Why You Need A Social Media Strategy More Than A Social Media Manager
Here’s a hill I’m willing to die on: All good social media begins with a social strategy. That’s it. That’s all. Send tweet. End of conversation. Social strategy is the backbone of this marketing phenomenon, and no matter what you (or you) say — it’s critical to online success. And this is why every day, I get frustrated by what I see in LinkedIn posts, through job listings, and Facebook group posts that usually have a typo or two because companies aren’t looking for social strategists — no, they are looking for interns or someone fresh out of college to come run social media for their big name company or local storefront.
While some of these opportunities include pay (pennies, if we’re being honest) — most don’t. Usually, these listings want their intern, college student, or post-grad to create content calendars, write all social copy with a full understanding of SEO, create any and all graphic designs, touch up and edit all photos, publish all content on all platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest), work as a community manager 24/7, know how to pull data and analytical reports through social listening tools and Google Analytics, and somehow figure out how to run successfully optimized paid social media ads on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Not to mention, these roles usually expect candidates to have experience using Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, InDesign, After Effects, Adobe Animate, Adobe Dreamweaver, and probably 40 other programs I am forgetting because I, myself, cannot keep up.
The belief that social media is run by some one-day out of undergrad digital native is a false narrative. The belief that social media is easy and all you have to do is turn over an account password to someone and say “go viral, produce content for all these platforms, give me results,” is so far from the truth. And with every job description expecting social media newbs to be able to do everything from start to finish is infuriating because this is not how smart, meaningful, needle moving social is created.
First, and foremost, sharp social media begins with intelligent social media strategies that don’t just happen with a content calendar or a Canva template. Social media strategies are the end-all, be-all for true social success rooted in meeting clear objectives, goals, and key performance indicators (KPIS, as they love to say in corporate board rooms).
True social media strategies are driven by fastidious social strategists who believe in the power of clear, consistent content and the importance of implementation of creative tactics while keeping an eye on insights and analytics every step of the way. True social media strategists understand the power of being prepared for everything and anything from community management expectations to content changes to balancing best practices with creative wild hairs that pop up from time to time from the client side. True social media strategists are the gatekeepers of the evolution of social media marketing — the ones who truly give a damn and understand everything under the umbrella tree that matters when you’re looking to not just meet goals but exceed them.
In 2011, I was asked to create my first social strategy. I spent a lot of time Googling “how to make a social strategy.” I was 23 and I didn’t know what to do, but here’s what happened — the social strategy I created resulted in turning a brand with just a few thousand followers into one of the largest children’s brands on social media with a whopping 898,798 followers by the time I left. Since then, I have been tasked to create social strategies for clients ranging from ESPN to small businesses with consumer facing products to yoga instructors pining to get on the cover of YogaJournal, massive shopping centers scattered across the southeast, one of the largest healthcare systems in the state of Georgia, the #1 health and yoga center in the United States, podcasts, local and national festivals and conferences, and of course — endless inspirational entrepreneurs looking for social gold.
Social strategies have become my second nature. I love creating them because I believe it gives me an opportunity to merge strategy with creative thinking and showcase all the possibilities through content pillars, visuals, tone exploration, platform definition, and of course — a way to implement meaningful data capturing and analytical goals. Social strategy gives me the power to show that what’s happening in the world matters — especially on social — and I take it seriously, as a true duty, to figure out how to make each brand stand out given where we are in the world.
No two social strategies are the same. If you are a nonprofit, your goals usually are different than a small business hoping their social presence will bring in endless leads. If you are a creative house focused on blowing your competition out of the water with visuals and aesthetic, your social strategy is not going to be similar to a FinTech startup and its needs where the CMO only cares about CAC (customer acquisition cost for those of you who haven’t had to suffer through hearing the word CAC 30 times in a 45 minute minute. I love how many strategies can be applied across the board, but that each individual social strategy for each client can entirely stand on its own. To me — this is magical. And I like magic to come alive, which is why I do what I do.
