Part-Time Help Wanted: Must Love People

Once you make the decision to beef up your company’s online presence, where should you start and who should be in charge?

While large companies can usually afford to hire full-time Online Communications / Social Media Managers, small, local businesses can’t always make the same finanicial commitment. Ironically, it’s the smaller companies that often create ideal social media networks most successfully in the eyes of their followers.

If you own small company that wants to participate online but can’t afford a full time social media position, what should you do?  Whether you’re considering assigning added responsibilities to a current employee, or seeking outside assistance, choosing the right candidate for the job is key.

Do you have someone on staff that already possesses the basic qualities of great social media manager? Provided you are committed to the enveavor and willing to let them spend ample time and energy on building your online networks, you may want to consider promoting from within.

5 Qualities of a Great Social Media Manager:

Is the person friendly and generally well connected? The right candidate likely has a background in customer service, is involved in their community, and has lots of friends and acquaintances. They generally enjoy people for the sake of expanding their circle and making connections without ulterior motives. A natural networker knows the value of building trusted relationships that one day become evangelistic, loyal followers.

Is the person knowledgable about your company? Knowledge of your company’s mission, voice, products, policies and practices will save time and ensure you’re being represented appropriately. The newest employee on the roster could manage your social media, but only after they fully understand what the directives are and what you are trying to accomplish on a larger scale beyond acquiring “likes” and posting photos.

Does the person have an impressive and desirable social media personal presence? Time to do a little internet stalking to find out how your candidate handles their own social media presence. An interest in social media trends and familiarity with major platforms is important, but not as important as the content and tone of what is being shared. Technical aspects of the job can be learned by an eager employee, but a bad attitude or negative tendencies are hard to change. Joie de vivre, creativity and enthusiasm = Good. Debbie Downers, Negative Nellies and habitual sarcastic meme posters = Not Good.

Does the person project themselves in an educated manner? Proper punctuation,  good grammar, and basic writing skills are important. You don’t need a to find a modern day William Shakespeare to manage your efforts, but a Gabby Hayes rambler could actually damage your credibility. (Unless you’re producing a Spaghetti Western Trail Hand Cooking show, that is.) Look for someone who is down to earth, an effective communicator, generally interesting, and well spoken.

Do you trust this person to represent your company and handle interactions for you? It always comes down to trust, doesn’t it? Ask yourself, do you trust this person to consistently project your company in the best light possible without running everything by you prior to posting? There must be a certain level of trust and understanding with the candidate you’re selecting. If you don’t feel they can effectively handle the task at hand without getting approval before creating content, you will not be saving time, energy or money. You will be creating work, bogging down the flow, and creating headaches for yourself and your new manager. Choose wisely, monitor occasionally and let it happen.