Five Factors to Consider When Seeking a Facebook Page Manager

Business owners, from the largest corporation to the smallest, in-home start-up, have heard of Facebook and are establishing their presence there.  Facebook has become one of the tools to use for establishing community, building brand recognition, learning about the competition, and understanding buying personas.  For all of its positive marketing uses, however, not every business owner has the time to or interest in building a robust page on their own, so they turn to consultants to manage the pages on their behalf.  

If this sounds like you, what should you keep in mind before agreeing to have another party manage your Facebook page?  The following are five key factors to consider.

1. "Talk the Talk".  The ability of the page manager to provide engaging content and get people talking will somewhat depend on their ability to understand who your target audience is and the lingo that the community is accustomed to using.  For instance, if you're target audience is the basketball fanatic and your candidate can't jump into a conversation about the Celtics offense this year, you may want to keep looking for someone who is as enthusiastic about the topic as you.
2. Professionalism.  While you may be looking to cut costs and assume that hiring someone right out of college will enable a lower rate, remember that not everyone who departs college steps forth with a high level of professionalism.  This is often a skill that is learned in time while working in a variety of settings under a variety of situations.  
3. Understanding of measurement.  Experience not only brings the vague quality of professionalism, but it also ensures that the person hired understands the importance of defining measurement goals for the page and then watching/working towards those goals. 
4. Customer service or public relations background.  Engaging someone with a strong ability to address and mitigate any negative comments that may be posted to your Facebook page is key.  You don't want negative comments lingering unanswered for the rest of the world to take in as truth.  
5. Trust.  Most importantly of all, as a business owner, you must trust that this person or agency is trustworthy and has your best interests at heart.  If you doubt that, move on! 

Keeping these five factors in mind as you find someone who can assist with your workload will ensure that your Facebook page is managed in line with your overall business objectives and that your brand maintains or enhances its current standing.