Social media has completely transformed the way brands market their products and services. In fact, there are entire companies built on social media. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands like Outdoor Voices and Allbirds have become valued at over $1B simply through their social media campaigns. They didn’t spend so much on SEO or traditional PR, their secret to success was their creativity on social media.

A lot of companies use social media as a tool to pump out their blog posts, webinars, and occasionally announce their job openings. They don’t know how to use social media to grow an online community, how to run UGC campaigns, how to work with hundreds of influencers, and get thousands of users to post pictures and reviews of their product.

Another common missed opportunity is that brands don’t know which platforms to post content on. Sometimes brands are focusing on the wrong social media channels for their business and leaving a lot of sales on the table.

This is where Mayple comes in. We have an online community of hand-picked social media experts that have worked with some of the biggest global brands. We vet each one, and match the right expert, with proven industry experience to your brand,

Why your business needs a social media marketer

Social media is changing all the time. There are new social media platforms popping up on the scene, new algorithm changes, new post formats that a brand should be aware of. Utilizing the newest formats can make the biggest difference. It can bring you from 0 to thousands of impressions if used correctly.

Also, a lot of brands use social media at the beginning of their marketing funnel, at the awareness stage. They post interesting articles to get attention, targeting that new user that’s never heard of them before. An expert social media manager is able to publish a variety of posts that target the lead or customer at every stage of the marketing funnel.

An expert social media manager can use social media to:

-Publish posts that delight & educate the customers

-Create content for those users with the highest purchase intent

-Educate the customer to increase brand loyalty, referrals, and word-of-mouth

Another huge aspect of social media is that customers often use these platforms (like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) to ask questions or bring up issues. It’s really important for a brand to have someone on the team that is able to field these requests to the customer service team and solve them promptly. This is crucial for the reputation of your brand, and for increasing your lifetime customer value (CLV).

Wondering what should be on a social media manager job description?

A social media manager is responsible for:

• Managing content creation and scheduling on all the various social platforms
• Spearheading social listening and brand awareness 
• Aligning each social media campaign with the company's other digital marketing efforts and brand identity
• Being responsible for the social content calendar, posting original content, content distribution, and re-purposing existing content 
• Managing all the various social media communities of the business and responding to customer inquiries promptly
• Managing or collaborating with the social media advertising team
• Managing a team of in-house and freelance social media consultants. They are usually in charge of the hiring process and training of freelancers and marketers
• Managing a social network of influencers and journalists (influencer marketing & public relations)
• Reporting on existing traffic and engagement using Google Analytics or social media tools like Sprout Social, Buffer, or HootSuite
• Responsible for growing the company's social media presence on every channel

Social media changes all the time and social media marketers need to be curious, adaptable, and be able to seamlessly integrate into your existing marketing team. They should also keep track of new social media trends and content strategies coming out every year to keep your social media content up to date. 

Mayple vets for all of these qualities and we also make sure that our social media experts have a few more relevant skills:

Graphic design

Social media is all about the visuals. You have 1-2 seconds to grab the attention of your potential customers and you want to make sure that the design of every social media post is catchy, relevant, and stunning. Social media managers need to have an eye for design and be able to understand and use different design tools.

Copywriting

Copy is just as important as design, and it’s one of the hardest skills to learn. A social media marketer needs to be a master copywriter and content creator, writing compelling copy that makes a lasting impression on your audience. You want your brand to be memorable, and we make sure that our social media experts get you there.

Customer care

A savvy social media manager needs to have outstanding communication skills and be able to respond to your customers on social media. They need to have the intuition to be able to delight each customer, and absolutely raise the bar on how your brand interacts and responds to each customer question and concern.

Community management 

An expert social media marketer knows how to build a community through a consistent narrative, engaging posts, and build relationships with prominent influencers in your niche. It’s like inviting a food critic to your restaurant, a marketing expert needs to know how to delight specific influencers to achieve exponential brand growth.

Analytics & reporting

A well-rounded social media marketer needs to know how to analyze the results of their campaigns using Google Analytics or a social media tool. They need to know all the needed tools to analyze the impressions, clicks, traffic to the site, and conversions, in order to improve their performance month after month.

Paid social ads

A social media marketer needs to be proficient in paid advertising on social media. They need to understand budgeting and know how to serve your ads to your target audience. 

Channel strategy

An integral part of your social media strategy is strategically deciding on which social channels to pursue. An expert social media specialist needs to know exactly which social media profiles to work on and where to focus their efforts.