Your social strategy is critical to your business. Don’t hand it to just anyone.
Because of their affinity for online social connectivity, college-age interns are often tasked with handling social media engagement for the companies sponsoring their internship. This may seem like a logical fit, but just because an intern is a SnapChat wiz or a Twitter power user, that doesn’t mean he understands the complex marketing strategies that go into an effective social media marketing campaign. The role and impact of social media marketing have changed greatly over the past few years, and it’s emerged as one of the most effective marketing practices when paired with other inbound marketing fundamentals.
First, social media marketing is too important to trust to someone who doesn’t have a long-term stake in the company.
It directly affects your website traffic, it directly affects your brand, it directly affects your sales initiatives, and it directly affects your customer service. So you want to make sure the strategy is well-thought-out by a professional who both knows what he/she is doing and who has a vested interest in your company’s success.
Second, social media affects your search engine optimization (SEO).
Certain social signals play a role in your website’s page rank on Google and Bing, so social media marketing should be thought of as part of a larger SEO strategy. According to a recent Search Engine Journal article, search engines tried hiding this fact for years, but Google eventually had to confirm it:
“All of Google’s reluctance to feature other social networks has finally buckled with the official inclusion of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks in their Knowledge Graph. Google and other search engines out there purportedly pick up on “social signals” that emanate from links popular on social media, i.e. those that have been liked and shared multiple times.”
Third, it’s more complicated than you think.
Social media marketing isn’t just idle chit-chat in an online space, and it isn’t as easy as posting a blog on Twitter once a week. If you want to use social media to drive traffic to your website, you have to engage followers and use marketing analytics to constantly adjust your program. This means working with an experienced marketing professional who understands how to craft a total strategy, and where social fits in the mix.
Ultimately, social media marketing is just another tool in your overall marketing mix, but it’s a tool that needs to be wielded by a master craftsman, not a green apprentice. If you wouldn’t hire an intern to create a comprehensive marketing plan for your business, then you shouldn’t count on him/her to manage your social media marketing strategy.
Of course, interns can certainly help with your social presence. You can involve interns by asking them to brainstorm new ideas for posts and content. You can task them with posting some messages that have been approved by your marketing team. You can ask them to monitor incoming messages and content streams to help you stay on top of communications coming to your business through social media. Certainly, use your interns and teach them what they need to know to be successful in the field. But leave the professional marketing to the professional marketers.
If you’re interested in learning more about SMO Pros’ social media marketing, view our services page or our monthly package options. You may also request a consultation for a conversation about your needs and how we can help.
