Looking to build a kick-ass social media team? Here’s what you need to know

Now is really a good time to have experience in digital marketing and to build an awesome social media team. This skill set is in great demand right now and many businesses are starting to staff in this area. When it comes to building your team though, it’s about much more than handing over the Twitter logins to your interns.

Many of the qualifications related to social media are mostly the same: companies want people that can engage on a social level with their clients and that have a great passion for the medium. They should also demonstrate the ability to see the campaign from the starting concept point through to execution and then measure the results that matter.

Having a job dedicated to social media is great, but what separates the true social media professionals from the self proclaimed “social media gurus” and “ninjas”? It’s not that difficult to find someone that can blog, maintain a Facebook page, get thousands of followers on Twitter, and manage a community.

Those are not the attributes you should be looking for as anyone with a little bit of knowledge can do that. Instead, here are a couple of essential qualities I believe you should have when hiring your social media team. If you know of some more, comment below and I will update this post.

People skills

Social media is a growing area of demand and expertise, and many businesses are realising that they need a social media team to monitor the conversation happening online, manage their social circles, and execute their social media campaigns.

Even if you are going to use social media across your entire organization, the ability to motivate, lead, and direct others is essential for success. Look for people with proven experience in leading others.

Business understanding

Many businesses continue to hire people for their social media team as if this medium is merely a basic marketing technique. I believe your social media team must be skilled in all trades to understand everything regarding your business.

Social media is not a tool just to raise awareness and it’s so much more than just a communication platform. If your social media team isn’t already integrating customer service, product development, and customer service into your social media strategy, guide them on what you want to accomplish with your campaign.

The social media teams that succeed are the ones that can execute a campaign and collaborate with various business opportunities with senior employees throughout the organisation.

Social media ninjas

There are many self-proclaimed social media ninjas and they should be ignored. Too many people are driven by a desire for higher Klout scores, fame, and an increased reputation. Your social media team should consist of individuals that put your brand, company, and employees first. Your social media team must be able to convey how your business advances in social media, and not merely on an individual level.

Your social media team needs leaders and not just plain “experts” in the field. It’s not difficult to find people to join your team with social media experience, but finding those that can take your business to the next level can be tricky.