Key Pointers to Building a Successful Social Media Team

An article in Adweek points out that building a successful social media team can be a challenge for many organizations. Problems can develop if traditional hours are imposed and if employees aren’t sourced or managed properly.

One problem is that many organizations view social media as being a form of sales or marketing. As such, instead of hiring new employees they tend to look for employees already within their organization perhaps who are working within sales or marketing. Unfortunately, someone who has worked within these fields may not find it so easy to move over to social media which requires its own distinct skill set. Employees working within social media need to be available virtually round-the-clock, which is one reason why traditional hours really shouldn’t apply to them. This may not be acceptable to current employees who would prefer to continue working 9 to 5 and to be able to shut off completely once they leave the office.

When sourcing employees, organizations are encouraged to take a more open attitude towards and applicants apparent lack of professional experience and to instead concentrate on tangible examples of how they have successfully executed social media content. It doesn’t matter if this is only been for a small organization as any form of experience running a platform is immensely invaluable. It’s highly likely that at least part if not all of a social media team will be millennials. This is a generation that is often derided for being lazy and for having a poor grip on the realities of everyday life, but which has grown up with social media.

When properly managed and given proper goals, millennials are often able to take advantage of creative freedom and will work well within a team. It’s important to look beyond the stereotypes that are often greatly exaggerated and inaccurate. Additionally, millennials are often willing to work on traditional hours, which is vital for a successful social media team. The article cautions against micromanaging a social media team, especially as they are likely to have a much better and far more intuitive understanding compared to any non-millennial.