4 Clues Your Social Media “Expert” Is a Fraud

Social media marketing is a very real and powerful thing when done correctly. Through social media referrals, Plan Left has increased our website traffic by over 1,800%. That is not a typo. One thousand eight hundred percent. Our forthcoming case study will tell you all about it, so keep your eyes peeled.

While we would never promise such incredible results to anyone, we would assure you that proper management of social media channels will provide steady growth to your company’s following. But you already know that. You went and hired a dedicated social media manager to help you boost those follower counts.

The problem is, not every social media “expert” has what it takes to show you true, lasting results. In fact, some sign up for Twitter and Facebook before telling the world they’re ready to manage all of your social media accounts. It’s good money for someone posting selfies to Instagram all day, right? News flash: You’ve got a dud.

What other signs say you’ve hired a fraud to manage your accounts? Let’s take a look.

Inability to Adopt Brand Voice

The public perception of a social media manager is a bubbly girl in her twenties posting pics of her coffee and shoes all day long. Public perception happens for a reason. There are far too many social media marketers out there who take zero time to learn about their client, the brand image, and the voice they’ll need to use when posting updates.

If your social media manager posts everything in his or her own voice without regard for your brand, you’ve got a dud. Social media marketers work hard to learn a brand’s buyer personas, vision, mission, products, and voice. This makes the transition to agency management smooth and seamless for you.

Insistence on All Social Networks

Most social media management firms will charge you according to the number of networks they manage. Of course that means they’ll strongly suggest you have a presence on everything from Facebook to Snapchat, and then every other new social network that comes around. You pay more money, but you’ll never reach the audience these fraudsters promise.

See, your target audience likely has a specific network they love. Facebook is always a safe bet, but maybe Twitter isn’t the way to go. If you’re working with a knowledgeable social media manager who really knows your buyer personas, he or she will know where your time is best spent on the various social networks. You’ll get more follows and engagement, even on a smaller number of networks, simply because your efforts will be concentrated where they make the most sense.

Unbelievable Growth in a Short Time

When a social media manager promises to double, triple, or even quadruple your follower numbers in a very short amount of time, your bullcrap-o-meter should start dinging like crazy. Reaching a higher number of quality followers takes time, effort, and truly relevant posts. Social managers will seek out potential followers and work hard to engage, but it won’t happen overnight.

Do you know what’s going on if these managers do pull off their promise? They’ve just bought a pile of fake followers to plump your numbers—and you probably paid extra for that dishonesty. What good do a thousand fake followers do when you’re working to build your business and sell your products? All you really need is one qualified, interested buyer.

Autoposters

Ah, the dreaded autoposter. This is the social media manager who connects all the accounts so that one message goes to all platforms. Sure, it saves time, but it also annoys your followers. Those who jump on board Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram want to see varied messages from all three accounts. If just one would do, they’d unfollow two and just keep up with one platform.

What your manager is actually doing is saving a pile of time on their end while destroying your social marketing strategy. If you’re paying for social management, you deserve a manager who takes the time to prepare messages fit for each particular medium—someone who knows the buyers personas using each.

If you see a little of your social media manager in any of these fraudulent activities, act now. It’s not too late to turn things around, though repairing goodwill with your fan base can take some time. We’re here to help you with thoughtful, careful, powerful social media marketing that will earn you real, quality results.