Attributes Social Media Managers must possess.

Social media mangers traits.

Marketing your brand on social media is currently one of the more pervasive ways through which people can learn about your product. You therefore don’t want to leave this responsibility in the hands of an amateur.

Social media marketing requires a hell lot of work, a good and technical savvy mind, excellent writing skills, empathy for customers and a clear understanding of the company’s social media marketing strategies.
I have compiled a list of the traits to look for when hiring a social media manager:

1. You need to look out for a naturally curious person. Naturally curious people are pokey therefore they are always aware of all trends and other developments on your products or competing brands. It is therefore important to have a social media manager who will tap into different areas of the business and gather appropriate information that is engaging.
2. They should be good at conversational writing as this will engage your audience and open up a dialogue between your business and customers. The messages therefore shouldn’t sound like advertising posts and therefore it is important to hire someone who can write in a conversational voice.
3. You need to find a person who operates with a sense of urgency. Unlike traditional corporate communication tools, social media demands immediacy especially in response. A comment posted on Twitter or on your brand’s Facebook Page or blog must be answered right away. Your social media manager should understand this and respond in real-time and in line with the company’s set protocols and guidelines.
4. They need to understand your business-related goals and other marketing strategies. All the content on your social sites has to support your business-related goals and strategies. This therefore means that your social media manager must have an intimate understanding of the company’s goals.
5. Your social media manager needs to be one that seeks input from others since they shouldn’t work in a vacuum. It is necessary that they are proactive, checking with those who know best like department managers, executive team members and front line staff. They are only as good as the people around them and the information they freely offer up.
6. Your social media manager should be able to respect confidentiality. This is so because social media managers will have the access to all areas of your business. They therefore must know what’s okay to share and what can never be revealed.
7. Your social media marketer needs to be updated on current affairs, must have a nose news and be flexible. In this way, they will be able to identify opportunities for the business’s offline marketing. This is by identifying potential partners, events and other opportunities that your brand can attend for offline marketing.

Entrepreneurial pick

Social media managers need to have these traits: nose for offline branding opportunities, understanding of the company values and ethics, curiosity, the ability to write conversationally and customer care traits.