don’t want to jump into a contract with someone before being ready!

If you are satisfied with your current social media strategy and just need someone to handle the design or lift the burden of scheduling across your platforms, then you may get by outsourcing to a Social Media Manager, or in some cases an experienced virtual assistant, a graphic designer who offers this service, or a copywriter.

However, if you are experiencing flat or declining engagement despite posting frequently and consistently, finding your efforts to be reactive without a clear, strategic plan to guide your content creation and posting schedules, or seeing poor ROI from social media, it may be time to call in the experts. SO WHAT SOCIAL, unlike other agencies, lives and breathes strategy. We’ll underpin your clear point of view, identify your ideal customer, and even understand their daily habits to provide you with a comprehensive blueprint for content creation across social media channels.

This option is ideal if you need a deeper understanding of your target audience and where they like to hang out on social media, along with advanced targeting techniques and the ability to create a consistent brand voice across all your chosen platforms.

 

 

At What Point Should I Get A Social Media Manager?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The simplest response might be “when your business is ready,” but how can you truly know when that time comes?

There are three main reasons why brands and businesses outsource their social media marketing:

• To create a clear and consistent brand voice across multiple platforms that speaks to your target audience.
• To do the heavy lifting of content creation, scheduling and posting to free up time for other more important business, rightly so..
• To leverage, the often overlooked and yet vital aspect of social media management— aligning your content with and achieving specific business goals. Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales – social media is a powerful tool for business growth.

At SO WHAT SOCIAL, we excel in all areas. However, we place particular emphasis on the first point, which is often neglected in the industry due to its perceived complexity and the significant time investment required upfront to research and embed a sustainable social strategy in the first instance…

Our point of difference lies in our approach to socials. We don’t just take stabs in the dark – we apply the smart, killer instincts we’ve honed over years in this space, working alongside leading industry experts and household brands in New Zealand. We specialise in collaborating with businesses and brands to create custom social media strategies that go beyond cookie-cutter solutions to propel your brand forward.

Once this all important foundation is laid, then the heavy lifting becomes like a finely oiled machine. Not all social media managers offer this depth of strategy, so when you’re considering outsourcing, choose a social media manager who will provide you with a clear, measurable strategy aligned with your business goals. Opt for someone who offers an efficient process that won’t lead to burnout.

After all, you probably didn’t start your business to spend every day dancing and lip-syncing on TikTok – unless that’s your passion, in which case, you might consider running for the hills!

 

 

How Much Does It Cost To Hire Someone To Run My Social Media?

Like the saying goes, you pay for what you get. And if you only want to pay peanuts… well, you know the rest!

When you hire someone with years of experience who prioritises upskilling, and has proven success in their field, you can expect to invest more. But, this investment will often translate into a high quality of content, more effective strategies and better overall results for your business.

That’s not to say that choosing a less experienced or freelance social media manager is a bad thing. They can often offer you lower rates, but they may not be able to provide the same level of expertise or strategic insight to propel your brand forward.

Keep these things in mind when assessing who might be the right fit for your business. Think about your long term goals and the value that each potential option might bring to your brand. This will help make your investment decision more straightforward.

 

Is It Worth Paying For A Social Media Manager?

The answer to this question will depend on the season of your business. You might be considering whether employing someone is the best option or whether an agency can give you what you need. Like any decision, there are going to be benefits and drawbacks for each option.

Hiring a full-time social media manager might sound great as they can provide dedicated support and can become deeply integrated with your company and brand.

However, the drawback is that they may come with a high salary cost and the overheads associated with having a permanent employee. Plus, shock horror, what if they turn out to be the wrong fit for your business and you are stuck paying them!?

Alternatively, you could partner with a boutique agency like SO WHAT SOCIAL which offers all the dedicated support and integration with your business, along with specialised expertise and proven strategies to hit the ground running.

Unlike other brand or design agencies that often include social media management as part of a cookie-cutter solution, or saddle interns or juniors with the job of handling your content, we ensure your brand stands out in a sea of sameness.

SO WHAT SOCIAL has a network of trusted professionals with specialised skills, access to advanced tools and the ability to scale our efforts up or down depending on your business goals – this looks very different for each business. This approach can be more cost-effective and efficient, especially for businesses that require high-quality social media management without the commitment of a full-time hire and a better ROI for their investment.

 

 

Is It Time For A Social Media Manager?

Have we convinced you? Is it time to get serious about your socials? If you’re finding yourself spending a huge amount of time producing content yet, growth or sales are stagnant, or if you simply have no time to invest given the colossal size social media has grown to over the years, we absolutely get it. The overwhelm is real, the competition is fierce and the stakes are too high to get it wrong.

It might be time to request a chat.

Just like a magical fairy, we can devise a comprehensive strategy to get your brand where it needs to be and you don’t even have to clap your hands once! Drop us a line today and we can get started.