Why the *new wave* of social media managers will not grow your business
You’ve seen their videos; you’ve read their creds.
Selling social media management as ‘easy’ and ‘all taken care of’
Neat packages all lined up, you just sit back and relax.
What could possibly go wrong?
Erm…..everything.
Small businesses are wasting their money hiring *new* social media manager gurus to help them grow.
Why?
These are people who have had success selling one type of product or service online.
Or they built their own personal brand and are now using that specific niche knowledge to work with brand and business owners.
I hear it all the time…
Business owners tell me they pay £300 to £1000 per month for someone to post and manage their social media platforms.
They usually get any one of the following:
1. Initially a better-looking feed, better content (let’s face it, you weren’t sure what to post and anything is better right now)
2. Better levels of interest or enquiry, for a few weeks
3. Aggressive growth tactics, sometimes a focus on going viral
4. Advice to do competitions with a variety of different ‘partner’ brands
5. A simple content strategy with content pillars after an introductory session
The problem?
It’s a short-term solution that will not grow your revenue for the long-term.
You will save now, but pay later.
If you don’t have a killer marketing strategy to start with, or you don’t know exactly who your target audience is you better stop posting now!
Why?
They are specialists in doing things one way and for one type of industry or category.
Often without the strategic depth and experience required to leverage opportunities for a growing business.
Unfortunately doing things one way is not always the best way for growing your audience and sales.
Most believe that showing up and posting consistently on social is a strategy
They also believe that adding some content pillars and using trends to go viral is a strategy
They are using ‘old methods’ – what worked 1-2 years ago
They are replicating content styles and formats that the smart consumer is bored of so they’re getting déjà vu every time they see your content
They’re advising you to use trending hooks – but the algorithm has moved on and they're old news
A content strategy is built on in-depth knowledge of your audience, your unique brand and position in the world.
It’s the secret sauce that will drive your original ideas and perspective on the world, which creates your brand’s original content and style.
If you don’t have this, you’re throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.
Let’s think about it another way…
You go to the gym and spend an hour on the treadmill every day for 6 months.
But you’re not seeing results. You haven’t got a six-pack yet.
Hate to break it to you…. but you need to eat well, get enough sleep, cut out alcohol at the very least…have a plan.
You can’t just walk the treadmill to get a six-pack. You’ve got to have an overall plan or strategy incorporated into all aspects of your life so you get results.
The same applies to your brand.
Focussing only one aspect of your marketing mix, without a marketing strategy is never going to drive sustainable growth.
The most you will get is a short-term boost that leaves you scrambling to figure out what to do next to repeat that success
The Solution?
Get strategic.
Quit trying to save some cash and avoid getting serious about your success.
Be guided by a long-term growth strategy that will see you pass out your competitors and engage your customers because you know what you’re about and stand for.
A strategy is your roadmap to success.
It eliminates all the guesswork and throwing something at the wall and hoping it sticks.
What does that look like?
Audience:
Go back to the drawing board and make sure you know who your target audience is and understand more about them than just their demographics.
You should be able to describe them as if they are your best friend i.e. you know them really well!
A good audience strategy includes everything you need to know about them so you can describe their every move, what they spend their time doing, where they hang out, what brands they like, so you know how you fit into their lives.
If you’re not sure where to start I wrote about the two most valuable and easiest ways to create your audience strategy here.
Brand:
If you want to stand out and get noticed the first place to start is your brand.
You get clear on your brand personality.
Identified its values and unique traits,know its human tone of voice and values.
This gives you a way to connect more deeply and reach your target people.
No more guessing about what words to use, how to say them or even where to show up.
A brand strategy clarifies exactly where your brand fits into the world and answers all your burning questions about what to do in your content and what your unique and original view of the world is.
It’s when you create a Messaging House. The foundations and key messages you stick to and show up with across all your content consistently.
Content:
Your audience research and strategy clarified exactly who you’re going to speak to.
Your brand strategy clarifies how you show up in the world and where ( platforms, channels etc)
Your content strategy clarifies your target audience’s buying journey (your marketing funnel).
It guides you on exactly what messages and content to create for each phase of the buying journey.
It sets out exactly how you will deliver it.
The huge advantage of having a content strategy is that it guides everything you do.
It’s the satnav routing to your goals.
Here’s a snapshot of the marketing funnel that is the holy grail when it comes to content and marketing.
If you’re not looking at your content through the lens of this framework and it’s new to you, this will change everything for you!
This framework guides you from creating content and messaging that attracts as many of the right eyes as possible to your brand to building trust with them and then converting and making the sale.
The benefits?
Bringing structure and strategy to your content ensures you don’t waste your time and money doing things that don’t matter
Content falls into one of three buckets to make planning easier
You can bring other forms of content into play, not just social platforms e.g. email
Tracking and repeating success becomes less time-consuming: your analytics are king
If you work with a social media or marketing expert and they DON’T start with your audience and brand strategy, or map out your customer journey…I highly recommend you RUN in the other direction
Your brand deserves every chance at success.
Original content guided by strategy is the only way to grow organically on social platforms in 2025.
The consumer is smart.
You need to be very clear on your brand and proposition to find ways to connect with this smart consumer.
There are marketing psychology principles and tactics that can be layered on top, once you know your marketing funnel, but that’s coming in another blog post soon!
Thanks for reading,
Claire.
Are you a founder or small business owner curious about doing better marketing?
Here’s how I can help
Hi! I’m Claire,
If you're a founder or business owner with big dreams of success and growth—and a big, scary to-do list standing in your way every time you sit down to *do* your marketing—nice to meet you, I'm your new solution.
I'll help you find your target audience, and your brand's voice, perfectly position you, and craft messaging for your content strategy that will resonate with your ideal audience.
And I'll do it all while keeping your goals to ensure that your brand aligns with what you want to achieve.
I’ve been in marketing for over 20 years and I’m busting through the bull**** and industry nonsense to give you straight-talking and proven strategic marketing that will grow your business.