You know your business needs to be on social media, or even participating in digital marketing but you’re not sure where to start. The old methods of gaining exposure for your business – newspapers, TV, and radio – aren’t anywhere near as mandatory or lucrative as they used to be… And they’re not as trackable or easily changed!
Soooo… What? You know your competition is killing it on social media and you want to be annihilating them. Not only that, but you need to do it right. This is where the role of a social media consultant comes into play. This is your strong ally who will help you learn the basics of social media marketing.
Your first task will be to choose the social media consultant that fits best with your personal and business needs. Here are some of the most important things to look for:
Your Social Media Consultant Needs to Be Experienced
There’s no substitute for several years of hands-on experience. There are some agencies that are headed by so-called “social media experts” whose only qualification is an online course taken some years ago. Don’t fall for this. To master social media marketing, you need to be familiar with a set of tactics and techniques that are subject to continual change. Knowledge of what the rules were four years ago is as useless as being an expert on fixing TVs made in the 1970s. 🔥🔥🔥 #burn
Your social media consultant needs to be able to show a list of references that are also easily verifiable. They also need to be able to show you solid evidence of their past work. Finally, the consultant you hire needs to possess the ability to demonstrate a comprehensive – and up to date – knowledge of how social media works and how to reach your ideal client/customer.
Find a Strategic Thinking Consultant
The social media consultant you hire needs to have a full grasp of your bottom line. This means not only an eye for your ultimate profit source but also for how to think strategically. The goal here is to create content that will not only meet but also anticipate the future needs of your target demographic. To meet this objective means engaging in some fairly comprehensive long-range planning (a social media strategy!).
A good consultant will take more into account than just the name of your business and the goods or services you sell. They need to have the ability to analyze factors such as your social media accounts, metrics, and other key performance indicators. The idea is not to “engage” abstractly with the audience but to come up with social media strategies that equal leads and conversions. So, great, you have a zillion followers, but how many of those are actually real people, who pay attention to your business and will actually become a customer?
Your Social Media Marketing Consultant Needs to Be a Good Personality Fit
One factor that often gets overlooked is that you need to “get along” with your social media consultant. This relationship may not be worth an annual invitation to Christmas dinner, however, you do need to look for someone who is a healthy fit for your own personality. The better you get along with your consultant, the easier it will be for them to help create content that works for your business.
Sharing other key things in common, such as a similar sense of humor, goes a long way toward creating a trusting relationship. The main thing you want to consider here is that you need to learn the basics of social media from a person you can trust.
A good consultant will know how to break down a strategy into bits and pieces that you can easily digest. They won’t try to numb your brain into submission with a bunch of digital marketing jargon. The consultant you hire should possess the virtue of being able to share examples and analogies that are easy for you to follow. This is the key to learning what you need to know.
No Consultant Worth Their Salt Wants to Rush Their Client
Another consideration worth keeping in mind is that no genuinely competent social media consultant wants to rush their client.
The world of social media is fast-paced by design. The rules of social media change with every alteration Facebook and other major social media networks choose to make in their algorithms. But this doesn’t mean that you should ever allow a social media consultant to rush or pressure you into doing something that you are not comfortable with.
If you don’t feel right adopting a strategy or tactic, then don’t do it. It won’t look good if it’s obvious that your heart isn’t in it. Instead of pressuring you to do something you object to, a truly reputable and professional social media consultant will look for alternatives that you can safely and comfortably adopt.
Get in Touch With Me to Learn More
If you are ready to touch base with an experienced and qualified social media consultant, contact me today. My goal is to provide you with solid social media consulting that gets to the heart of the matter and delivers measurable results.