ARE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS SUFFERING FROM THE GRILLED CHEESE EFFECT?
I’m pretty sure you saw the title of this post and thought, “The Grilled Cheese Effect? What the heck is she talking about?”
As a Social Media Manager, the biggest roadblock I encounter when speaking with potential clients is this: “Oh, my assistant/receptionist/niece does my social media. She’s on Instagram all the time!”
Or, as I like to call it, The Grilled Cheese Effect. Let me explain …
Most of you can make yourselves dinner, right? You might not be Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen, but you can make yourself or your family a meal and no one gets food poisoning. But what if I asked you to cater a party for 50 people for me next weekend? Unless you have secret chef training (hey, you might!) you would likely think I was crazy for asking you to take on such a huge job. Just because you can make yourself dinner, doesn’t mean you have the knowledge and training to cater an event.
That’s ‘The Grilled Cheese Effect.’
Never in your wildest dreams would you ask the kid down the street (who can make himself a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch) to cater your fancy party or event. He doesn’t know anything about meal planning, food allergies, ordering ingredients, cooking for large numbers, or presentation for events. He just knows how to make grilled cheese. Both do include the preparation of food, to be fair, but they are clearly NOT the same thing.
This is exactly the example I use when faced with the “my receptionist/assistant/niece handles my social media” conversation. Just because your receptionist/assistant/niece uses her personal social media accounts to post cat memes and mascara tutorials does not mean she has the skills to effectively market your business online.
She’s making grilled cheese and you need a caterer.
If you hired the kid who can make grilled cheese to cater your party, you would be putting your reputation at risk. Management of your business’ social media presence is no different. You’re putting the online face of your business into the hands of someone who lacks the knowledge, training or business awareness to take your company to the next level. In fact, they could even be doing damage to your professional reputation if they aren’t following the rules and utilizing the tools (and the spelling and the grammar!) that are required for an effective social presence.
So the next time you think about the management of your small business’ social media accounts, consider my example. Who would you rather have managing the online face of your business? The grilled cheese kid or the caterer?
Our inbox is always open for your questions, and our social media pages are full of helpful tips for entrepreneurs and small business owners. We would love the opportunity to be your online “caterer,” and to help you take your small business to the next level.
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