How to Find a Social Media Consultant

I am back from a long weekend in Seattle, where I visited around six shops (I’m so overcaffeinated) and got to see some familiar faces. In my plant life, I’ve officially killed the sugar snap peas, 3 of 5 basil plants, and the tomatoes are only flowering & not producing fruit. But I’m thinking of this as a challenge! I’m decent at foliage plants and now I need to conquer flowering and edible ones. To me, it’s also a continuing lesson in patience.

This issue contains the final part of my outsourcing series. I hope you enjoy it!

– Jenn

This is an excerpt from the blog post.

What to Avoid

There is a myriad of things to watch out for when you’re hiring on a freelancer. If social media and metrics are unfamiliar to you, I recommend reading up on some basic articles. This way, you can at least grasp the concepts when you’re on that exploratory call. My Feedly lists some great sources for social media.

Here are some warning signs that they may not be the best fit for you:

• They don’t have a process. So you might’ve had an exploratory call already. What are the next steps?
• Their familiarity with your industry is only customer-deep. They don’t know the difference between a caramel macchiato and a macchiato.
• They don’t ask about your goals. If they’re going to be managing your social media, they should know what you’re looking for.
• They don’t ask for your budget or don’t go into details on pricing. Everyone prices their services differently. Some people have set packages, others work by the hour, and others are custom made. If they ask for a budget, you should give a range and they should be able to tell you if they’d fit into your budget. They should either send you a proposal with pricing intact or give you a price list.
• Lack of communication or lots of typos. Working with a freelancer is communication driven and social media is heavy on the writing. If they aren’t communicating clearly or responding in a timely manner, then you should take it as a warning sign. For me, I tell people when my working hours are and when to expect a response. I personally only check email three times a day during the week and I communicate this in my proposal, contract, and onboarding documents.
• Fiverr or Upwork. Any site that pits freelancers against each other in a bidding war means that work quality drops exponentially. It may take you more time to find the right person through referrals or Google searching but the work is worth it. If you are on these sites, it means you’re valuing costs first and anytime you do that, your quality is sacrificed.

FOR THE FULL POST, CLICK HERE.

15 Pinterest Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2018

[BYLINE] I researched a bunch of Pinterest statistics and now I’m pretty convinced that if you have a blog, you should at the very least be optimizing it for the network. Even if your company isn’t on there.

Facebook added new requirements on how you’re targeting customers from your files. If you outsource your campaigns, you’ll need to set this up. The network is also testing A/B testing for posts, changing reviews from stars to a 1-10 scale, and subscription Groups.

Twitter launched Twitter Media, a resource center for content creators and businesses on Twitter.

Instagram copied YouTube and launched IGTV, where you can upload videos to your channel, up to one hour in length. You’re probably also getting notifications (that you can’t turn off) in the app already.

Pinterest updated their Business Profile pages to include monthly viewer counts and a customized cover image.

Social Media & Storytelling | How to create a successful Instagram account for your coffee shop.

Actionable tips with cute illustrations.

www.thelittleblackcoffeecup.com  •  Share

12 props to elevate your food photography game

Food is a multi-sensory experience that’s initially encountered through the eyes. Even before we get a whiff of its delicious aroma or take that first unforgettable bite, we form preconceived notions about how a dish will taste based on how mouthwatering it looks.

How to Pin a Facebook Lead Ad to Your Facebook Page

Discover how to use Facebook lead ads without spending any money.

Outsourcing Human Resources

Hiring a full-time human resouces person can be next to impossible in coffee, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t options. Here are some ways small companies can outsource their HR needs.

An illustrated compendium of Chinese baos

Not all baos are dumplings and not all dumplings are baos. Warning: reading this will make you hungry.

Private equity firms are buying up your favorite food brands

“JAB continues to roll up the coffee business, and the firm now owns Au Bon Pain, Panera, Keurig Green Mountain, Caribou Coffee, Krispy Kreme, Peet’s, Einstein Bros, Stumptown, and several other coffee brands in addition to Pret A Manger. Executives from Roark and JAB were two of the top three industry leaders featured in Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2018 ranking of industry power-holders.”