As a consultant working independently, I have the privilege of offering hands on services to my clients. I work solo, acting as the account team, the creative backbone, the business support, and ultimately the executor pressing the “go” buttons on over 40 social media channels across 7 platforms for clients ranging from small rural sole proprietorships, to the largest hotelier in the world.
That being said, my responsibilities are at times, unintentionally minimized with questions like, “So basically you post on Facebook all day?”
Hmmm. Insert laugh emoji.
The short answer: No. That isn’t what I do all day. I also watch panda videos on YouTube, silly.
The long answer: No, the role of a social team/consultant is complex. The responsibilities, objectives, and processes are constantly changing. Assuming that posting content is the end game, is a common mistake made not only by personal users, but also by businesses choosing to go DIY with their social presence.
Look for an additional blog post January 31 when I’ll be prioritizing the most important components of a successful social presence. But in the meantime, let me offer this teaser: posting content is at the bottom of my list.
Items on a social team’s ever growing list of responsibilities often include, but are not limited to:
- Researching industry trends.
- Researching client industry news.
- Reviewing competition presence.
- Managing brand assets used in social posts (i.e. photos, video, testimonials).
- Constantly reviewing social strategy and assuring its success.
- Assuring brand consistency in tone and voice across channels.
- Cross promoting of channels.
- Managing a successful paid campaign targeting specific clients/customers.
- Managing user engagements, offering prompt and consistent responses to all user communications, i.e. FB and IG messaging, Twitter DMs, mentions, comments, and reviews.
- Collecting and reviewing social analytics and ROI.
- Creating and curating applicable content.
- Cultivating influencer relationships.
- Preparing for crisis management situations.
- Managing the client’s online reputation.
- Communicating withe various stakeholders and departments on their needs.
- Promoting specials/packages/promotions.
- Assuring consistent link-back scenarios.
- Researching critical dates.
- Creating social promotions and contests.
In summary, the role of your social team, whether it be a large agency or a single consultant is massive and the end result of specific posts on various channels, are a tiny slice of a very large pie. Hopefully this break-down offers a small bit of insight into the back side of any great social presence. There’s essential work being performed behind the scenes, contributing to your overall success nearly every hour of every day.
Thanks for reading my 60 Second Social post.