Social media is one of those necessary evils in life. Most of us access at least one platform on a regular basis, and some of us use several to keep in touch with friends and loved ones, share our photos and videos with the world, and stay up to date with everything that’s happening in our circles.

Spend any amount of time on your platform of choice and you’ll notice that between the cute puppy pictures and banana bread recipes, there are sponsored posts, paid ads, and a host of other ways that brands are trying to get your attention. It’s getting more and more difficult to stand out from the competition—especially considering that audiences have shorter and shorter attention spans. Don’t worry, though…not only are there ways to put yourself in front of people who will resonate with you, but there are also folks out there (like us!) who are ready to take the algorithm by the horns and do the heavy lifting of managing your social media.

What is Social Media Management?

Simply put, social media management (SMM) is a service that takes the guesswork (and actual work) of planning, creating, and publishing content on your social media platforms. For some clients, this might also include deciding which platforms are best for you, depending on where your target audience is hanging out. Knowing who your target audience is—and what their social media habits are—is an important part of marketing your business and getting in front of people who want to buy your product or service or engage in your content. If you’re having trouble figuring out who your target audience is, check out our article on how to determine who that might be.

For the majority of our clients, social media management includes:

CONTENT STRATEGY

Putting together a strategy for your platforms helps in a lot of ways; for one, it ensures that your content and voice is consistent, and aligns with your brand’s messaging. It also allows us to be smart about the kinds of content we create and plan ahead to leverage things like events, shows, photo shoots, and trips to their fullest potential. Instead of wandering around hoping that content will create itself, we come with an idea of what needs to be captured for future posts.

CONTENT CREATION

Beyond photos and videos (both of which do exceptionally well on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok), we also employ the use of custom-designed graphics to position you as a subject matter expert in your field and ensure that your content is highly shareable—which gets it in front of even more users. 

CONTENT SCHEDULING & PUBLISHING

Once content is created, we can start scheduling it on the best times and days to post according to when your audience is most likely to see it. We figure this out several different ways: by referencing information from the platforms themselves, by reviewing the analytics on past posts, and by taking note of when certain posts have the most engagement. This is different for every client and is tailored to meet their specific needs.

PLATFORM & PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

The most important part of our work is reviewing platform analytics and applying our findings to future strategy. What works in one month might not work for another, and it’s important to stay on top of trends and leverage the platforms in novel ways. It’s also wise to stay ahead of the competition by watching what they’re doing on their own profiles and not simply replicating or reinventing what they’re doing to reach their audience. Relying on our clients’ expertise in their fields to drive the substance of their content is imperative to good reach and engagement.

Why Do I Need A Social Media Manager?

Truthfully, no one needs a social media manager. You can absolutely do all of this yourself: spend hours coming up with a strategy that may or may not be effective, then spend even more time creating your posts and publishing them when you remember to do so. For the majority of people, this is not unlike getting another full time job. Content creation (and social media as a whole) is a major time suck, and can keep you from doing the things you want to do, like riding your horses and running your business.

While it’s true that no one can guarantee a positive outcome from all this hard work (no matter what other social media managers will try to tell you, the algorithm is a fickle mistress), brands that consistently post high-quality content that their audience loves to interact with are the most likely to see growth in their metrics and on their bottom line. At Cambria Equestrian, we employ our years of experience in digital marketing, social media campaigns, and data analytics to help you put your best foot forward—and reach as many people as you possibly can.