When potential clients reach out, they often ask me “Why do I need a social strategy?” And the answer is pretty simple:
Why would you go on a road trip in a new country you’ve never been to without a map in hand? You wouldn’t. This is the same thing. This is uncharted territory for you. You need a road map. You can’t just coast. Especially not when it comes to your business.
Why would you throw consistency out when so many marketing pillars are based on establishing brand loyalty? Social strategies hold space for your content types that will make a difference and help promote consistency through your messaging and how your audience sees you.
Social strategy decks are road maps. They are social media strategist’s personally curated Bible. Social strategy decks are the keys to the kingdom. Why wouldn’t anyone want the keys to the kingdom if it could bring them success digitally?
In addition to providing a road map to achieving success through social media and all the important tactics required along the way, a social strategy can help brands and small businesses separate themselves from their competitors. If competitors are posting off the cuff, why would you want to go in the same direction? Have an intention, have a reason behind what you post and when and let that speak for itself — your audience will notice.
Lastly, I believe social strategy decks are lifesavers. Yes, let me say it again — they are lifesavers.
“Social strategies by freelancers are a smart financial solution for companies that aren’t ready to fully commit to hiring a full-time social person. Social strategies by a freelancer allow a company to not only dip its toe into social media and all the possibilities, but it allows brands to see a full picture without having to come up with a salary for a social media manager.”
If you are a company that can’t afford to hire a social media strategist or manager for your team, paying a flat rate for a social media strategy and turning it over to a marketing or social media coordinator is the quickest way to ensure success. This will not only help the person tasked to produce social content and publish it every day, but it will serve as the ultimate guide to teach and empower the person responsible for executing this work.
Social media strategies are not cheap, but they are a lot cheaper than hiring a full-time social media manager. Social media strategies are not cheap, but they give you everything but the kitchen sink (unless you ask for it, haha — I’ve got jokes). For example, the social strategies I deliver usually include the following:
Strategy process
Strategy overview
Goals
What social should do?
Social audits for all existing platforms
Content overviews
Themes
Social copy per platform
Leveraging media stories
Visuals + design
Content pillars
Content campaigns
Key tactics per platform
Influencer marketing recommendations
Best practices for each platform
Hashtags
Community management
User generated content expectations
Crisis management
Paid social recommendations
Reporting + metrics
This is just the tip of the iceberg though. My social strategies go deep into each platform, each need for my clients. No details are left out. No details are too big or too small to consider or discuss. The beauty of using a freelancer to create a social media strategy — instead of a social media manager that is on-staff full time — is that a freelancer is going to look at the work from a 30,000 foot perspective while making sure goals are actionable and impactful towards success. Freelance social strategists will also over communicate in their strategy docks because they want them to be used time and time again by the team ultimately getting it.
Social strategies by freelancers are a smart financial solution for companies that aren’t ready to fully commit to hiring a full-time social person. Social strategies by a freelancer allow a company to not only dip its toe into social media and all the possibilities, but it allows brands to see a full picture without having to come up with a salary for a social media manager that has 3-5 years of experience (or more). A one-time flat rate that produces endless education and social tactics in a strategy deck ranging from 50-100 pages is worth every penny.
If you’re a small business or a company that can’t justify hiring a full-time social person, hiring someone to complete a social audit and produce a social strategy will be one of the best ways to allocate marketing dollars if you truly want to grow and tackle social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Hiring a freelancer to give you the keys to the kingdom and then passing those keys (the strategy) to a junior staff member also provides a major learning opportunity because the wealth of knowledge within every page will teach whoever has been tasked to handle social so much more than if they just tried to wing it.
Social strategies are flat rate projects (usually), but they are gifts that keep giving long after the work is turned in and presented. So before you decide to just throw the idea of strategy out the window and post for an intern to come in and run social media with a job description longer than a social position at CNN — consider hiring a freelance social media strategist to put together the stepping stones, a solid foundation, and a clearly drawn out road map towards social success.
Treat yourself to a social media strategy this fall. Make a commitment to finally getting your social media into something that will make your employees proud of. Send me an email (charlsien@gmail.com) and let’s chat about your social goals and how I can help bring you into 2020 on Instagram or the platform of your choice.