The Social Media Marketer

5 Qualities Of A Successful Social Media Marketing Team

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The best social media marketing strategy is the one that works for your business. The best social media marketing team is a group of people who are willing and eager to work together for the benefit of your business. Any coach will tell you an excited and cohesive team will invariably beat individuals playing independently.  

The size of your all-star social media marketing team will depend on your particular business, but might include:

• One social media master:  This team member will integrate social media into your customer care and marketing. His or her goal will be to minimize the resources used while maximizing the returns.

• One member from IT:  To achieve the maximum results possible, someone who is technology inclined is an important part of your team.

• One member from customer service:  This person will bring insights into customer expectations. They will be primarily responsible for the actual implementation and execution of your developed strategy.

• One member each from your sales, retail, eCommerce and direct marketing divisions:  Team members from these divisions will provide specific insight into their own marketing efforts and projects. By including all divisions, you ensure everyone works together toward creating the best possible customer experience.  

Five qualities you want in your social media marketing team:  

1.  Support:

• You want to have support from all levels within your business.

• All departments should be excited, enthused and involved in the development of this team.

• Make everyone feel they are an important part of this new venture. This is new territory for most businesses.

2.  Clearly state your objectives, including these key concepts:

• Listening and using social media to research and gain insights from customers.

• Talking and using conversations with customers as a method for promoting services and products.

• Energizing and building your brand. Identifying enthusiastic customers and utilizing their enthusiasm to motivate others.

• Supporting your customers and allowing them to help each other.

• Embracing your customers and using them as a source for innovation.

• Utilizing the acronym “POST” for a systematic approach to social media marketing.

3.  Decide which media methods you will use:

• There are many tools available in social media marketing – different strategies, tools, platforms and tactics. Not all will work well for your business. They will not totally replace your traditional marketing, only enhance and reinforce it.

• Following are descriptions of a few types of social media:

• Social networks, an online “community” consisting of people with shared interests.

• Social bookmarking, which allows the saving and sharing of favored webpage.

• Blogging, frequently updated information on a website, similar to a journal.

• Social Q&A, where users can submit questions and/or answer questions submitted by others.

• An explanation of 23 Types of Social Media Sites.

4.  Create a social media marketing team plan:

• Identify and outline roles and responsibilities; avoid any overlap or confusion.

• Functions which might be distributed among team members include:

• Community management;

• Copywriting;

• Social media monitoring and analysis;

• Social content and/or media development;

• Blogger and influential outreach;

• Social network development.

• Provide each team member with your social media guideline.

• Develop a policy statement of how your team members are to reference your business when interacting with customers in a social media environment.

• Set your goals and expectations for social media marketing and have them in writing for all team members

5.     Select your team members:

• Identify what you want to accomplish with your social media marketing.

• Is your goal to entertain, excite or entice?

• Will your primary objective be to educate?

• Do you want your marketing to be serious or light-hearted?

• Your team members need to be able to fit into these parameters.

• Determine if you will be selecting team members from existing employees or hiring from outside.

• Do any of your current employees have the necessary skills or knowledge?

• Do they present themselves as real and down-to-earth?

• Remember your current employees are already familiar with your business and your product.

• Team members will need a combination of skills – social, business and communication skills.

• Attention to detail and efficiency are very important.

• Your team members must display a sense of commitment, along with consistency.

• Decide if your team members will work exclusively on social media marketing, or if it will be combined with another job.

• Choose your team carefully and deliberately.  

In addition to these five qualities for a successful social marketing team, here are five additional “secrets” you should know.

Social media marketing has become very important in creating brand awareness in today’s market. And the right all-star team is essential in creating successful social media marketing.