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Worth hiring a social media marketer?

by Peterpapas
22 replies
Do you think it's worth hiring a social media marketer for my forum's group? I'm not great when it comes to making a website take off and the same applies for a Facebook group etc. I've been debating if it's worth hiring a social media marketer or whatever they're called to get my group going. The thing is my intentions are to get them off Facebook and straight to my 80's forum. What do you all think? Is it worth trying that out? Thanks
#hiring #marketer #media #social #worth
  • Profile picture of the author Bunker Integrated
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  • Profile picture of the author NetMan
    Originally Posted by Peterpapas View Post

    Do you think it's worth hiring a social media marketer for my forum's group? I'm not great when it comes to making a website take off and the same applies for a Facebook group etc. I've been debating if it's worth hiring a social media marketer or whatever they're called to get my group going. The thing is my intentions are to get them off Facebook and straight to my 80's forum. What do you all think? Is it worth trying that out? Thanks
    First of all, in 1980 me = 20 yo, so you bet *I* love the 80's!

    And I believe that's a great theme with a very specific and interesting demographic niche and so I'd see no reason why it would not catch up and bring TONS of revenue.

    A quick review of your site tells me that what you need is, a 'little more' than only "social media marketing" and at that stage hiring a social media marketer would only be a budget leak.

    Yes, I totally agree 100% to move back people to "private forums" so to speak, simply because FB groups is the worst BS app in matter and concept of online communities gathering and communications. It is conceived specifically for that, in a way that it is extremely difficult to create real sense of solidarity, friendship and helpfulness between members that existed prior to the social media event.

    Now, a forum is a product in the like of any website in the sense that you need to adopt more or less the same tactics as any other successful website to bring increasing traffic, and thus revenue, to your door. This is what you need first to establish, a content production and syndication (distribution) strategy. Man you have zero content, just starting this at a pace would already make a huge difference. "Content is King" for a forum as well, only the tactical implementation if its distribution will differ from a business to another.

    Then, you also need a global digital marketing tactical plan (does not need to be complicated, just well implemented) that will have you, among other things, still use and take advantage of FB groups to introduce and fill the real forum where all real and good things happen.

    This is only a few hints and far from being an exhaustive plan, but I think you've a few points to help you at least realise what might be missing to get things going and running in a relatively quick manner if things are done correctly.

    Good luck!
    P.S. I haven't tried yours but, the forum app MUST absolutely be very easy mobile friendly to use.
    P.S.S. I'd recommend NodeBB as one of the most powerful modern forum apps in the world, free and open source.
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    • Profile picture of the author Peterpapas
      Originally Posted by NetMan View Post

      First of all, in 1980 me = 20 yo, so you bet *I* love the 80's!

      And I believe that's a great theme with a very specific and interesting demographic niche and so I'd see no reason why it would not catch up and bring TONS of revenue.

      A quick review of your site tells me that what you need is, a 'little more' than only "social media marketing" and at that stage hiring a social media marketer would only be a budget leak.

      Yes, I totally agree 100% to move back people to "private forums" so to speak, simply because FB groups is the worst BS app in matter and concept of online communities gathering and communications. It is conceived specifically for that, in a way that it is extremely difficult to create real sense of solidarity, friendship and helpfulness between members that existed prior to the social media event.

      Now, a forum is a product in the like of any website in the sense that you need to adopt more or less the same tactics as any other successful website to bring increasing traffic, and thus revenue, to your door. This is what you need first to establish, a content production and syndication (distribution) strategy. Man you have zero content, just starting this at a pace would already make a huge difference. "Content is King" for a forum as well, only the tactical implementation if its distribution will differ from a business to another.

      Then, you also need a global digital marketing tactical plan (does not need to be complicated, just well implemented) that will have you, among other things, still use and take advantage of FB groups to introduce and fill the real forum where all real and good things happen.

      This is only a few hints and far from being an exhaustive plan, but I think you've a few points to help you at least realise what might be missing to get things going and running in a relatively quick manner if things are done correctly.

      Good luck!
      P.S. I haven't tried yours but, the forum app MUST absolutely be very easy mobile friendly to use.
      P.S.S. I'd recommend NodeBB as one of the most powerful modern forum apps in the world, free and open source.
      I use XenForo for the software. It's a pretty user friendly and has lots of great 3rd party add ons. As for your advice I appreciate it. I'm a novice when it comes to advertising and driving people to a site. I lack that creativity lol. I agree that content is king. I also agree about taking advantage of FB groups hence my thread question if it's worth hiring a social media manager. You're right that alone won't do it. It's a combination of factors like seo, advertising and giving users an incentive to sign up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jamell
    If you are looking to leverage time and grow and delegate I say yes .
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  • Profile picture of the author fxtia
    Hiring on salary - Never
    Performance-based pay - Go for it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Pro Smm Service
    if it requires a lot of work, time and effort then yes it is worth.
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  • Profile picture of the author Louis Jonathan
    Hiring a social media marketer to promote and grow your forum's group can be a beneficial strategy to consider. Social media marketers specialize in understanding the dynamics of various social media platforms, including Facebook, and can help you reach your target audience effectively.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    No - I would not hire a 'social media markter' at this point. You have a new forum with 23 members and 80% of the posts are by the Admin (you, I assume).


