I could really answer this question with two words: Outside perspective.

Let’s elaborate a little more on what that means. An outside trainer brings a fresh perspective and proven strategies that help your team cut through the noise and focus on what actually moves the needle.

If you are managing many or all of the tasks necessary to keep your brand’s social media up and running, then I already know that you’re wearing many hats: researcher, producer, videographer, editor, graphic designer, analyst, and more. When you’re already juggling a thousand other tasks to keep your audience engaged, it’s easy to lose focus or miss out on brand-boosting opportunities on social media.

The era when I had to handle my business’s social media marketing single-handedly was tough. It was like trying to hold onto a hurricane; posts were erratic, engagement was lackluster, and my followers were drifting away like ships lost at sea. Being able to stop, breathe, and accept that I didn’t have to fare the depths alone was liberating – just because I could do everything myself didn’t mean it was healthy for me to do it all.

Now, back to my point. When you get lost in that hurricane, the truth is that your team might be in that hurricane with you. So, taking a 360-degree view of what’s going on and bringing in a fresh, outside perspective (a.k.a. Social Media Trainer) to look at your social media can make a huge difference in how you move forward to navigate your way out.

When you find the right person for you and your team, that person acts as a trainer and consultant who can navigate you back to calm waters. 

How Social Media Training Transforms Your Team

So, what exactly should social media training do for your team? A skilled trainer does more than teach tactics. They should be able to act as both Social Media Trainer and Social Media Consultant taking a detailed look at your current social media operations and assessing steps you can take to align with your overall marketing strategy and business objectives.

You should be able to sit down with this person and deeply dive into your brand story, digital marketing operations, and online marketing goals. Then, they should be able to develop tailor-made social media training and consulting sessions that suit your brand’s unique needs and can help train your team. At the very least, they should be able to meet with your team through a highly customized, moderated session that takes you and your team beyond just getting likes or shares or increasing engagement but into discovering a more straightforward path (backed by data and outside perspective) to get the results you want along with ensuring you internally have the infrastructure to achieve success.

Someone good at social media training understands how to guide you and your team in analyzing data, measuring results, and making informative decisions that could reroute your team’s entire strategy. It’s like having a lighthouse to guide your ship through the darkest nights.

Your social media outreach will improve through your journey with them. Still, more importantly, your team may walk away with newfound organization, less stress, more communication, and a streamlined approach to internal operational practices. 

Keeping Up With Social Media Trends

With social media, what works today might not work tomorrow. But this area is where your social media trainer should shine, always one step ahead of the cycle of trends and algorithm updates.

The most notable example in recent years is the power of video content. The switch to a video-focused consumer market was a game-changer. Businesses that jumped on optimizing for video, especially short-form formats like TikToks and Instagram Reels, are reaping the rewards of staying current. They’re also benefiting more from the continuous video feature upgrades those platforms make toward shoppability and user-generated content.

Your social media trainer understands how to optimize for what’s big right now, like video, and how and when to use those special features to funnel viewers into customers. Beyond that, they keep on the pulse of new and upcoming trends that are set to rock the advertising globe, like video marketing, versus just fads passing in the night.

Time and Resource Management

Time is our most precious resource. For many marketing teams, there’s usually never enough of it. Squeezing full-time social media management into our already busy schedules can be a headache with its development, content creation, targeting and scheduling, scrolling and engagement, social listening, and measuring it entails.

You can use social media training to optimize your efforts. You can work with a social media trainer or a social media consultant to develop strategies that will help you and your team plan content in advance so you’re not rushing to post on the fly. That alone can save you countless hours to focus on the core of your business. Plus, they’ll show you how to organize a social media calendar suited to your brand’s culture, industry hot seasons, and your audience’s attention spans so that you’ll never be left without a lifeboat.

Customized Social Media Training vs. DIY Social Media Training

I’ve trained dozens of social media teams, and the one thing they have in common is that they are brilliant and social media savvy, but they want an expert to come in and help them assess what they can do better. Yes, these teams could execute in-house training on their own and find YouTube videos that explain answers to the questions, but the truth is, none of those options provide personalized attention or conversation. 

I learned a lot from the DIY route myself, and I also made many mistakes. Mistakes can be costly, both in terms of time and money. An experienced social media trainer provides personalized guidance that prevents you from making those mistakes, offers insights and insider knowledge that only experience and expertise can provide, and helps you reach your goals faster. It’s like having a co-pilot on your journey to success!

Find the Right Social Media Trainer

If you’re considering getting a social media trainer on board, finding the right one is important. Find someone who gets your goals and is enthusiastic about your vision. My checklist for finding a good social media trainer includes:

• Proven track record and experience
• Adaptability to teams, their needs, and their concerns
• Testimonials from previous clients
• Clear communication and a good working relationship
• A well-defined plan and approach
• A focus on your goals, not just their own profit
• Asks questions to understand what’s important to you.

Don’t feel shy about shopping around for the right social media trainer. Book a discovery meeting with your top picks to see if your schedules and styles match. Remember, the right trainer is an investment, not an expense.

Navigating social media can be a big challenge for small business owners, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Working with a social media trainer can help you reach your goals and evolve with the social media landscape easily. Your team deserves it, and so do you! 

Review the training options I offer to support you and your team, or schedule a discovery call to find out how else we can collaborate.