Qualities? What qualities? Isn’t a Social Media Manager that girl who posts cute pictures on Facebook and cat videos on YouTube?
Brand Managers and company owners who think like that are in big trouble. When you have a business to handle, the last thing you want to do is leave an amateur to manage your social accounts. And because you have other priorities, administrating this area by yourself is not an option either. You need a good person to take care of your image in the online environment.
Even though 10 years ago this job was inexistent, nowadays it’s one of the most popular. But just like in any other job, you need experience and a good understanding of the business. When a common idea is that a person who spends a few fours per day on Facebook can become a Social Media Manager, how can you decide who’s the right person for your company?
Remember just that this one" will reflect your brand’s image in the online medium, on the social networks, where your audience is spending time.
So, these are the qualities your future Social Media Manager should possess:
1. Passionate
This is not a 9-5 job. Most people treat it like it is but if you want to do it good, you need to invest time. So, make sure that your future Social Media Manager really loves this job and he or she is not there just to spend some time on Facebook while being paid.
2. Analytic
It’s not all beautiful words, love for the community and brand; it’s also a business with goals and targets; we need to see the ROI. A Social Media Manager has to analyze the data, make reports and see if the KPIs are being met. Moreover, he should understand the numbers and adapt the future direction based on what the data shows.
3. Organized
Imagine a person who has to manage a brand’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, Linkedin, Vine and Vimeo pages. He has to manage these pages daily, study competition, read trending related articles, check the insights, monitor audience, come up with new ideas and report everything. Now imagine that this Social Media Manager has 4 other brands to manage. I don’t even want to make you imagine what happens to your brand if your social media guy is not organized.
4. Curious
Curiosity might’ve killed the cat but it will help your Social Media Manager. He has to be up to date with the trends, know how the environment is developing and what kind of changes the social networks made… again. Most of all, he needs to know the audience as much as possible. And I am not talking about their age and social status. No, a Social Media Manager has to know where your audience drinks coffee, where they buy their clothes from, do they eat junk food or they would never eat something like that; do they wake up at 6 am or they’re the lazy type. Of course, he won’t have to be a stalker, but he needs to have a detailed mental image of his target. That’s what I am talking about.
5. Quick
Did you know that 53% of users who tweet a brand expect a response within an hour? So, you need a person who’s always monitoring your pages. Of course, there are lots of tools that can help him with this, but that’s another story.
6. Bold
A Social Media Manager has to try new things, out-of-the-box ideas but still maintain the brands values. He also has to be bold to come and tell you he wants to try this thing, knowing that most employers don’t want to risk that much, right?
7. Thick skin
Followers will come and followers will go. People will love your brand but others will hate it; or even worse, they won’t even care you exist. Some of them will say harsh things just because they can and others will take advantage to ask for any products or discounts they can. A Social Media Manager has to act like a professional, solve the problems and not take it personal.
8. Strategic
Your company’s presence in Social Media is not just something independent, that you just “need to do”. It’s part of a bigger picture that can help your brand in so many ways. That’s why a Social Media Manager has to understand the difference between the strategy and tactics that will help him achieve the goals.
9. Patient
Both you and him or her should know that followers don’t grow on trees. It takes time to create a great community and even more to make them love your brand. Be fair and don’t play tricks just for the sake of numbers. The quality of your fans it’s more important than the number.
10. Empathic
You need a person who understands people and replies on their own language, while maintaining the brand’s tone of voice.
Extra: Sometimes masochist
It’s not an easy job and sometimes, a Social Media Manger cannot enjoy a nice evening with his friends because, he needs to check the pages and see what’s happening. Sometimes, he can even become obsessed with seeing the numbers growing, either it is the followers’ number, the reach or any other KPI he got stuck in his mind.
So, next time when you need to hire a Social Media Manager to handle your brand, think twice about his or her qualities and skills. If you think of any other ones that can be included in this list, I would like to know your opinion.