15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: Hiring the Right Social Media Expert

15-Minute Media Tactics with Sue Henry

Enormous emphasis of marketing a business is placed on having a strong social media presence. So-called "experts" are popping up everywhere! But not all "experts" are created equal. It's hard to know what questions to ask when "we don't know what we don't know".

Below are 5 questions I recommend asking the person you are interviewing to manage your social media presence.

1. How much time will you be spending each day and on what activities?
Many social media consultants or managers charge a monthly fee and spend less than an hour per week marketing your business. Ask for specific sites you be marketing on, how will they know what to say, etc. What is their core strategy? If you hire them, is it a month-by-month contact or for a longer period of time? What happens if you don't see any results?

2. Show them your goals and desired outcomes.
You will need to have a written list of what you would like your social media consultant to achieve. Are you looking for new "friends", "fans", or "connections"? Do you want to drive people to free information you offer? Is your goal to improve your google and map ranking?

3. How will your social media consultant create and engage others in conversations through the status updates, blog posts, comments, etc?
The purpose of social media is to create relationships and engage others in conversation. Effective social media is a dialogue, not a monologue. You will want someone who posts directly on your site rather than relying on an aggragator such as ping.fm, hootsuite, etc. Successful social media consultants understand that social media works when people are interacting and conversing with each other.

4. How will your consultant track results and report to you?
Specify how often you want a report and how you'd like the report delivered. Email? A phone or Skype call? Set the expectations up front.

5. Ask them how much of their business comes from clients or customers that have been found through their social media marketing techniques.
Here's the BIGGIE for me! If they don't use their own social media strategies to find new clients or customers, then how will they successfully find new clients or customers for you? Don't be fooled by hype, stats, or charisma. Ask for references and follow up on them.

Outsourcing social media marketing is a great idea. When you hire the right person, your social media presence should become another income stream for your business. Ask the right questions up front and save yourself time, money, and headaches later on. Remember, you can create a strong, profitable presence in just 15 minutes a day...whether you do it yourself or hire someone to help.

For more information, please visit Sue's TNNWC Bio.

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Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC
Resources for Business Planning, Development, Capital and Growth

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15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: Hiring the Right Social Media Expert

15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: 4 “Status Update” Success Tips

15-Minute Media Tactics with Sue Henry

The status update bar on your social media site is the easiest way to get noticed. Are your comments engaging your connections and making them want to learn more? Are they memorable?

The status update bar offers an opportunity for you to engage your followers and connections in conversation. It should create a dialog, not a monologue! Using the Hansel and Gretel analogy, imagine that your updates are like dropping pieces of bread along a specific path for hungry consumers to follow. When done correctly, it's a way for them to "sample" who you are, what you do, and who you do it for.

Writing an influential and memorable update is a learned skill and definitely worth the time and effort. With a little experience, you'll be able to pop out meaningful comments in just a few minutes each day. here are 4 ways you can effectively use the status update bar to compel readers to respond and relate to your comments.

1. Share activities that may capture the attention of your target market. For instance, if you own a cleaning company who specializes in commercial buildings and offices, you may say, "Cleaned a 4000 sq ft bldg for a new client and they are pleased with how much better it looks. Feedback from the tenant has been great!" This info lets readers know that you clean large office buildings and have recommendations from clients. You've planted seeds about what you do and who you do it for without "pitching" or "selling".

2. Talk about what you wish you were doing. What type of business would you like more of? For instance, I wanted to offer social media workshops to nonprofits. I did research and wrote up a proposal outlining the contents that would be relative to nonprofits, online gift-giving, and finding new volunteers. Then I wrote as my status update, "Wrote a proposal for a nonprofit that can increase their online gift-giving, find volunteers, and promote their cause. Online gift-giving is up 63% over last year - that's remarkable!" I really did write the proposal, I just didn't have anyone to present it to yet! Once I posted my update, readers who were active in nonprofits started thinking about their nonprofit's online presence. As a result, I was able to book 2 workshops.

3. Talk about the results your clients or customers have received. Your comments should be all about THEM and how your products or services have impacted THEIR business. if you are a printer, you may write, "We helped design, print, refine the list, and mail out a marketing piece for a customer. It looked great and he's already received business because of it!" If you were going to name the specific company or person, you would ask for written permission first, but this works well whether you are generic or specific.

4. Consistency matters. Get into the habit of updating your status on each social media site daily. You can take the same idea and spin it a little to match the culture and purpose of your social media sites. Daily updates will increase visibility and credibility which are essential to profitability.

With practice, you'll find that you can easily update your status bars in just a few minutes each day. Your purpose is to attact the people who want, need, and are willing to buy what you offer. You can do this is in less than 15 minutes a day!


For more information, please visit Sue's TNNWC Bio.

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Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC
Resources for Business Planning, Development, Capital and Growth

Forward/Share This Article With Colleagues And Social Media:

15-MINUTE MEDIA TACTICS: 4 “Status Update” Success Tips