PROS AND CONS OF HAVING A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

11 November 2022

The social media manager has very quickly become an essential cog in any business’s machine. Whether it’s the daily management of your company’s Instagram account or the development of an overall social media marketing strategy, the role can hold a varying level of responsibility and expectation.

As with any business decision, you should weigh up the pros and cons to see if this is an essential role for the growth of your company. This blog will do just that to help you make your decision.

Pros

Expertise

It takes time to become really good at something, and social media is no different. If you were hiring a new finance manager, you’d want someone with experience in running a successful finance department. View this role in the same way and be on the lookout for an expert in social strategy, graphic design, campaign management, or audience growth - hopefully all of the above.

Their knowledge will probably be more up to date than yours

Following on from acquiring their expertise, hiring a social media specialist rather than a general marketer, for example, gives your business an up to date insight into the field and best practices. Having someone clued up in analytics and adapting content to follow the trends will elevate your social strategy.

Your time is precious

In a world where every minute of the day seems to be filled with one task or another, hiring someone to manage your social strategy could be essential for the overall smooth running of your business. It’s one less thing for you to worry about.

Additionally, having a dedicated social media manager means their time and efforts can all be focused in that one place, not in other areas of the business.

Consistency

As we’ve said in previous articles, being consistent on social media is key. Employing someone to work on this full time will be great for audience and brand development.

Cons

Cost

The obvious initial con of hiring a dedicated social media manager is of course the cost. According to Indeed, the average annual salary for a social media manager in the UK is £33,239. 

If you’re a small business with a lower marketing budget, hiring freelancers to build your strategy or to manage one platform could be a work around. 

Trusting someone else to represent your brand

Hiring someone to manage your social accounts means you’re essentially handing over the responsibility of building and maintaining your brand to someone else. 

Any mistakes would be a reflection of you and your business, rather than the person behind the post. This is avoidable by checking content before it goes live and providing comprehensive training about the brand and your expectations from the start, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Finding someone who’s an expert in social media and your industry may be hard

Although there’s plenty of great social media managers out there waiting to transform your strategy, finding someone who also has experience in the field of your business could be difficult. This is likely to be the case if you work in a niche industry. 

Finding someone who has managed social media for a range of businesses with a willingness to learn is a good fix here.

The final decision about hiring a social media manager essentially boils down to your business’s needs, budget, and priorities. Consider the benefit someone with expert knowledge could have in helping you increase your customer base and build a solid brand in relation to the potential cost and risk of filling this role.