Social media management is complex in execution and requires an understanding of both the macro and micro aspects of social media.

In this article, I will break social media management down into seven key areas of consideration. So you aware of what a successful social media management environment looks like. And how to establish a baseline for measurement and success.

The Platforms - What platforms are you on today? Let us assume for the moment that your business key area of focus is B2C, as in you are selling straight to the consumer. In this scenario, you would identify both the existing and upcoming platforms based on their demographic and held time. Held time being the total time they are on the platform.

From a B2C perspective, there are three primary platforms for consideration. As of October 2019, Facebook has a monthly active user base of 2.41 billion, with Instagram's figure at over 1 billion. As for Snapchat, it's daily active user count stands at 190 million. We could have also included YouTube but this platform has its own unique dimensions.

From here you need to go into greater detail. You would start to look at location, content creation requirements, and your capability to create and distribute valuable content.

Content - What content do you have today, and what content are you prepared to create to support your platform efforts. As an example, on Facebook we are now seeing some brands publish on the hour, every single hour.

This may or may not be indicative of your industry. However, you need to research what your industry is doing to understand its cadence. Then align this with your capabilities to produce content that is “valuable” at an appropriate frequency.

An excellent example of an organisation that creates valuable volume-based content on Facebook is TED.

https://www.facebook.com/TED/v... Calendar - Any social media management plan must have an editorial calendar. An editorial calendars purpose is to layout the frequency and consistency of who, how, and when content is going to be produced and distributed. This is essentially a plan to turn up, and turn up every day.

After all, the best marketer in the world turns up every day. And if you want to build an audience that matters maybe you should too?

Social Media Policy - Every social media management plan must have a social media policy that is a ready reckoner for all staff. Your team needs to know how to handle different types of engagement, and personality styles. What to do when things go wrong, and when to escalate, refrain from the engagement or even block individuals. Having an effective policy is a key cornerstone of social media management.

Social media can move at a frenetic pace, and some simple guidelines will let you know what to do and when.

Advertising is essential for brand success on social media these days. If you desire to both grow your network, build your brand, and close sales then advertising is a must. You should not view advertising on social as a campaign based, but rather as a continuous project of work.

Tools ~ There are thousands of tools in the market today when it comes to social media management. From Hootsuite, Adobe Social, or Sprout Social. If you are searching for tools, then the variety of choice will not be a limitation, but could well be a distraction.

It would be our recommendation in every case to dive deep on each of the platforms before selecting any tools for management. By understanding how the platforms intimately work, you will be then able to choose the right social media management tool.

Strategy & Goals ~ Effective social media management is about the ability to achieve your pre-defined goals. And execute a brand strategy. Every single client we work with has performance goals for social media. Identifying the right attribution model upfront ensures that the investment has a clear payback.

Effective social media management has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with planning.

If you have further questions, we would be happy to hear from you.