Anyone who has owned a business knows first-hand that there is no secret playbook for creating a successful company. But with over 2,500 billionaires walking around the world today, it’s obvious some of them are figuring it out! Out of those 2,500, almost 60% of them are by definition considered “self-made”; but these individuals know that it cannot be done alone. Starting a successful company without the help of inheritance is possible, but extremely difficult. Starting a successful company without the help of a great support system is possible, but futile. As the name of their company rises on the Forbes list, wise business owners know that it’s the names on their employee roster that matter the most. Today, one of the most important names on that roster will be next to the title ‘Social Media Coordinator.’

Since their inception, social media platforms have become less like digital yearbooks and more like digital malls. As consumers scroll through their news feed they are greeted with personalized advertisements from thousands of different brands all fighting for their 0.3 seconds of attention. Instagram is taking the lead in sales with over 130 million clicks every month for purchases and product discovery alone. Hiring an experienced social media coordinator is the best way to take advantage of these ever-changing digital platforms. 

What is a Social Media Coordinator?

Whether they are referred to as directors of marketing, social services managers, or social media liaisons, social media coordinators have emerged into the workforce and lightened the load for business owners everywhere. These subject matter experts of online marketing have become one of the most sought-after positions for new hires. Currently, there are over 14,000 companies on Indeed, and over 72,000 on Monster, searching for these magicians of analytics. For many companies, small or large, the time it would take to create a complete and thorough marketing plan is non-existent. Social media coordinators know how to utilize social media platform algorithms to showcase a company’s individuality and strengths through dedicated marketing efforts, ensuring long-term success for any company. 

In jest, social media coordinators are either in-house or outsourced individuals who research the latest consumer trends and create useful quality social media campaigns to increase sales and reinforce the brand. They meticulously comb through every post for grammatical errors and political correctness to ensure lasting success even with post maturity. Trained and educated in interpersonal, writing, and photo editing skills, social media coordinators are an invaluable asset to any company. No longer can small business managers grab the youngest, most tech-savvy employee in the office to maintain their accounts. The world of social media has evolved and the need for a dedicated social media specialist is paramount.

What Does a Social Media Coordinator Do?

A social media coordinator’s impact on any company is directly dependent upon their leadership’s control. Multifaceted in all things communications and marketing, social media coordinators can help manage projects in almost any department. Here is a shortlist of the many responsibilities a social media coordinator can be tasked for: 

Social Media Coordinator Responsibilities:

• Understand how to utilize a company’s KPIs (key performance indicators) specifically for social media platforms to create successful marketing campaigns. 
• Collaborate with designers and copywriters to develop and curate engaging content for social media channels. This includes all written video and photo content.
• Plan and attend events coordinated through social media platforms.
• Develop and execute a continuously maturing marketing strategy that best suits the company’s vision for long-term success.
• Create and supervise a team of marketing professionals to uphold a unified voice for the company across all channels.
• Track the performance of all social media campaigns in relevance to partner and customer interaction.
• Manage all social media account activity to include social media messages, inquiries, comments, and sales. 
• Stay current on technological advancements and eCommerce trends to ensure the best social practices.
• Report on all key metrics relevant to specific campaigns and make recommendations accordingly.

5 Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Social Media Coordinator

1. Improve Daily Operations

Whether hired in-house or outsourced, a social media coordinator is not merely an extension of the company. Social media coordinators must be deeply embedded into almost every aspect of company operations to become an accurate voice for the entire company. This exposure to employees and consumers allows social media coordinators to provide applicable feedback for each department. From driving sales to managing customer service to generating new business partnerships, social media coordinators have a huge impact on the success of any business. 

2. Create Profitable Partnerships

Social media platforms are the hubs of humanity for today’s digital world. Most companies today are heading this information with as much as 64% shifting their marketing practices to prioritize their presence online.  Although originally created for simple networking and family updates, social media applications are now used for a myriad of objectives focused on professional relationships and mass advertising. Social media coordinators know how to utilize marketing strategies to create networking possibilities all over the world. Whether the company is local or global, understanding how to reach potential partners allows the views and sales to multiply. By adding their name to a list of followers, a company is saying to the world, “I support this group of individuals and what they are doing here.” Social media coordinators are aware that customers notice who their companies stand with and use that to their advantage.  

3. Increase Sales

Social media coordinators know that when a consumer follows a company page, it is the beginning of a potentially profitable and hopefully long-term relationship. Any good salesman can bring in one-time sales, but a great media coordinator creates a following. A large number of followers may not seem like much outside the world of social media, but eCommerce entrepreneurs know that a following is the most beneficial way to make a profit. Facebook recently conducted a consumer study to figure out how many online shoppers actually prefer to use their social media platform to make purchases rather than the internet. It’s not surprising to find that over 63% of online shoppers would rather shop through Facebook’s social media platform rather than through the brands’ respective sites.

