Is it a surprise to learn the average social media user has 8 social media accounts? When reading about it recently, I gasped in surprise—and I manage client social media accounts for a living!
If I had to manage 8 social accounts per client, I’d likely go insane or at least pull my hair out. But seriously, clients are busy enough trying to work even one social media channel while running their businesses and living their lives in the real world. It doesn’t seem possible to consider 8 at a time.
Even the average person doesn’t have enough time to leisurely look through 8 social media networks daily. There just aren’t enough hours in a day!
To effectively use social media, you need both time and consistency. Many very young people try their hand at social media management but quickly learn how much WORK it truly is.
Often, they don’t stick around month after month or year after year to work in the field. Social media, especially for businesses, isn’t for the faint of heart!
But, let’s explore the idea of 8 social media channels a person, further, shall we?
First, What Might Those 8 Social Media Networks Be?
Let’s see: these are the most used social networks today online:
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- YouTube
- ClubHouse and other audio chat networks popping up
- Alternative Network Sites like Minds, MeWe, Parler, etc.
How Can You Focus on Multiple Networks at the Same Time?
Not well, I may say especially if you are to engage on the network and participate in groups. In that case, you really have to pick and choose which network to spend precious time on. Learning how to be a social media manager and staying sane today is not easy, but I can help you get started.
First figure out which networks make the most sense for you or for your clients based on audience, industry, topics, etc. Not everyone needs to be on Snapchat or TikTok for example because these two networks reach an audience of mostly aged 18–24-year-olds.
Therefore, it is essential to know the current demographics of each of the social media channels. Foremost, do try to stay on top of the latest stats and trends for each platform.
Be sure to read blogs about social media and you can also use a Google Alert set-up for a term or of the networks you want to stay on top of. Those good old fashion Google alerts work well!
What Are Your Goals for Social Media Management?
Go over why goals are so important in the first place. You can’t reach results if you don’t have a target, of course. Work to understand what goals most matter to a client before starting any new social media account or management.
If you are doing social media for yourself, figure out your goal first and then plan how to get there.
Not everyone is looking for the same ROI. Some businesses need additional branding visibility or want to respond to clients or promote their blogs.
For example, I manage a leadership expert who has an Amazon best-selling book. For his audience, LinkedIn makes the most sense of all the networks to serve his business. LinkedIn is the channel where he generates the most leads and sales.
I can’t imagine him on TikTok or SnapChat. But he’s also found Twitter is useful for his blog and maintains a Facebook page to gain more brand visibility.
How To Focus on Your Top Social Media Network
Pick the network applicable for your niche and business. Choose the top one first. Starting with a top choice is super important as you’ll spend the most time and effort on this essential leading social media network. Learn the in’s and out’s of the network, and again, stay on top of all the updates and changes.
Once you learn something about a social media network, it usually changes! So, as far as the social media platforms go, the learning is never over.
How to Manage Several Social Media Networks Wisely
Next, go ahead and add two or three social networks if appropriate. The next ones you pick should not be as work-intensive as the first. Keep that in mind when creating proposals for your clients or for managing accounts.
Of course, for each of these social media channels, don’t forget to engage a social media strategy! To propel your way to success, a social media strategy is a must.
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Where to Draw the Line on Additional Social Media Accounts
Don’t worry; you’ll know when you have more than enough social media accounts to take care of – there are sure signs that tell you! Once you feel overwhelmed and unable to complete daily tasks without working 12+ hours a day, it’s time to call a time-out.
Note exactly where you are spending your time and what you can delegate for starts. Or learn if goals are realistic and attainable or require additional adjustments in strategy.
Are you spending too much time creating graphics or videos? Are you responding to more comments or tweets than previously known?
If so, talk to your client about it. Either they can pay more or take over that part of the mission.
What Do All of the Social Networks Have in Common?
Engagement is a must on all of the networks today. You may need to collaborate or hire some smaller influencers to help you with engagement. It takes a village as they say and that goes for social media as well.
Let’s go over some of the engagement methods for the big social media networks.
Not only will you have to manage a Facebook page, but you may have to manage groups for the page, do stories for the page, ads for the page, and respond to comments and inquiries. Some companies will respond to these directly and others will want you to do it for them.
Set the expectation up in advance, so everyone knows who will be doing what. Not only that, but consider if you’ll be doing the graphics for the posts and finding all of the content, or if the client will provide some of it for you?
Again, it’s all about expectations. So, do yourself a favor and set them up beforehand!
Instagram is probably the most work-intensive network. Not only do you have to have beautiful images to post, but you also need to do stories frequently, experiment with video and reels, keep up with comments, and find the correct hashtags for Instagram!
Yes, Instagram is not the easiest network to manage. Often, you will share other’s stories or posts or thank them in a story. There is much creativity that goes into Instagram, probably more than any other social media network.
Of course, you may want to hire some influencers along the way to help promote a brand. Or better yet, network with them and collaborate to improve everyone’s branding efforts on social media. Not all brand influencers need a lot of followers, just the right ones!
Twitter is the quickest network to get information out to, and so, you can tweet more often than you can post on any of the other social media networks. There are 6,000 tweets per second. Yes, you read that right!
Even though it moves fast, Twitter is also the network to engage on if you want to gain any traction. You cannot post and forget about it on Twitter. It won’t work that way for you.
Now, things are even getting more intense with new features like fleet options and spaces on the Twitter network.
