This is part 2 of my series on building your social media team. In part 1 we revealed the secret of six-figure entrepreneurs: they don’t do everything themselves. The difference between you and them may only be that they have a rock star social media team. I continued in outlining key goals you need to start your very own team. In part two, I’m discussing further planning elements you will need.

How do you get to know the influencers within your niche? Do you have two or three people you follow on social media and subscribe to their newsletter and blog? Think of the people you go to for the latest news regarding your niche. These people are the thought leaders in your business.

Ask influencers if they can recommend a social media specialist or manager.

You will find most of them are open to questions from their audiences i.e. YOU! You may even luck up and get to hire their social media manager since most service providers have multiple customers and clients. (Be respectful of their time and expertise by keeping your inquiries to a minimum.)

This will allow you to leverage the knowledge of those who have gone before you. A social media specialist who works with the experts will be knowledgeable and produce excellent results. That is exactly what you need.

Who Are the Thought Leaders in your niche?

If you are totally new to your niche and don’t know who the thought leaders are, you can locate them. One way to find them is to follow your audience and your competition on social media and see who they follow and where they get their information.

How Can You Connect to Influencers?

Go to their websites, join their mailing lists, and join them on social media so that you can get to know them. Participate and engage with the influencers and then you can simply ask them who they recommend.

Getting to know the influencers within your niche is an imperative that everyone who wants to be successful building a social media community and a team needs to know. One thing is clear about being successful. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Someone has already done this and paved a path for you to follow. Find those people, follow them, and engage with them.

Identify Resources You Currently Have & Need

As you’re getting to know the influencers, it’s important to take stock of the resources you already have. Resources include your outsourcing budget, the people you already have available to you, plus any technology that relevant. Identify what you have, and make a list of what you need.

• Know Your Budget – How deep your pockets are will guide you about how many team members you can add to your social media team right now. Your business forecasting can tell you how much you need to increase your profit to add more people to your team. Keep in mind, anytime you can outsource something for less than it cost you to do it yourself, you’re winning.

• Know Your People – Who helps you now? Who can help you if you put them on the payroll? There may be clients and customers that are ultimate fans and have the skills to help you with social media. Figure out who these people are. Start building additional and stronger connections with these resources.

• Understand Tech – There is a lot of technology that you can use to automate the non-engaging parts of social media. For example, you can use Hootsuite.com to schedule social media updates, and even remind you to push out Instagram posts. This can cut down on some of the time outsourcers need to spend.

Now that you know what you have, it’s time to make a list of your needs.

It might help to take a week and make note of every action you engage in that has to do with social media.

• Did you make a meme using Canva.com?
  
• Did you answer some customer service questions on Twitter?
  
• Did you host a Facebook Live event on Facebook?
  
• What parts can be completed by someone else without anyone noticing and without engagement suffering?

In the next post in this series, I will discuss planning your team structure and how to determine what skills each member of your social media team needs.

About The Author

Karen Repoli

hitvirtual.com