Almost everyone uses social media on some platform or another. Users range vastly in age, gender, nationality, and geographic location. This may give off the impression that anyone can use social media––and it’s true! Anyone can. So why waste resources on social media management when any regular joe off the street can make a post, upload a picture, or edit a video? Well, while it’s true that anyone can use social media, not everyone can build a business through social media. Creating a likeable post is very different from carrying out a well-planned marketing strategy, which is exactly what social media management is. COO and cofounder of Lyfe Marketing, Sherman Standberry said,
“Social media management is more than just posting a picture to your Instagram page. It’s about posting meaningful content that genuinely helps the audience that you intend to reach.” (Lyfe Marketing, 2020)
With that in mind, let’s talk about exactly what social media management is and why it’s so necessary for a company that’s looking to increase their website traffic, leads, and overall sales.
What is Social Media Management?
As defined by Standberry,
“Social media management is the process of creating, publishing, promoting, and managing content across social media channels.” (Lyfe Marketing, 2020)
This definition really clarifies what the purpose of social media management (SMM) is and what distinguishes it from other positions within social media outlets. At its core, managing social media is all about cultivating relationships. This is done by engaging with your audience via the content you create. Standberry states that in order to get people to fall in love with your it’s important to understand three things: 1) you have to be present, 2) you have to be likeable, and 3) you have to reach the people that you intend to reach. Remembering those three key elements will help to drive and direct your company goals.
Why Companies Need SMM
Most companies have social media outlets, but very few of them are willing to put time and energy into creating a proper online marketing strategy carried out through SMM. There are many directors, team leaders, and CEOs who don’t understand the importance of “likes” and followers, and feel that social media does little to help expand their company––but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Social media actually does a lot to help a company grow their customer base and increase their return on investment. In his video, Standberry lists two of the most important reasons why companies should have SMM, and they all have to do with how it helps get them more customer loyalty and ultimately more money.
1. Follow the Customers
It’s so important for companies to have a strong presence on social media is because that’s where the customers are! Like mentioned earlier, almost everyone is on some kind of social media platform. So it only makes sense that if companies want to reach their audience, then they should be on social media too.
“There are over 2 billion people on social media every day, and the average person spends 3 to 4 hours per day on social media.” (Lyfe marketing, 2020)
Marketing across social media platforms is done for the same reasons ads are placed on billboards, in magazines and newspapers, or played on radio and Television. It’s what people see and interact with. However, these days fewer people are seeing commercials, listening to the radio, or picking up a magazine. Traditional media and marketing is becoming outdated, and for good reason. Social media marketing offers a lot more. Not only can it reach a broader audience, but it can create a deeper, more meaningful connection with those it reaches. This is because it opens up a two-way communication.
In the past, companies would put out an advertisement campaign and not know for a long time (if ever) what their audience thought, if they liked it, disliked it, or if they even saw it. Now, social media provides a way for businesses to put out a message and to hear back from their audience immediately in real time. This then enables them to create more curated posts that appeal more to their targeted audience. Having instant access to such a vast amount of feedback allows a company to figure out the dislikes, likes, and needs of its customers.
2. Establishing Lasting Relationships
That all brings us to the second reason: social media allows companies to build authentic relationships with their customers. Being able to have a real time conversation with your customer changes up the dynamics of marketing. It offers companies a chance to be transparent with consumers, which builds trust and in turn create brand loyalty that helps companies to grow and increase profits.
“People buy from people they like and trust…It’s already been proven that people are 70% more likely to buy from companies they already follow on social media.” (Lyfe Marketing, 2020)
This statistic shows how important something as small as a “like” or a new follower can be to a business. Don’t overlook the small things, they’re often what makes the biggest different. In this case, that is absolutely true. Establishing trust between a company and their audience is what gets more people flocking to your sites or sharing posts with friends who then forward them on to others, drawing in new leads and ultimately acquiring more profit.
3. Content is Key
There’s another important reason worth mentioning here that wasn’t brought up by Standberry, but was instead shared in an article by Influencer Marketing Hub entitled, “What is Social Media Management and Why is it a Must for My Business?” where they said,
“The content you’ll produce for social media will be informed by who your audience is and what they are interested in…Your content schedule will become the roadmap for what content is to be published and when. Having one also makes it easier to produce results.” (Influence Marketing Hub, 2019)
That’s right, in the end good social media management requires making high quality content––a lot of high quality content. If your company doesn’t have a planned marketing strategy for its social media, it might as well not have any at all. In fact, bad posts can actually be detrimental to a campaign. That’s why it’s so important to be focused on making good, likeable content consistently. Having a schedule and planning your content around campaigns and themes can helps give structure to your content and make it more consistent and enjoyable for your audience. It’s also important to ensure that resources and efforts are allocated efficiently to make the most out of the content you produce. That way time and money isn’t being wasted on making Facebook posts, for example, when the majority of your consumers are on Instagram. Creating good content is more about the initial posts you make or graphics you upload, it’s also about the comments and following up on consumer questions and concerns.
“…connecting with your audience isn’t just about polls and surveys. It’s about answering questions, offering helpful information, and sometimes escalating queries to the right department to resolve.” (Influence Marketing Hub, 2019)
Consistency across the board is crucial for content to be successful. Users begin to rely on having videos posted every week, images uploaded every day, or a new company theme to help track their progress for the month! Humans are creatures of habit and are eager to establish trust, but there has to be a solid foundation for them to build upon.
“As not all buyers are ready to purchase from your brand immediately, you’ll need to nurture them with content that keeps your brand top-of-mind for when they become active buyers.” (Influence Marketing Hub, 2019)
Anything worth having takes time, and good companies know that their customers are worth having. Trusted employees along with loyal clients makes for a stronger company and better business.
Summary
Social media management is an essential component for building up a company, whether it’s brand new to the market or a long time participant in the field. The future of marketing is here, happening now on social media as we speak. Every day new businesses are weeded out, and good SMM plays a key role in deciding who stays and who gets lost in the sea of subscribers. Using social media in marketing can help to create more meaningful, long-lasting relationships with your customers, and shows your audience that you care about their needs and interests. There’s no better time or place to connect than right now––so get out there and get to work making your company better!