A solo social media manager often needs access to a range of resources across the business. Marketing teams, customer service, communications, legal, leadership. Even product teams, operations and HR at times. The conversations, topics and issues that fall into their remit can be broad, complex and ever changing.

It’s not about ownership in the business division sense, especially in a small to medium enterprise. But it is about facilitation and making sure things have ownership.

Who needs to know who?

Far too often our social media people are onboarded like junior content producers; here’s the brand guide (maybe), some passwords a content calendar from the last person and good luck from here.

There’s a minimum viable infrastructure to make sure people can do their best. And that means all of you, not just your new social media person.

Named escalation contacts – Naming and introducing someone to the relevant people within the business is critical. Establishing relationships and expectations across the business for who they can not only turn to, but hand off issues to. If you don’t establish a process now, you’re expecting them to forge that relationship later, likely in the middle of an issue or crisis.

Clear authority and decision boundaries – Who’s in charge, of what, and when does it change? You need a clear plan for crisis level issues, and just hiccups that come in along the way. Are there times you expect to be kept in the loop? Or other parts of the business who do? And what does in the loop mean for you? Are people CCed on emails and tagged in Slack comments as an FYI, or expected to take action?

After hours expectations – This cuts both ways, and everyone needs to be aligned. It’s not just when you expect someone to be available and accessible (keep in mind right to disconnect laws here please), but when you and the rest of the business are accessible, and how. Expecting your solo social media manager to identify a crisis on a Saturday night is one expectation. Making sue they have access to you, the legal team, or the head of your warehouse is a very different one. And you need to be having both of those conversations.

Regular access to decision makers – If someone is engaging with customers, forging plans, advertising and more, who else do they need to talk to? Who needs to know what’s happening on social. And just how much does your social media manager need to know? Are the right conversations happening? And do they know what conversations are going to happen.

Sensitive-topic guidance – Every industry, company and person has their own thoughts and direction on what’s sensitive, and how sensitive it is. Everything from legislation, to lawsuits, personal issues of executives, or past brand failures. It can feel like airing dirty laundry, but social media managers are a comms and PR role. They’re one of the people who needs to know how many closets you have, and what skeletons are in them.

Change management – Every organisation is filled with information, and it’s often changing. Making sure your social media person is up to date with things like product and service changes, outages. Even the performance of other teams. Delivery times might be 2-4 days, but if the warehouse is short staffed from a flu outbreak and it’s now 6 day turnaround, they need to be informed. And without knowing when or how an issue could come up, they need to know as much as they can.

Handover processes and documentation – This is as much about onboarding and starting them out, as well as when they depart the business. It’s a two way street of both structure, process and plans. Whether a campaign is halfway finished, or about to kick off a 6 month plan. Sales funnels and leads already exist, alongside customer relationships for your most beloved clients, and the greasy wheels to watch for. 

Onboarding cuts both ways.

Integrating someone into your organisation is not just giving them access, but about creating a path so they can get accurate answers and information, make safe decisions and be the one who makes sure critical issues are in front of the right people at the right time.