Need a few dazzling social media facts to throw in an ignorant conversationalists’ face? We’ve got you covered.
We’ve all been chatting to that important but somewhat glib Department Director about our day job role, but are overwhelmingly aware that they think we’re kinda beneath them. Not because they’re mean or have delusions of grandeur, but because they don’t get why social media needs to be someone’s job. It’s just another nod at those “damn millennials” who can earn a living doing something they think is “easy”, or at the very least something that should be relegated to hobby status.
Snarling through a mock-polite conversation about our Social Media Manager job and being met with a slight eye roll and a groundbreaking comment like; “I’ve never bothered with social media, I don’t see the point” is not new to anyone in the profession. Sadly we’ll probably never get away from the idea that if anyone can open a Twitter account, it must be easy, and not worth investing in.
We really hope that these instances are becoming fewer by the day, what with social media taking over the world and everything. But just in case you find yourself in a similar scenario, try these fierce responses that prove your worth and make the mouth breather in question think again…
1. “It actually takes a pretty gifted, patient individual to stay inspired and creative when it comes to posting about definitive subjects day after day. My stamina for describing our business is amazing now.”
Ya. For reals, it takes so much brainpower to keep posting about a relatively confined array of subjects without compromising brand, tone or style. That isn’t easy, and you should be really proud of your capacity for content creation – it’s certainly not a skill everyone has.
2. “How interesting that you think social media is unimportant. Because I’ve got a tonne of nuanced customer data at my fingertips.”
In-app analytics alone can tell you a huge amount about who is interested in the business you work for, who’s staying, who’s ditching you immediately and what those people love and hate about the conversations you’re having. You don’t get access to that kind of detail without big sales strategies and at least one person to manage it – when it comes to social media channels, there’s an awful lot you can see at a glance.
3. “More than half of marketers who’ve managed a business’s social media account for two years have seen an improvement in sales. As the marketplace is becoming more saturated, the longevity of our accounts – and the customer relationships it builds – is what will keep customers loyal.”
Source: Hubspot
Few business areas aren’t growing. With entrepreneurialism on the rise and technology developing at a rate of knots, one thing customers are always going to have is choice. In this environment, a lot rides on meaningful conversations, trust and company transparency. To deliver this on a large scale, social media is going to play a key role.
4. “I get that social media campaigns can fail – it’s annoying when they do. But how are you planning for them to succeed?”
A leading question that will, more likely than not, reveal how the company’s social media channels are taken into account in the last stages of campaign planning. Even brands who are generally really great on the social media front get this wrong sometimes.
When a marketing campaign is in the works – for example, a series of TV adverts – the opening brainstorms and goals will probably focus on the concept, look, feel and production of the advert. The advert gets made, then the footage is sent over to the social team to share online.
Having the footage is great, but if no one with social media expertise has been involved in the planning from the concept stages, there are a few things they haven’t been able to input on:
- Receiving dimensions for specific channels. Pixel ratios for Facebook news feed, Facebook stories, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram Grid and Instagram Stories are all completely different. A one-size video is not going to suffice for all of them.
- Acquiring stills. One cut of one video means your messaging is pretty limited. High quality stills to wrap into everyday social media posts (which should be focused down into specific interest categories) to generate conversations online will be really useful to a Social Media Manager, not to mention much clearer than a screen grab.
- The video as a whole will be great for garnering mass appeal. But that big viewership number isn’t going to equal the same amount of customers. If you’re familiar with the Hero, Hub and Hygiene content model, you’ll know that it’s those in-depth conversation starter posts that inspire conversation, inspire brand trust and convince someone to part with their money when it comes to your product. That is where your conversions happen. To carry social through the campaign, you need to be able to branch off into content strands and plan your assets right at the brainstorm stages.
If someone is expecting social media to carry a campaign that’s being launched offline in a different online format, they have to work with you to plan the extra assets you’ll need. Simple.
5. “Investing in social media now may secure the future of the business.”
This harks back to point three – if you don’t work to establish those channels now, the time will come when they’re crucial, and that’s not when you want to be starting from scratch. Also, this response is way easier to memorise. You’re welcome 😁
6. “Customers have changing needs and product/service requirements. The best way to keep up with those needs is to talk to them directly.”
This is so obvious it’s kinda painful to think about. We screen phone numbers we don’t recognise, we sit on Instagram to avoid being outside with real-life people, we auto-spam brand emails, and we order online to avoid the chaos of Saturday shopping. If a business loses its way in terms of what their customer’s need to see next, they’re running out of ways to have those discussions.
7. “Investors are looking for online presence.”
If you want to publish a book these days, you have to have an online following. The same accounts for business – purchases and sign-ups all happen on the internet, and it takes quite some persuasion through marketing to get to that point. A savvy investor knows this. If you ain’t got a ready-to-go, engaged audience, they ain’t parting with the cash.
Have you ever had to justify your job to someone who doesn’t understand what you do?
