Gone are the days of leaving the company’s social media presence in the hands of the 19-year-old intern, whose only qualification is being active on social networks for personal use. Today, the role of social media manager requires a specific set of skills including a firm grasp of the brand’s identity and voice, knowledge of how social media can affect marketing and PR goals, as well as being a customer service genius.

While a little on the dramatic side, the above tweet sums up the potential danger one rookie mistake can lead to. Handing over the keys to your social media marketing and strategy to an intern is risky, here’s why:

1. All it takes is one rookie mistake to make national news.

Youth may come with creativity and out-of-the-box ideas, but it also comes with a higher chance of making rookie mistakes. Whether it's posting to the wrong account, firing off in the heat of the moment, or just not communicating in the brand voice, someone with experience in community management is your best bet.

2. There’s more to social media than posting status updates.

It includes analytics, metrics, and the ability to compile and present monthly reports. At the end of the day, social media is a marketing tool to help build business. An intern most likely will not be able to create a content strategy that increases your return on investment and also won’t be able to communicate how a recent social campaign translates into sales.

3. Would you allow an intern to address journalists or manage traditional advertising unsupervised?

Of course not. You would never allow an intern to speak on behalf of your brand on a global platform, which is exactly what social media is. Allowing an intern free reign of social media marketing is allowing them to represent your brand on an international stage.

4. Limited knowledge of your brand’s culture.

Social media provides businesses with a great opportunity to share their story and culture. Interns are apart of your team for six months at most and in that amount of time it is difficult for them to ‘drink your company’s Kool-Aid’. They most likely will not be able to portray this story and message accurately.

It’s crucial to leave social media marketing to the professionals, whether in-house or hiring outside experts. Looking for someone to help develop a content and creative strategy? Sign up for our free social media assessment and let’s discuss your goals and the next steps to achieve them.