It’s no secret that a company’s website and overall online presence is a huge contributor to their revenue (or lack thereof). It’s imperative that a business have a highly functioning website, an engaging social media strategy, and a knowledge of SEO in order to make money and truly compete with other small businesses. It’s no wonder, then, why so many entrepreneurs are deciding to hire web managers instead of tackling this area on their own. Sometimes there’s just too much at stake, and smart business owners recognize when it’s time to get some outside help. Even if you choose to outsource much of this work, a web manager helps create that communication and can task contract workers to make sure the website, SEO strategy, social media, etc. is in order and moving the company forward.

“Web Manager” is also a fairly new role and new title for businesses. If you find yourself struggling with any of the issues listed below, it might be time to hire a full time web manager at your business:

1. You’re Not Reaching Your Goals

When you first started your business, hopefully you came up with some short term and long term goals. And if you’ve been in business for awhile, most likely you’ve revisited and adapted those goals. If this is the case, and in your revision you’ve noticed that you’re not making as much progress as you’d like, perhaps it’s time to seek help in the form of a web manager. Web managers do much more than make sure your website is up and running—websites are a great place to capture statistics. Web managers can then use those statistics to analyze your ROI and marketing efforts as a whole.

You can then use that valuable information in order to develop a marketing strategy tailored to your business, with your company’s goals in mind, in order to improve in any areas where you may be lacking. Google Analytics can be a daunting program, and a web manager is just one more way to make data analysis more accessible for everyone.

2. You’re Ready to Spend More Money on Advertising

Social media advertising is a great way to get the word out about your business and increase your revenue, but this can be a challenge for those who either don’t have an understanding of social advertising or who don’t have the time to manage an advertising strategy. If you feel like you fit in either of these scenarios, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the potential of social media advertising- just hire a web manager! Most web managers have advertising experience and can help you develop a targeted marketing strategy that draws in a plethora of new customers. Social media advertising can increase your website traffic, encourage consumers to download your app, expand your brand awareness, and more! You definitely don’t want to skip out on social media advertising just because you don’t understand it or don’t feel like you have time to create and maintain an advertising campaign.

social-media

3. You Don’t Understand the Social Media Platforms Your Audience is Using

If words like Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat don’t mean much to you, it might be time to hire a web manager. Successful entrepreneurs not only determine who their audience is and where they like to hang out online, they make themselves experts at those specific social platforms and figure out how to incorporate them into their business plan. But not everyone considers themselves a social media expert, and even if they do, the world of social media is changing and expanding so often it’s hard for even the most seasoned veterans to keep up. It is the job of a web manager to keep up with social trends, and they can easily help you to better understand your audience while also improving your social media presence and increasing sales.

Also note, your business may not be ready for a full-time social media manager. The role of web manager can encompass a lot of different aspects, and while they may not be the ones to take your social strategy to extremely new heights, this is often a better move for most businesses first (and hire a social media manager second).

4. You’re Missing Out on Money-Making Opportunities

If you find yourself spending too much time on one aspect of your business and this is causing you to miss out on other opportunities for revenue, you might want to hire a web manager. Owning a business can be extremely time consuming, and you’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up with all the company’s demands. This only becomes a problem if you’re failing to recognize that your lack of free time is causing your business to lose money. Don’t be afraid to delegate. Hire a web manager so that you’re guaranteed to not lose money because of missed opportunities. Whether you let that person handle SEO, social media, analytics, or all of the above, whatever you pay them will be well worth the extra money your business will make when enough attention is paid to each individual department.

According to Salary.com, this is where larger companies find value. Over 40% of the businesses hiring a web manager have over $100k in business each year.

5. You’re Not a Marketing Expert and/or Aren’t Interested in Learning

Creating a successful marketing campaign is no joke, and some people either don’t have the skills and knowledge to be able to do so, or don’t have the time or desire to learn. But that’s ok, as long as someone on your team is capable of handling this extremely important aspect of your business. A good web manager will have a good working knowledge of website development, SEO, social media, content marketing, design, and more and could be an incredible asset to your business. There is a ton of information available on these topics for anyone wishing to learn, but you might want to ask yourself if you have the time necessary to adequately develop all these skills, and if that extra time might be more valuable if spent elsewhere.

The Takeaway

Take a good look at your business and decide if hiring a web manager might be a good fit for you. If you have a tight budget and are worried about the extra cost, just remember that a good web manager will most likely increase your sales and offset some of that expense. If you’ve decided it is time to hire a web manager, be sure to check out this article from Entrepreneur.com in order to determine which qualities to look for in the hiring process.

Does your company have a full time web manager? How have they improved your business? Comment in the section below!

Image credit 1: vapartners.stg.kpd-i.com

Image credit 2: media.sproutsocial.com

Image credit 3: letsnurture.com