Ep 384: Beware – Listen To This Before You Hire A Social Media Manager For Your Pet Business

Are you struggling to navigate the world of social media for your pet business? Wondering if hiring a social media manager is the right move for you? Join us in this episode of Bella in Your Business as we delve into the nuances of social media management and how it can propel your pet business to new heights. From understanding the unique qualities of a social media manager to creating engaging content that resonates with your audience, we explore the ins and outs of effective social media strategies tailored specifically for pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses. But it's not just about posting content randomly. It is about having a clear social media strategy aligned with your business goals, coupled with a deep understanding of your target audience's preferences and behaviors. And let's not forget about the human touch. There needs to be a balance between the professional and personal aspects of your business, and how a skilled social media manager can navigate this delicate terrain with finesse. But before you rush into hiring just anyone to handle your social media, listen closely. We will unravel the key considerations, including cost, expertise, and the importance of ongoing education and motivation for your social media manager. So, if you're ready to harness the power of social media to grow your pet business, tune in now and unlock the secrets to effective social media management that will set you apart in the competitive pet industry. This episode was brought to you by JazzHR Topics & Key Points: Hiring a social media manager and its responsibilities Social media management for pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses Social media management and its importance Timestamps: [2:27] Social media management for pet sitting and dog walking businesses. [7:01] Hiring a social media manager and their responsibilities. [11:35] Hiring a social media manager for a pet-sitting business. [16:11] Importance of Social media management Notable Quotes: [3:17] "There are lots of different ways to be successful. But I think what most people don't understand is that when you're talking about social media managers, there are so many different things that you have to think about." [5:48] " Do you have good KPI goals, key performance indicators? How are we going to determine if this person is doing a good job? Or is it like 75% of the people I see or talk to out there for the first time. It's just Oh, I have someone posting to my social. " [16:46] " That's it. It's not about spending hours and hours and hours doing this. So listen, if you're out there, and you're wondering, shoot, am I making mistakes? Or am I doing good?" Resources: Sign up for a 20 mins call  Better Marketing with Bella Did you love this episode? Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business. Transcript: Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta. Today, we're going to talk about something that well, you probably already know, because you've seen the title of this episode, right? But I'm hiring a social media manager. And I'm so grateful to see so many of you start to do this. And because when I started doing better marketing with Bella way back in January 2018 and getting under the hood of a lot of your social media, you know, I was still convincing people to use social media, it's a great way to do things. And now, you know, a lot of you are realizing how much it can help get you clients and staff from a personable standpoint, right, we've talked a lot about how most likely people aren't going to just see your social media or like you don't hire us and then just call you and hand over their keys, and how it kind of works as a bigger ecosystem. But social media is your storefront, it is that place where you get to be seen, and heard. And then evoke that trust and personality. But hiring a social media manager, and hiring someone to be the mouthpiece of your business is a very, very big responsibility. Something that I'm starting to see is a trend that some don't understand, the immense responsibility that comes with it. And so hiring a social media manager, I'm gonna you guys know me if you've worked with me, I love analogies. A social media manager, let's just say it's like hiring a woman. Not every woman is considered the same, right? Not equal, but the same. Different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, likes, dislikes, attitudes, and styles, are all very different. And what I want you to take away this episode, is that hiring a social media manager, you need to know all the differences, the differences, you need to know what you're looking for. And that just because you hire a social media manager does not mean that all your problems are going to be solved. Now, for those of you who have just maybe started listening to the podcast episode, I have been on social media forever. I was one of the very first to say, Get on video, get a Facebook page, I used to have a national organization for pet sitters, where I was doing training videos on how to start your Facebook page and why you should start your Facebook page when everybody else was saying it was that I have been squawking about video forever. And I have been talking about stories, putting yourself out there, rebuking all of the things that people don't necessarily get excited about on social, which is putting their face on camera. And while it's a good thing to do, you don't have to do it. There are lots of different ways to be successful. But I think what most people don't understand is that when you're talking about social media managers, there are so many different things that you have to think about. There's the design of a graphic, or even the design of the photo, the graphic, is it visually appealing? Or is it just looks like someone threw up all over it, which I hate to say, but I can tell off the bat, how many of you guys are doing it yourself? Or do you have someone hired? And that again, it's the storefront? I mean, do you want your elementary school kid to go make a poster and put it on a storefront? Or do you want to hire a graphic designer to do that? What is going to convey the best level of professionalism? Think about it that way. All right. And then the writing the writing of the caption the hook that gets them in? Is it long and drawn out and all about you? Or is it taking into account the avatar? And what's going to stop the scroll? Is it engaging? And do you know how to create engagement on social media? You guys, that's a huge thing. And it is something that is not just I think we think about social media as inbound, whatever comes into us, we will react to hopefully, hopefully, and even a lot of people aren't reacting to it. But there are a lot of things that you can do outwardly, to create that engagement and get things up is your social media manager going to do that? Because that could make or break it. And what about a posting schedule? What time of day should you post? How many? How, how often should you post a day? And does it vary for each platform? And do you post the same thing or different things? On the different platforms, which platforms do you post on? And which platforms do you not post on? All of these are going to be very, very important, along with things like content, calendar, holidays, or local events, which should be very important for every single pet sitting and dog walking company out there. Because you are a local company serving a local radius. So when you hire someone, I want you to think about what are your starting numbers. Let's start with something How many followers do you have? What is your engagement rate? What do your insights look like? What are your what's your total views of existing versus new followers? All of these things make a difference. Do you have good KPI goals or key performance indicators? How are we going to determine if this person is doing a good job? Or is it like 75% of the people I see or talk to out there for the first time? It's just Oh, I have someone posting to my social. And they feel like they've got a good job because someone out there is posting something and that's better than nothing? Well, my jumpers, you're going to do better because you're a jumper, you're not going to just throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. You're going to make all that spaghetti stick if I have anything to say about it. And that's why you're listening today. Do do? Does this new social media person know your brand? Your lingo, how you speak? What words vernacular do you use? Is it pets, animals, pet parents, Pa parents? Maybe it's something else? What emojis do you use? And what emojis do not use? Do they have a list of your partners that are online? Or maybe key people in the community that you'd like to follow? Or support? Did they get a regular list of your new clients and their Facebook or Instagram handles? Are they sharing stories? And using them effectively? Because there is a very specific type of strategy when doing stories that you should be upholding? And if you're hiring someone, likely an expert to do this? How are they doing it? How are they going to be sharing them effectively? Are they using highlights correctly? I see again, a lot of people using highlights but missing out on a lot of the squeeze of the juice on highlights. There's so much that you could do with highlights. And a good social media manager should be able to direct and guide you on that. And what's the call to action? Is it hiring us? Is it a download? Is it a freebie? Is it a join our community? Is it a just tell me your pet's name? What kind of calls to action are you going for? And that goes back to the KPIs and what your goals are right? Have you told them what your overall strategy is? Do you even have one? Or better yet?