The moment a customer follows a company on social media they are injecting this new brand into their own news feed, their friends’ news feed, and ultimately their daily lives. Social media coordinators know that posts are not just advertisements; they are a way to personally connect with thousands of customers at the same time. This ever-growing outreach can fizzle just as quickly as it started if it’s not fostered. Simply engaging with customers on social media platforms can increase brand loyalty by 86%.  

4. Guarantee Longevity

Millions of mistakes are made on social media profiles every day but there is no space for indifference. Posts today, especially professional marketing posts, are held to much higher standards than ever before. Social media is ‘open’ 24/7 and posts do not expire. A consumer’s first impression of a company could be from an ill-planned post made 4 years ago.  Social media coordinators are aware of how important this small window of immense opportunity really is. Whether the company started 17 days ago or 17 years ago, every post is as important as the first. 

As humanity prioritizes mental health, people are being more cognizant of what they consume visually. Companies today must be mindful of what images they are using, what words are saying, and what ideas they are implying. More often than not, once a negative assumption is made about a published post, a follower will take one of two actions: leave a comment or, most likely, unfollow the accused company. Research shows that after one bad experience with a trusted company, 39% of customers will turn to a competitor’s page. This leaves little to no opportunity for reconciliation. Social media coordinators mitigate these potentially hazardous situations by staying current with all public relations news and engaging with audiences accordingly.

5. Cultivate Company Morale

Apart from anticipating consumer climate, a social media coordinator must understand and believe in the people they are representing. Social media coordinators control when, where, and how the world sees a company. This inadvertently affects each person that works for that company as well. Consumers and employees alike want to be associated with reputable companies that care about their sphere of influence and its effect on the community. Regardless of their title, any employee who believes in their company values and mission will act accordingly. This is extremely important to remember when companies plan on hiring a social media coordinator. 

How to Hire a Social Media Coordinator

It has been established that to win in the eCommerce arena companies need to acquire social media coordinators, but now the problem is how. There are thousands of social media coordinator jobs being published online every day, each prompting the submission of hundreds of applications. Reviewing one by one can seem daunting but knowing what values are important in an employee beforehand will make the process much easier. Any decision, regardless of gravity, needs background information. Just deciding on lunch requires the basic background knowledge of likes and dislikes. Hiring a social media coordinator may not be not as trivial as choosing between strawberry or grape jelly, but it follows the same general process. 

The first step towards hiring a social media coordinator is for the business owners or managers to recognize that they do need help with their online presence and are willing to accept and pay for it. Sometimes companies become stuck in old inefficient ways, confined to one public image because it has been reliable or profitable so far. Moving away from something that works can be scary but in today’s social climate sometimes it’s necessary. 

The second step is trust. The world of social media marketing changes faster than the seasons and consumers are always one step ahead. With their wealth of knowledge in communications and interpersonal relations, social media coordinators can be powerhouse additions to any team but they must feel heard and appreciated. Social media coordinators will be prepared to plan for each upcoming trend in many areas of company processes but can only do so if they are trusted. This sense of blind trust is built in the hiring process.

Although seemingly obvious this step should take place before the applicant arrives for the interview. After reviewing the applicant’s resume, the next step hiring managers should take is to do some surface research of the applicant; this includes looking over previous ad campaign efforts, customer service responses, post voice consistency, and visuals. While analyzing the work of each applicant, managers should watch for grammatical errors and slang. All skills can be built upon but a lack of effort is hard to nurture. Managers and owners should also be aware of how they feel when they read the applicant’s writings samples. Each company serves the community and affects its customers differently. This hiring process is about finding someone who can speak to and capture the attention of the target audience properly and organically. Having an idea of the applicant’s written voice and how it may represent your company is a great way to help decide on a new social media coordinator. 

After reviewing pages and posts for face value, the next step is to ask for and, most importantly, contact their previous employers. Even though an applicant’s ad campaign might look great from a customer’s standpoint the real information comes from the KPIs. Managers should reach out to previous employers and discuss the applicant’s prior campaigns in depth. This discussion should cover project/time management skills, achieved and missed goals, lasting influence, and overall company success after employment.

Once the applicants are narrowed down and the interview process starts there are a few questions specifically for social media coordinators that can be asked to help make the final decisions. Personal success is measured differently by every person on the planet. Company success, on the other hand, is a shared concept and can be measured. Managers should ask potential employees how they view success for themselves and for the company, this will exemplify the priorities they have in place now and what they will value in the business plan for the future. 

Another type of question to ask during the interview could and should be a scenario question. Due to the fact that social media coordinators can be involved in so many departments of a company, these questions can be customer service-based or strategy-based. For example, the applicant could be asked about how they would handle a difficult situation with a customer, or what type of campaign they would put together for a product or service that is already being sold.

A Social Media Coordinator For Your Business

If all the available time has been exhausted, and there is still no befitting applicant insight, look no further. Here at Flyrise, we are dedicated to our profession and only work with companies we believe in. In doing so we are able to gain the trust of our clients and in turn, treat them like family. Book a call with us today to see how we can take your stats and raise them!