Peer to Peer: A good social media consultant knows how to navigate the online labyrinth

Just because people know how to use technology does not mean they understand how to use it to drive business. So how do you separate the hobbyists from the professionals? Along with an interview, ask for these three things: (a) client profiles they manage, (b) analytics reports, and (c) links to their own social media channels. It is worth your time to examine the following:

Strategy: Social media is not the strategy; it is a part of the bigger picture. A true expert will know how to find effective ways to integrate and build on a company’s overall public relations and marketing strategies, including crisis management.

Content: Social media delivers and amplifies content, which is king. A professional will focus far more on building credibility through content that offers value, strong messaging and strategy, rather than posting random commentary and promotional messages.

Metrics: Retweets, “likes” and replies are fine, but check analytics reports to see how many people actually click a link to learn more about a company or product. That is the kind of engagement that generates commerce.

Patterns: If there is repeated engagement from the same people, a social media expert will revise the strategy to generate new interactions.

Best practices: A professional views the 140-character limitation on Twitter as a discipline, not a licence to compromise grammar. Social media is a form of publishing, and you cannot build social authority with poor writing skills.

Industry knowledge: A professional will come into an interview with knowledge about your industry, including what your competitors are doing on social media.

Finding the right person to represent your brand shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whether you’re a start-up, small business or established corporation, active social media presence is vital for brand awareness, customer experience and driving inbound traffic. Your current and potential customers expect to be able to reach you whenever, wherever.

The online world is a maze. Everyone’s talking at once, so having your voice heard can be difficult, to say the least. If you’re on a date and the other person just keeps talking about how great they are and never shows interest in what you have to offer, you’re likely to want a fast exit. Therefore, whoever manages your social media should be willing to do much more than just create content and post links. Your brand needs to be reciprocal. That means liking other people’s posts, commenting and sharing information from strategic influencers should be part of the daily tasks. Listening is key to any successful relationship, especially on social media.

For consultants to grasp your company’s personality, there has to be camaraderie and true understanding of your brand. If that connection isn’t established in person, they’re likely not going to reflect that online.

Social media consultants need to constantly come up with new ways to have your company seen and heard. Whether it’s curating an Instagram takeover or managing a social media contest, the consultant’s job is to pinpoint your target audience’s favourite social media channel, discover what they like and offer them engaging content that benefits them. When you ask consultants how they plan to boost your following, they should offer you an overall digital strategy that complements your marketing and sales goals.

A good social media company/consultant should have two core skill sets: technical savvy and audience context. Unless the person you’re hiring has these in spades, it becomes hard to justify the investment.

Technical savvy involves a straightforward awareness of which social media channels are the best fit for your product or service. Food is good for a visual channel like Instagram but doesn’t really get readers excited on LinkedIn.

Social media consultants should know which channels offer your company the highest potential effect. They should also have proven abilities at using the channels. Each channel is its own ecosystem of interactions, so make sure you hire someone who knows their way around.

It’s not a natural fit to hire a 60-year-old man to be the online voice of your prenatal yoga company. Your social media consultant should have a good understanding of who your audience is and what their interests and concerns are. Ideally, your consultant should know your customers’ mindset intimately. This includes using the same language they use and conveying a style and tone that’s a natural extension of your brand.

While it’s not easy to trace the effects of investment in social media directly, it is easy to follow how well social media messages represent your brand, how the audience responds to their content and how much time they save so you can concentrate on other aspects of your business.

For a company that relies on an effective social presence to build awareness, good social media consultants are worth their weight in gold.