What Does a Social Media Consultant Do?

Companies have become increasingly more present on social media, and in many cases it has turned into a pillar of their marketing strategy. This has led to the rise of social media consultants who help companies create the best social media strategies to help them reach their marketing goals. As this is a newer phenomenon, we wanted to take the time today to break down what a social media consultant does and how they can help your company. 

We will answer these two questions in this article: 

• What does a social media consultant do?
• What is the difference between social media marketing and social media management?

What Does a Social Media Consultant Do?

Before we get into the details of what a social media consultant does, let’s start with the definition. Social media consulting can be defined as the “processes used in order to reach and engage with customers using social media platforms and channels”. This function is carried out by consultants, who are hired specifically for this mission. Many times it is their full-time job, but in other cases they may be someone who provides freelance services.  

Social media consultants can help you achieve the following:

• Higher acquisition and retention rates 
• Better ROI from social media efforts
• Effective social media strategy
• Deeper knowledge of social media throughout relevant departments

These people have the skills and know-how to be able to help you produce effective and profitable social media campaigns, and well as give you advice and strategic planning to give your overall social media strategy the boost that it needs. 

So, how do they do it? Here are three main subjects social media consulting focuses on:

Strategy

Consultants will take a long, hard look at your current social media strategy and its performance. Their trained eye will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses, what needs to be improved, and what is working well. They will also need to look at your business goals to create the proper strategy to support them, or adjust your goals accordingly. This will allow them to develop a personalized social media strategy you can implement to help you reach your business objectives and improve your online presence.

ROI

One of the most important aspects of social media marketing is the ROI it gives your business. In many cases, companies who are not using effective social media strategies are left with poor ROI and are unsure why. This is a great example of where a social media consultant can come in. Not only can a consultant give an overview of the efforts the company has made and what has resulted from it, they can also go in to fix anything that is preventing a higher ROI. For example, part of their job may be to expand your social media following and community. They can teach you how to grow your social media community, engage with your audience, and increase follower counts. They can also help you come up with content strategies that will help you generate leads, bring more potential clients to your site, improve customer relationships, and more. These factors all lead to a greater ROI.

Analysis

Analytics are essential to tracking your performance on social media. When you monitor your analytics, you can see if you are meeting your goals and objectives, and if you are not, where you might need to make improvements. However, analytics and raw data can be overwhelming and difficult to decipher. While there are a myriad of amazing tools to help you gather and study this data, it still may be difficult to know if you are doing everything right. This is where a consultant can help you: not only can they point you to the right social media management tools that are the best match for your business, they can also teach you how to decipher and pick out key information you can use to measure your performance and ROI.  At Saas Advisor, we are very familiar with some of the most reputable social media management tools on the market. We can help you find the right fit for your business.

Curious to talk about your project?

When it comes to selecting the right consultant, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. Firstly, you should do your research when it comes to the agency or consultant you will choose to make sure they have the skills and experience adapted to your company and its needs.  Secondly, to have a better understanding of what kind of consulting you may need, it is important that you take a look internally to see what mission you need them to work towards. It could be one of the following:

• Strategy: 

This means your consultant comes in for the beginning phases of your social media strategy. Their mission will be to understand your company’s needs, challenges, objectives, audience, sales funnel, and so on to create an in-depth, detailed, and personalized strategy that will be delivered by the end of their mission. Often times, there will be training or ongoing consulting applied as needed. However, this mission usually means the consultant plays the role of advisor. 

• Project Management: 

Project management consulting is the natural next option. This means they go one step further than creating your strategy, but they also stay with you to implement that strategy into a long-term, actionable plan including timelines, budgets, training, and the like.

• Execution: 

According to Neil Patel, execution is the final type of consulting we will discuss. This is the most hands-on type of consulting. Your consultant will fulfill both the strategy and project management functions as well as stick with you to make sure the plan is executed correctly and efficiently. This type of consulting is usually much more long-term. 

To understand what level of consulting you may need, it is important to look internally at your business objectives and available resources you can allocate to your social media strategy. It is also important to decide if you need someone in an advisory role, or someone to help you build your strategy and execute it from A – Z. 

What is the Difference Between Social Media Marketing and Social Media Management?

When talking about social media consultants, the question often arises between what the difference is between social media marketing and social media management, and what that means for the people they hire. They are in fact two different functions that carry out two different roles. 

As subjects, social media marketing and social media management differ. Social media marketing is the use of your business’s social media accounts with the objective of growing your business and driving sales. It focuses on the creation and execution of your social media strategy to generate business through your social media platforms. 

Social media management on the other hand focuses on the use of your social media accounts. It refers to a more overall approach including scheduling, reporting, content creation, and of course honoring your overall strategy. It ensures that your business is using social media authentically, intentionally, and legally. It is more of the day-to-day operations side of social media. 

With social media management, businesses usually have their own, in-house social media managers who have a good understanding of your company, brand voice, overall goals and challenges, etc. 

Social media consultants, however, are third party individuals who specialize in creating and executing social media strategies for businesses to implement. They are designed to advise and offer strategic insights, tips on best practices, training, and advice. However, they are not there for day-to-day operations like social media management. 

This key difference allows us to understand the need for both social media marketing and management, and that consultants come in to kick start the strategy that leads both of these aspects of social media. In what capacity a consultant will be working with you is completely up to you, but it is important to understand how all of the pieces work together. 

Social media continues to be an essential way of connecting with your customers and your audience. When soliciting help to navigate the social media landscape, make sure that you choose someone that is experienced and is able to deliver a strategy that reflects your overall marketing and business goals. 

At Saas Advisor, we are specialists in helping companies choose the right tools to execute their marketing goals. If you are curious about what we do, please contact us!

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