One of your colleagues recently asked:
I see ads to hire a VA to handle my social media for me. What are your thoughts on this? If you think it’s a good idea, how do you recommend going about finding the right one? How can you ensure they are equipped to do a quality job? Any tips or thoughts you have would be much appreciated.
While it’s not impossible, this approach often does not work out.
Why?
They typically hire someone who isn’t a specialist in:
- social media management
- their industry
If you’re looking to hire someone, first, you want to ask:
- What am I looking for them to do?
Social media is a very broad term, and so when you say you’re hiring someone to handle your social media, what does this mean? For some, this means generating leads for others, this means creating content.
Get clear and define the job, the roles, and the responsibilities. For example, if they are
creating your content, posting your content, and managing your account, then it will look
different than if they are posting your content and helping keep tabs on your inbox.
- How much experience does this person need to have? Are they trained, or can you train them?
If they aren’t an expert on social media and you aren’t an expert on social media, then it’s going to be like the blind leading the blind.
If you’re an expert looking to hand off your social media, you want to create very detailed standard operating procedures so they can do their job well.
Don’t forget that they may be an expert in social media but they may not be an expert in your field. This means you’ll need to train them accordingly.
Something our clients really love about working with us is how much we know the accounting industry. So not only can we engage with prospects for you and have relevant conversations, but when it comes to creating content for you, you don’t have to explain all the ins and outs, nor do you have to fact-check all the small details.
Okay, so you’ve decided you want to hire someone. Where should you find this person?
If you want a one-stop shop, go to an agency. They’ll be able to provide you with a turnkey solution.
If you want a more hands-on approach where you want to bring someone onto your team that you manage, I recommend finding someone by:
- Asking for referrals from people who you know that have had success outsourcing their social media
- Getting in Facebook groups – there is a ton of talent in Facebook groups
- Posting on LinkedIn and asking for a recommendation – you’ll be shocked at what a single post can bring you opportunity-wise!
Test the waters
Once you have found 2 – 3 potential candidates, do a paid project with them.
For example, if you’re hiring them to help with social media content creation, pay them to create a set number of posts and see how it goes. I recommend starting small and if they seem to be a good fit, you can expand over time.
Get them integrated into the team
Set them up for success. Get them set up on your project management software with daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Ensure it’s clear what they’re doing and what you’re doing. Schedule recurring check-in calls.
Don’t forget to stay involved!
Social media requires you to be engaging – you don’t want to lose touch with your audience even if you have help managing your platform(s).
Something you should absolutely stay involved with is the content creation process. Whether you have a VA or agency helping you create content, make sure you’re providing them with the ideas for the content. Further, monitor your comments and see how people are engaging with you
Now the million-dollar question – can you hire someone to manage your social media?
To take it full circle… Absolutely, you can hire someone to manage your social media, but make sure you’ve taken the time to understand what it is you’re hiring for, what kind of support you can provide, and what kind of support they can provide.
Just “hiring an expert in social media” will often leave them and you with a lot of questions and probably a lot of unfulfilled goals.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