Lately, Twitter is coming out with new things weekly, so stay on top of their latest updates for sure.
Pay attention to Twitter rules because you can quickly get an account temporarily or permanently suspended if you don’t follow their rules. Keep in mind also that Twitter rules change from time to time.
The LinkedIn Network has added more for marketers to do, like manage pages and produce stories on the mobile app. Further, use the premium version for clients to do advertisements that are quite effective for B2B businesses.
Many folks love to send messages on LinkedIn. But who will be responsible for responding to them?
I often have my clients do that type of responding. It can be impossible at times to know what they would say or do in any given situation.
As a social media manager, you must decide if you want clients to write for their pages or not. It depends again on their goals and expectations. Establish clear roles upfront for best results on social media.
If you are asked to pin away, beware, because Pinterest has made many changes over the past year. You can use the try pin feature or video pins, and Pinterest ads are becoming quite popular.
You may want to use a tool called Tailwind to post your pins and spread them further into the Pinterverse.
TikTok
This network is all about video and reaches a younger audience. You’ll need to get as many videos from your clients as possible showing a look behind the scenes, insight videos, and others for humor and fun.
Snapchat
This network, also for a younger audience, is growing more as time goes on. The advertising platform Snapchat offers is one you may want to try out for yourself or your clients.
YouTube
Yes, this video network is considered a social network too. It’s the most visited website in the world today. People can subscribe to your channel or comment on your videos and (hopefully) give them likes or dislikes. YouTube is great for how-to videos and showcasing how to use your products or services.
You can manage others’ channels as an administrator, and then you may create graphics for thumbnails and edit videos as well. Knowing what keywords to use and what descriptions and links to add is another task many companies need help with in managing their YouTube channels.
It’s always best for clients to show themselves and be visible in the videos. It’s an excellent way for people to get to know them better and helps grow awareness.
ClubHouse and Other Audio Chat Networks Popping Up!
Today chat networks like ClubHouse are popping up everywhere! Time will tell how well they work out for businesses.
Make sure you have the time to dedicate before starting a new channel.
Remember, any new social media channel takes extra time in the beginning!
Alternative Social Network Sites
There are a surprising number of new social networking sites, including Minds, MeWe, Parler, and others. In my most recent research on social media, these networks came up in the top searches. It seems people are tired of censorship and are turning to alternative networks more and more.
They may be controversial, but they are also growing and may be a fit for some folks. I’ve found traffic is increasing from the Minds network for my blog. I’m getting even more traffic than what YouTube is driving to my website recently.
How to Be a Social Media Manager Effectively Managing Time
The biggest job of any social media manager is managing time. I tell my clients I am a timesaver for them. Many do not want to spend the time in front of their computer screens doing social media. They want to sell their products and work in their businesses.
I love having a calendar nearby filled with my client’s projects on a weekly schedule, and then I check each off as I do them. Additionally, I typically try to work a week or two in advance. The more you schedule ahead, the better. You never know when life will throw you a curveball!
However, do know you may have to adjust for your clients along the way to evolve or change things if world events change things suddenly or dramatically.
Using Tools as a Social Media Manager
One of the best ways to manage your time better is by using the right tools for your social media management. My favorite tool and I know Neal loves it as well, is Agorapulse. Not only does it let you schedule posts for all the top social media networks, but you can listen, respond, and engage with others right from the dashboard. Not only that, but you can produce white-glove reporting for clients.
Of course, there are other tools like Quu and MissingLttr. They do automate social media processes and are a huge timesaver for you. MissingLttr is affordable and yet packs a punch in scheduling out your blog posts for the entire year.
Learn How to Know How Much Time You Need and Where To Spend That Time
Keep track of all the time you spend as a social media manager. It may not be easy to do this, but it is important to know if you are being paid what you are worth and how to charge going forward.
Keep track of your time creating images, calling clients, coming up with unique copy and content, researching content, and uploading/scheduling into a dashboard or in the creator studio. If you have to send proofs out, keep track of that time as well.
Review Your Social Media Analytics and Results
Part of managing social media networks means you will need to review analytics and results monthly. Most of the social networks have analytics to see from within them, or you can use Agorapulse’s reporting tool. With Agorapulse, you can also learn what the best times and days are for posting to each network. You will learn what makes the engagement increase or decrease. Did videos do best on one channel and quotes on another?
You will be able to adjust and evolve for each of the networks. Doing this review work is an ongoing process, but makes a huge difference in your social media management results.
Conclusion on How to Be a Social Media Manager Today with So Many Networks
It’s not easy in this socially busy world to manage multiple social media channels expertly, but it is possible to handle them successfully and wisely by adopting the above tips. Remember, social media management always starts with a plan, a process, and expectations. You can’t go from A to B without keeping these pertinent tips in mind.
Author Bio
Lisa Sicard is the Owner of Inspire to Thrive. With over 25+ years in marketing and on her tenth year blogging away at Inspire To Thrive, Lisa loves helping others with social media, blogging, SEO, and small business. She provides these services to small businesses and well as consultations and social media training. Lisa has a background in newspaper advertising as well as digital marketing and was part of a social media committee at the oldest newspaper (The Providence Journal) in the country for years. She taught others how to tweet and use social media to further the newspaper’s reach digitally. She published an eBook on Amazon, How to Tweet and Thrive on Twitter.
Hero photo by William Krause on Unsplash
I’m wondering what the best ways are to take ownership of your clients social media?
Have them make you an admin on their company accounts!