Law Tech: Do you need a social media guru?

Elizabeth Millard, The Daily Record Newswire

These days, corporate social media does far more than push out announcements and generate brand awareness. Proper attention to platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook can generate new client leads, build a larger contacts database and establish a firm’s reputation in the marketplace.

The increasing benefits of social media are driving the demand for savvy and experienced in-house social media experts (now called “community managers”) who can boost marketing and client acquisition efforts.

But how can a firm know when it’s time to hire? And what does it take to attract sharp community managers?

Here are some answers:

Know your tipping point

There is a typical progression within a company that doesn’t already have a community manager, according to Arik Hanson, principal of ACH Communications, a Minneapolis-based digital communications consultancy focused on online interactions. Usually, an individual within the firm is enthusiastic about social media or recognizes the need and takes the reins in posting on Facebook and Twitter.

Then, there’s a natural tipping point.

“You start seeing momentum, when the social media begins to work and you see the potential of it,” Hanson says. “You see how it can improve customer service and generate sales leads, and your fan numbers are going up. It’s that point when business begins to take social media seriously.”

However, that moment usually creates a situation in which the original enthusiast becomes overwhelmed, since social media usage is often a pet project, in addition to other work duties.
This crucial turning point sometimes gets missed at companies, Hanson adds, which means lost opportunities.

“Unless you’re willing to dedicate a resource to social media — and that usually means a full-time, in-house employee — then you’re still dabbling and you can only take it so far,” he says.

In-house or outsource?

There are many creative agencies in the Twin Cities that offer social media expertise, and smaller companies in particular can benefit from tapping into those resources. But when the tipping point occurs, some experts believe that in-house talent is preferable.

“When a community manager is at your company, that person knows your brand intimately,” says Stacey Stratton, president of Minneapolis staffing firm True Talent Group. “He or she can manage goals, react quickly, get approvals and do promotions in a timely way.”

At law firms in particular, an in-house community manager can learn about the nuances of each practice area and also keep regulatory issues in mind when posting, so that conflicts don’t occur with pending cases.

Martha McCarthy, co-founder of Minneapolis-based digital marketing agency The Social Lights, agrees that an in-house community manager can be an advantage. That’s why her agency began offering a social media training program — to develop more local talent.

“Oftentimes, an outsourced community manager doesn’t spend enough time getting to know the brand as well as they should, and in these cases the messaging/brand voice doesn’t align with other marketing and communications channels or the brand as a whole,” McCarthy says. “These outsourced individuals also juggle multiple brands at once, so even in a crisis situation, they might not be able to drop everything and respond to that client’s needs.”

Focus on company fit
Because the community manager field is so new, it can be difficult to find a candidate with extensive experience; many might be fresh out of college. Those challenges cropped up recently for Stacy Freeborg-Junge, senior marketing communications manager at Minneapolis-based health management company HealthFitness.

“We struggled to find someone who was qualified with enough social media experience under their belt,” Freeborg-Junge says. “Plus, our business is complex, so we wanted someone with health care experience who could get what we do quickly. Despite the fact that the Twin Cities is a hub for health care, we surprisingly received very few resumes from qualified folks.”

Just when Freeborg-Junge began to lose hope, she interviewed a candidate who talked intelligently about social media metrics and had health care experience.

Focusing on creating a strong company and industry fit, even when the resumes weren’t flowing in, helped HealthFitness to find its ideal community manager.

“Today, our community manager is playing a critical role in the success of our internal social network and is viewed as the go-to resource for social media consulting within the company,”
Freeborg-Junge says.

Make the role enticing

At this point, the demand for experienced social media and digital marketing talent is enormous, according to McCarthy.

That means firms need to work just a bit harder to make their positions attractive.

Having a defined role helps, McCarthy advises, including clear responsibilities and duties. Often, companies try to hire a community manager based on need, but they don’t have any goals in mind for the job.

“No community manager wants to go into a company and then ‘figure it out,’ “McCarthy says.” Since social media happens in real time, there is always room to change directions. And community managers are nimble enough to do so, as long as they have the right tools and teams in place.”

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Elizabeth Millard writes about technology. Formerly senior editor at ComputerUser, her work has appeared in Business 2.0, eWeek, Linux Magazine and TechNewsWorld.