If only, it was that easy. I was inspired to write this piece in response to the overwhelming amount of posts on female entrepreneur Facebook Groups sharing their horrific stories of hiring the wrong people. I usually get clients that have experienced that as well, and it's heartbreaking. Also, if I'm being honest, it pisses me off because that's a job I could've been hired to do. So, I keep posting on FB (well, begging women actually) to do their due diligence before hiring anyone. But, what does that mean?
When you get ALL those responses on your Facebook post, it can be incredibly overwhelming. How can you tell who's for real, who's just starting out, who's not for you, who is? It's enough to drive anyone crazy. The answer is due diligence, which is basically a fancy way of saying doing your homework on who you're about to invest in. Look further than just their post and what they claim they can do for you. Here's how:
Did they listen to you and respond to your needs in their response?
This is the easy one and will help you weed out a TON of auto-pitches. If you asked a question that you need help with, did they answer it?
Did they offer value before adding their pitch for their services?
Do they seem genuine?
Click on their profile and check out their page.
If it's a personal page, does it show any element of their business?
If it's a business page, does it reflect what you need? For example, I recently clicked on a profile stating that they were a website and brand designer, but their cover photo said something about selling dresses. So, a disconnect.
If they gave you a link to their website, check it out.
Is it well designed? Is the info you need easy to find? Does it reflect what you'd want on a website?
Is it well written? Is there too much copy, not enough, etc? Is there a ton of grammatical errors?
Click around and ensure that links work. Send a message, how responsive are they?
If you're hiring for social media, check out their social channels.
You'll want to look at their bios, their profile photos, how they present themselves. Are they optimized? Are they professional? Do you get what they do, and does it line up with what they told you?
Look into their engagement rates. How many people like and comment on their posts? Do they respond to comments? Does their online community seem engaged, supportive, excited to engage with them?
Look at the style of their posts and the voice/tone of their captions. Does it fit your target market?
Any viral posts?
Notice that I didn't put followers high up there. Followers are important, but keep in mind that people can buy followers, so it isn't an end-all-be-all.
Check out their LinkedIn.
This is important. Do they have professional experience doing what you need them to do? I've seen profiles from "social media experts" who had ZERO paid experience on LinkedIn.
Check out their recommendations, skills, and badges.
Look at their posts- what information do they share?
Ask for a portfolio or work samples.
If they don't have one or are unable to produce one in adequate time, there's your answer.
Look at the work they show. Was it for a professional client, brand, or company? Is it in a style that fits your brand or vision? Is it professional?
Ask for metrics and ROI. What were they able to accomplish for similar clients? Ask about actual facts and percentages of what was done. If they can't produce that, it's because they don't know how to do analytics and you'll want those to measure your ROI.
Follow your gut.
If something feels off, it's because it is. Always go with your intuition.
If you're looking for any digital marketing, branding, or small business guidance, feel free to reach out. Always happy to help!
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