I came across this article a few days ago and thought it was too good not to share with all the modular factories and builders that are trying to capture market share by using Facebook Twitter, Instagram and other social media outlets.
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| Is this your social media expert? |
DIGITAL
ENTREPRENEUR | Hollis
Thomases INC.
Sure, he understands Instagram. But do you really want a
new grad controlling your brand online?
Pardon the generalization: I don’t mean to attack 23-year-olds
specifically. Nor do I believe there are no young people capable of managing a
business’s social-media responsibilities.
I am, however, trying to make a point: Just because you
don’t understand social media doesn’t mean you should forfeit all common sense
and hire your niece, nephew, or any other recent college grad (say, your best
friend’s sister-in-law’s kid) because “they’re really good on
Facebook.”
If your business targets the young and hip, most definitely
look to a recent grad or young social-media nerd to help your business. But
don’t assume, either, that you need to hire someone young to manage your social
media “just because.”
Frankly, this kind of logic makes me crazy–and yet I’m
seeing it more and more these days. But you really shouldn’t be entrusting your
entire social-media efforts to a newly graduated intern. Here’s why.
1. They’re not mature enough. Compared with young
people 50 years ago, who were eager to enter adulthood and settle down, today’s
youth are not only not eager to do so, but most do not feel that
they’ve reached adulthood until late into their 20s or early 30s, according to
research from Clark University. Instead, they tend to feel unstable and
self-focused and would rather explore who they are and how they can transform
their lives. This is great for them but not so great for you, their
employer–particularly because social media is all about communicating with your audience
in mature and accountable ways.
2. They may be focused on their own social-media
activity. Because of the above, if you hire a young person to manage your
social media, you may also need to need to worry about how he or she is
actually spending his or her time. Will you need to be monitoring the person?
3. They may not have the same etiquette–or experience. Your
recent college grad may have experience with Facebook and Instagram, but make
sure you check out the substance of his or her updates and posts. You need to
make sure your posts reflect your brand–and that you don’t wind up with a
late-night smartphone photo landing in the wrong account. At the very least,
ensure you have a social-media policy in place.
4. You can’t control their friends. This isn’t
exclusive to recent grads, of course, but it’s a risk to consider: Even if you
hire a real winner, be sure that his or her friends won’t post inappropriate
content to your company’s social-media accounts
5. No class can replace on-the-job training.
Social media for business is really so many things wrapped into one: marketing,
customer service, public relations, crisis management, branding. How deep is
the experience of a young person in delivering any of these things?
6. They may not understand your business.
You are handing the keys to your social-media kingdom to a newcomer, but
there’s plenty that he or she needs to understand beyond the social tools
themselves. What are the nuances of your products or services? What makes you
stand out in the marketplace? What are the typical expectations of your
customers? How do you troubleshoot issues or cajole customers into working a
bit more with you? What does your company stand for? No new hire will be able to
absorb these issues overnight, of course–but a brand-new graduate will have an
even steeper learning curve.
7. Communication skills are critical. Communication
is critical to solid social-media execution. Before you let a young hire take
over your company blog posts, take stock of his or her writing skills. Also:
Many young people have not yet learned the “art” of communicating.
Make sure they know how to read between the lines, rather than taking things
too literally.
8. Humor is tricky business. People like to
be entertained, on social media as well as elsewhere. Will a young hire
understand the boundaries of humor and entertainment appropriate to your target
audience, or could your audience wind up being offended?
9. Social-media savvy is not the same as technical
savvy. Good social media requires a combination of both. Successful
social-media management involves production requirements, tools, analytics, and
other aspects of work.
10. Social-media management can become crisis management. The
real-time nature of social media can quickly turn fun engagement and
conversation into a public relations disaster, especially if the person behind
the wheel isn’t thinking a few steps ahead. Are you really willing to take that
risk?
11. You need to keep the keys. If you do go ahead and
hire a new grad, make sure he or she sets up the social-media accounts using
your company’s email and shares the passwords with you. Otherwise, you could
wind up with no access to these social-media accounts–and no way to take them
over.
Social media is not the be-all and end-all. It’s a marketing tool–part
of an ever-growing arsenal of ways to bring your company to your prospective
customers’ attention.
Thinking of it this way, you will perhaps slow down and
consider more closely whom you’re hiring–and why.
