Social Media Management: What Are the Benefits and Social Media Manager Cost
If it’s additional exposure for a new product or service you are looking for, then an experienced social media manager (SMM) is the way to go. They are equipped with all the necessary sales know-how, as well as a thorough understanding of marketing strategy and development.
As social media experts, they can manage a publishing calendar, to curate content, schedule posts, monitor networks for brand mentions and keywords, engage with customers, review analytics, optimize social media posts, etc.
While the average social media campaign can last from anywhere between 1 to 6 months and can include numerous services, social media managers can take up this time-consuming task off of your hands, leaving you to focus on other critical day-to-day operations of the company.
With that said, here are several estimated costs and benefits of working with a social media manager.
Cost: (Non)Existing Social Media Accounts
The cost of hiring a social media manager will be influenced by what social infrastructure you already have set up. The initial setup of social media channels requires a lot of work, including the initial content, artwork, taglines, branding, etc.
Lead generation in the early stages of a channel is much more difficult, meaning that the manager will have to run both paid and organic campaigns. Already established channels, on the other hand, usually require less initial effort and should cost less to manage.
Benefit: Experience
Regardless of the initial state of your social channels, an SMM will bring their expertise to the table, greatly hastening the entire conversion process. It is a time-consuming task, so having an experienced person handle it will streamline the whole operation. It frees you up to manage other areas of your business.
Cost: Content Creation
Content is yet another area that will add to the overall cost. In today’s digital environment, customers are interested in value, as well as multimedia elements such as images, videos, and GIFs. Depending on the number of social channels and the posting frequency, this content can also increase the cost.
Benefit: Using Metrics and Brand Recognition
A social media manager is fully capable of keeping track of metrics being generated by your social platforms. Be it Instagram and Facebook Insights or LinkedIn or Twitter Analytics, SMMs can understand and track performance and use that data to generate leads and build brand recognition.
SMMs have the necessary skills and experience to create an active online community for your brand, engage with the audience on all channels, as well as to develop and maintain your brand’s reputation, in the process. All of these are designed to increase traffic and have your visitors returning to your website time and time again.
Conclusion
Even if there are costs associated with hiring an SMM, it is important to remember that there is no profit without investment. What’s more, by employing a social media manager, you will have access to an entire team of professionals, who are perfectly capable of staying on top of changing trends, utilize metrics, and, ultimately, turn page likes into conversions.
All of these will give you the inherent competitive advantage to have your brand noticed among the masses and have people turn to you for advice, as an industry expert.
