When it comes to Social Media or Digital marketing experts, there are two kinds; those who understand how it all comes together, and those who can make it actually happen. These are two distinctive yet critical skill-sets. As a matter of fact, this applies to any type of marketing but because social media and digital marketing tools change so rapidly, it’s become an exceptional challenge to keep up with what’s hot and now.

THE STRATEGIST

Some of us are blessed with the gift of being able to understand how the many social media channels and other digital tools can be integrated so they work together toward common goals. We call these people strategists.

They are able to use their knowledge and insights to design strategic and hoalistic campaigns that produce real and favorable results such as conversions, sales, and so forth. This usually takes long-term experience in marketing that’s coupled with the gift of being able to understand and articulate what consumer need, want, and demand.

Using this knowledge, they can write appealing key messages and identify just the right channels that reach their target audiences most effectively. In other words, they know exactly what needs to be done and keep their focus set on just that.

But just because they know the what doesn’t necessarily mean the understand and master the how as well. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details”. And this is where the tactician comes in and becomes and indispensable member of the marketing team.

THE TACTICIAN

The tactician is someone who has the skills to turn theory into practice. He/she possesses the know-how and technical skills to take a key message and craft it into an effective post that reaches its target audiences and hits a home-run. Without the tactician, all remains visionary and nothing gets ever done.

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there; we crafted and posted the perfect message, but then there was no reaction. What a disappointment. And what a waste. And then we’ve seen some posts online that mean absolutely nothing, yet enjoy countless shares, likes, re-posts, and other reactions we thirst for. What a bummer!

The tactician understands how each channel is used, has a thorough understanding of the many tools that come with each, knows what image dimensions to use for different channels, when to post, and knows how to engage people. Choosing just the right hashtags is child-play, and they can take campaigns viral without having to invest a fortune in ads and boosts.

The tactician enjoys spending tons of time on social networks, loves interacting with a wide audience, and is eager to continuously learn and explore new tools and tactics. The tactician is the magician who makes it all happen.

BOTH ARE INDISPENSABLE

Having said that, you can see why hiring one in isolation of the other won’t work. If you have only a strategist on board, you’ll end up with great plans that are never implemented. On the other hand, relying only on tacticians won’t work either as you won’t have any integrated campaigns that push targeted messages to specific market segments for quantifiable results. After all, what are we going to do with massive likes and shares if the whole thing doesn’t eventually produce real sales, right?

Depending on the variety and magnitude of your social media campaigns, you will ideally employ a smaller number of (senior) strategist, and a larger number of (junior) tacticians. If you’re an agency, a team of one strategist and 2-3 tacticians should be able to handle 4-6 accounts.

This ratio changes and depends on a number of factors though. So for example, if your social media marketing arsenal includes writing original articles, you also need copywriters and so forth. And last but not least, don’t forget your graphic designer. Coming up with catchy and conforming artwork is a separate skill, yet one that’s critical for successful online campaigns.

So to which category do you belong? Share your thoughts with us in the leave a reply box below.

About the Author

Pinnacle Business & Marketing Consulting is a results-driven boutique consulting firm that specializes in providing clients with practical and pragmatic solutions to their business and marketing challenges. Website | Facebook | Twitter

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