    It's a great start but you need to be making yourself known to other sites/forums/groups of 80 afficionados - you need to be advertising, etc. It sounds easier to 'hire someone' than to learn to do the ads and the social marketing yourself - but promoting your site/forum is part of building it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Peterpapas
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      No - I would not hire a 'social media markter' at this point. You have a new forum with 23 members and 80% of the posts are by the Admin (you, I assume).


      It's a great start but you need to be making yourself known to other sites/forums/groups of 80 afficionados - you need to be advertising, etc. It sounds easier to 'hire someone' than to learn to do the ads and the social marketing yourself - but promoting your site/forum is part of building it.
      Yes I am the admin. I know what you're saying but I also don't want to come off as a spammer. Most of those forums and fb groups particularly didn't allow advertising links. They treat it like spam.
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      • Profile picture of the author NetMan
        Originally Posted by Peterpapas View Post

        Yes I am the admin. I know what you're saying but I also don't want to come off as a spammer. Most of those forums and fb groups particularly didn't allow advertising links. They treat it like spam.
        And this is where the "content strategy" planning and implementation comes in. I mean, obviously when it is paid advertising that does not involves spam. This is what "advertising" means. Not freely advertise one's cr.p all over forum posts lol

        Spending with wisdom for advertising, here and there, while you implement your content strategy for testing and growing on a pace should be a good idea. Now you should understand that a good "content strategy" results with "inbound marketing" which means that if it is well planned and well done traffic will come through that "content strategy" and it will require less and less, and eventually no more, the need to paid advertising to get traffic.

        And with that if you implement some kind of incentives for users to refer more users than you could likely count on floods of traffic and growth for your forum.
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        • Profile picture of the author Peterpapas
          Originally Posted by NetMan View Post

          And this is where the "content strategy" planning and implementation comes in. I mean, obviously when it is paid advertising that does not involves spam. This is what "advertising" means. Not freely advertise one's cr.p all over forum posts lol

          Spending with wisdom for advertising, here and there, while you implement your content strategy for testing and growing on a pace should be a good idea. Now you should understand that a good "content strategy" results with "inbound marketing" which means that if it is well planned and well done traffic will come through that "content strategy" and it will require less and less, and eventually no more, the need to paid advertising to get traffic.

          And with that if you implement some kind of incentives for users to refer more users than you could likely count on floods of traffic and growth for your forum.
          Thank you for advice. I really appreciate it.
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Well you need to be sure that the people you hire knows what hes doing .In your case i would test for 2 or 3 months to see what results i can get
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  • Profile picture of the author Lisa Monteiro
    If you're looking to grow and monetize, then whoever you hire needs to be able to approach social media marketing strategically and have a solid understand of who you're looking to attract. There's a lot of creators that 'make nice looking things' but not all of it actually performs if there's a shallow analysis of what your audience wants to see. You need to be prepared to have at least a 3 month testing phase of learning what your audience and community wants to see. But first step, you need to have a deep understanding of your goals and where you're looking to grow towards.

    Worked with a client that was building a forum on their personal website and looking to drive people there. The strategy involved content creation for social channels like instagram, facebook, to drive people towards the forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author Peterpapas
      Originally Posted by Lisa Monteiro View Post

      If you're looking to grow and monetize, then whoever you hire needs to be able to approach social media marketing strategically and have a solid understand of who you're looking to attract. There's a lot of creators that 'make nice looking things' but not all of it actually performs if there's a shallow analysis of what your audience wants to see. You need to be prepared to have at least a 3 month testing phase of learning what your audience and community wants to see. But first step, you need to have a deep understanding of your goals and where you're looking to grow towards.

      Worked with a client that was building a forum on their personal website and looking to drive people there. The strategy involved content creation for social channels like instagram, facebook, to drive people towards the forum.
      Is that what you do?
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      • Profile picture of the author Lisa Monteiro
        I come from the content creation world for D2C products, however an agency i've been collaborating with expanded from D2C into helping B2B companies build their social media as proper engagement & conversion channels. I found the strategy component becomes an even bigger factor when you're entering the B2B world or developing something like an online community.

