Why do we need a Social Media Consultant?
In a word, ‘change’.
The Social Media landscape is an ever-changing one, which means that what might have worked well a few months ago may not work as well for you now. The reasons for this will vary from sector to sector but underlying these will be a combination of each Social Media platforms algorithm. An algorithm will determine what content is shown and to who. It will also track the behaviours and attitudes of how your customers consume this content which will ultimately influence your results.
As your business, and therefore your audience, grows, you will find yourself with a more diverse mix of consumer behaviour which will again influence your results. Your strategy will need to develop and grow as your business and product offering does. Continually keeping up with platform and algorithm changes, on top of running a business, can be frustrating and time-consuming. Why not let a professional give you a helping hand?
What Is A Social Media Consultant?
In short, a Social Media Consultant is an expert in all things Social Media. They will have a vast understanding of each platform, their strengths and pain points, and proven success in developing business through utilising the necessary platforms. A Consultant will be able to direct businesses on how to maximise each opportunity Social Media Marketing offers and tailor it to suit their business, products or services and target audience.
Ultimately, a business’s Social Media presence needs to evolve to ensure it achieves as much relevant, organic traffic as possible and that the content is then compelling enough to warrant action or engagement from the intended audience. A Social Media Consultant’s function is to identify where these various dots exist and to assist the business owner to join them together in a cohesive Social Media Marketing Strategy.
Is My Social Media Strategy The Same Thing As My Digital Marketing Strategy?
Your Digital Marketing Strategy should be formed based on your overall business and marketing objectives. For example, if the business identifies the need for more return customers, your digital marketing should be designed to build brand loyalty and repeat purchases. Your Social Media Strategy should then be structured to support your overall Digital Marketing Strategy, although it’s only one element of it.
All of your marketing efforts, whether they’re digital or offline, Billboards or Social Media, should work together and complement one another.
Are Social Media Consultants Expensive?
If you are hiring an expert to do a good job, especially with something as important as your Social Media and therefore potentially your brand awareness and reputation, you need to anticipate having a decent budget. The cost of the consultant will depend on how much support you’re looking for and over what period.
How long does Social Media Consulting Take?
Once again, this depends on exactly what you need from a consultant. Make sure you’ve taken some time to think about your Marketing and Social Media Objectives beforehand – although if you’re struggling, this is also something a consultant can help you complete.
Before they get started, a Consultant will take an in-depth look at your company, objectives and current Social Media presence. They will then look at your competitors Social Media Marketing and analyse what they’re doing to engage with their existing and potential customers. Your competitors may or may not be doing it right, but it’s essential to keep track of what they’re up to.
Social Media Consulting doesn’t have to be one-off support either; more consultants will be there for ongoing updates and advice to ensure you’re continuously getting the most out of Social Media.
What Will A Social Media Consultant Help With?
Social Media Marketing Objectives
If you’re looking for fresh eyes, then a Social Media Consultant can help turn your overall business goals into Social Media objectives and map out how best to achieve them. It’s important to remember that a Consultant won’t be looking for the easiest or quickest way to reach your objectives. A skilled Social Media Consultant will be looking at the most efficient method, depending on your needs. For example, a Consultant could open your eyes to the most cost-effective way if budgets are tight.
Social Media Strategy Implementation
A good Social Media Consultant will work with stakeholders to understand the method behind the results when they are successful and to also identify points of pain in less successful campaigns and how to fix them. By understanding historical results, as well as current business objectives, a Consultant can help implement a Social Media strategy.
Measuring Metrics
A great strategy and engaging content are all well and good. Still, without analysing the appropriate metrics, you won’t be able to learn from what you’ve done historically and allow it to influence your future strategy. With different measures and metrics across various Social Media platforms, including paid Ads and Organic posts, a consultant can help narrow down the ones to focus on, explain why and help you measure your ROI right.
Measuring your results should never be a one-time thing, schedule in time at least once a month to review what worked and what didn’t before you put too much time and energy into your future planning.
Content Planning
Content can be anything from Blog Posts to Infographics. Although a Social Media Consultant will be unlikely to help create the content, they can help you plan what will work best to support your strategy and target audiences. A Consultant can also show you how to make the most out of each different Social Media platform and its limitations.
GDPR
One significant area of Social Media is how you manage the data you collect. If you run Lead Generation Ads, for example, you will be capturing data such as a customer’s first name, last name, email and phone number. A Social Media Consultant will advise how to be fully compliant when it comes to regulations such as GDPR.
Do I Need A Social Media Consultant?
You may be reading this and think it all sounds good but still be unsure as to whether you actually need a Social Media Consultant and therefore if it’s worth spending the money.
Ask yourself this: are you getting the most out of your Social Media?
The ‘most’ isn’t about getting the most ‘likes’ or having the most ‘followers’ but ultimately, if you’ve identified a marketing objective and are using Social Media to support this (which you absolutely should be) then are you reaching it, or at least on your way?
Perhaps you’ve dipped in and out of posting across various accounts and lost faith due to lack of results? The algorithm will work against you if you’re not well thought out and consistent in your posting so before you lose confidence, consider implementing a professional strategy. Doing this with someone who understands each platform and their best practices, such as a Social Media Consultant, will get you back on track.
Get started with your Social Media Marketing strategy today and find the right Social Media Consultancy for you.
For help with your social media management feel free to get in touch with thesocialnetwork team!
