Does Team Work Make the Dream Work?
In my last article, I spoke about using scheduling as part of your Strategy of Love, as a way to take some of the pressure of social media off your shoulders… This time I want to speak to having support around socials a step further –
Can hiring someone and getting help with social media be part of your Strategy of Love? Does team work make the dream work?
This is a nuanced area, as getting help is, of course, personal, subjective and unique. In this article, I am going to share some of the ways I find working with others can help for the better, and ways it can fall down.
A question I always ask at the beginning of my workshops is ‘What gets in your way with social media? What are the obstacles here?’
Asking yourself this question and journaling on it can give you insight into where you might want or need to get support on social.
For some people, it can be a time issue and for others, it can be technical. It can also be emotional rather than practical! Or all of the above. Getting clear on what is stopping you from using the digital dimension as a tool can help you identify where you might need some help.
Social media is A LOT and can feel very overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start, if you aren’t comfortable with the tech or if you think you have to learn the next TikTok craze to keep up.
Remembering that it depends on where you are on your social media journey, the vision you have for yourself, your business and where you want to take it – that will all play a part in who and when to hire people to help.
Here are four different ways you can get that help as and when you need it…
A social media consultant or coach – If you are just starting out, or you feel stuck / confused around which way to take things, hiring a social media consultant or coach to work with you 121 might be a good first step in getting help. For example, I work with clients to create their strategy, from which platforms and content types to how often to post. I offer check-ins and accountability sessions for delivering a strategy with coaching and space-holding to help you on your way. I also advise on where else you might need help as I analyse your systems and set up.
Social Media VA / Manager – Finding someone to support you with a range of things from copywriting, content creation (graphics / video editing) to scheduling and community management support – someone with top-notch social media skills to do it (or some of it) for you is a popular option. However, this comes with a subset of inquiry around authenticity and energy – which I’ll get into in a bit.
Specialist support – EG if you want to create a certain type of content but feel that the ‘tech’ side might spin you out – which means it is less likely to happen, because hello procrastination (‘I’ll post that video series idea I had when I learn how to use iMovie’ etc.). Finding people who do ‘just that thing’ can be really useful. Copywriters and editorial for support with blogs / articles / newsletters. Video or Audio Editors for videos and podcasting / guided meditations etc. Graphic designers / photographers for visuals, brand identity, memes and more. VAs for admin and scheduling. Using web services such as Fivrr or Upwork can be useful ways to find people with specialist skills from all over the world to work with. Or ask your friends, colleagues, clients and network for recommendations.
Agencies – Having run an agency back in the day, these days I usually only work with them around paid social media, rather than for organic content, because it is such a specialism. For organic content, agencies don’t move fast enough for me – plus you need much bigger bucks for this. EG, an agency I’m currently working with on ads alone starts at $2500 per month for list building and goes upwards from here + your ad spend on top – so this option is for upscaling once you have a product, service or a freebie that you want to make a big impact with and have the financial investment to go with it.
If you decide to get help, then the question of authenticity often comes up; how can your social media be true to you if you’re paying someone else to do it for you?
When I manage social media accounts for others, I work very closely with my clients to make sure the messages and content going out carry their voice and their energy signature, and that the energy of the team is as aligned as possible. We work together to create the content, ensuring that what we are sharing is theirs energetically. My involvement is more on the strategic and technical side of things: helping create the content framework & planning the social media calendar, making sure the systems in place means it gets done, whilst monitoring analytics and activity.
Thus the energy and communication are ALL YOURS…. This is a much more authentic way to streamline your social media process. We create together as a team, whilst someone, with expertise, specialism and experience, holds the space and oversees. It’s a collaborative way of working in authenticity and flow that takes away some of the potential stresses or overwhelm.
In my last article about scheduling, I mentioned that having a mix of pre-planned, strategic and scheduled content, together with ‘in the moment’ posts has its benefits – this is one of the plus points of having support, because it means you don’t have to do it all. You can stay consistent, yet disconnected some of the time.
Where I often see having support with social fall down is when it just doesn’t feel right – this can be the content itself or even just a feeling on the day / in the moment as something goes out into the digital ethers with it feeling misaligned. This feeling can make it really difficult to hand it over to others because of the emotional connection we have with our social media. Social media is more often than not personal, it is not just professional. And I know it doesn’t always feel very comfy letting someone else drive when it comes to your timeline – and not just for me – and I definitely have issues with someone else scheduling my content, even using my own strategy and content plan! I still come undone around handing this over. This is likely an energetic / emotional block to do with my own control and attachment issues that I need to work on!
Using collaboration and scheduling tools, having someone support you in creating and filling out a content plan for you to then add your own energy and flourishes to can be a way forward with this. Again how can you collaborate with others in a way that works for you?
Social media is your mouthpiece – it’s your space to build relationships and communicate your message. It is your body of work, your business and your being in the digital Town Square. So you get to decide if and when getting support – be it hiring a coach, VA or freelancer – feels right and how much help is right for you.
Take it from someone who does social media for a living, that even just one account can become a full-time job if you are creating multimedia content & you aren’t careful! It really does take a team if you want to show up using a range of mediums and platforms – and use it professionally. Of course, as someone in this arena, who offers this kind of service, I think if you are using it as a key space for communication and you want to grow an online audience, then creating a dream team to support you is important.
So I invite you now to sit quietly and place your hand on your heart.
Take a few deep breaths.
And drop into your heart space as you breathe.
Sink into a place of deep honesty and connection with yourself as you ask:
Would getting support with social media help me to share my medicine and message with the world?
And if yes – what next first step can I take to get what I need…
To receive the right support
To create my dream team.
Please share, if you would like to, in the comments below…