        This particular company we were working with was a large consulting firm, looking to build an online community and drive people back to their forums group. The approach was to drive conversation around the company through channels like linkedin and facebook to showcase the expertise and types of conversations being had, which led back to the forum. Visual storytelling in all space naturally builds excitement and tangibility around the community if you're telling the story well and to the right people.

        Pitfall I noticed with a lot of people i've talked to who are looking for social media marketers is that they aren't yet sure themselves what their goals are, haven't really considered long term strategy to ensure future continuous engagement, and aren't sure how ROI should be measured based on the specific goals (brand awareness vs lead gen vs audience building). This typically leads to dissatisfaction with social media marketers quickly, unless you're both on the same page up front about what you're driving towards.

        Positive, when you get someone who knows what they're doing, has a deep understanding of the algorithms on different social media platforms and how to tell the story it can be very effective and ensures your group stays relevant and active for a long time.
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        • Profile picture of the author Peterpapas
          Originally Posted by Lisa Monteiro View Post

          I come from the content creation world for D2C products, however an agency i've been collaborating with expanded from D2C into helping B2B companies build their social media as proper engagement & conversion channels. I found the strategy component becomes an even bigger factor when you're entering the B2B world or developing something like an online community.

          This particular company we were working with was a large consulting firm, looking to build an online community and drive people back to their forums group. The approach was to drive conversation around the company through channels like linkedin and facebook to showcase the expertise and types of conversations being had, which led back to the forum. Visual storytelling in all space naturally builds excitement and tangibility around the community if you're telling the story well and to the right people.

          Pitfall I noticed with a lot of people i've talked to who are looking for social media marketers is that they aren't yet sure themselves what their goals are, haven't really considered long term strategy to ensure future continuous engagement, and aren't sure how ROI should be measured based on the specific goals (brand awareness vs lead gen vs audience building). This typically leads to dissatisfaction with social media marketers quickly, unless you're both on the same page up front about what you're driving towards.

          Positive, when you get someone who knows what they're doing, has a deep understanding of the algorithms on different social media platforms and how to tell the story it can be very effective and ensures your group stays relevant and active for a long time.
          It's sounds like you enjoy challenges considering the field that you're in. I know exactly what my goal is. To draw in followers to my group or page and turn them into active users on my forum. That is my number one goal.
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  • Profile picture of the author PackagingXpert01
    Hi,

    Yes, hiring a social media marketer for your forum's group can be worth it, especially if you're not experienced in making a website take off or promoting a Facebook group effectively. A skilled social media marketer can help you create a strong online presence, increase engagement, and drive traffic to your 80's forum. They can leverage various social media platforms to attract relevant audiences and ultimately guide them to your forum. Investing in a social media marketer can potentially accelerate the growth of your community and increase your chances of success in transitioning users from Facebook to your forum. However, it's essential to research and choose a reputable and knowledgeable marketer with experience in your niche to ensure the best possible results.

    (link deleted by moderator - pls read forum rules)
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  • Profile picture of the author EricMorgan
    Hey there!

    Just wanted to share my awesome experience with hiring a Social Media Marketer. About a month ago, I needed more sales and traffic on my Social Media and Website. A friend suggested I hire a social media expert, I decided to give it a shot, and let me tell you, it was the best decision I ever made!

    These pros know their stuff! They analyzed my business and created a custom plan. With their help, my website visibility shot up, and I got way more visitors!

    The content they made was fantastic - super engaging! My followers grew, and people started interacting more with my brand.

    They understood my industry and made me stand out from the competition. Data-driven tactics meant constant improvement, and my sales and conversions soared!

    So, if you're wondering if a social media marketer is worth it - YES, it totally is! Trust me, it can make your dreams come true.
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  • Profile picture of the author Min Agency
    I think you hire a media marketing specialist, then you will have time to focus on the main work without having to worry about advertising.
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  • Profile picture of the author Moodesburn1977
    I have hired a sm manager in the past, i find them quite cheap its a good way to start them off at a cheap price, getting them to work simple tasks in my sm program, and then later on scale things up, any good sm manager will have a great action plan, and they will set goals for you and talk with you what u would like to achieve and today my sm is quite strong, i hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author Saiful
    Ultimately, whether or not to hire a social media marketer is up to you. If you think it would be beneficial to have a professional help you grow your group, then I would recommend researching and finding a reputable social media marketer who can help you achieve your goals.
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  • Profile picture of the author wilsdav22
    Does it require a lot of time and effort? Then obviously yes, It would be beneficial
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  • Profile picture of the author deltahost
    A marketer is needed if you are starting to promote a new product. The market will be checked, competitors will be analyzed. A marketer can predict sales development.
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