Should Social Media Managers Work On Weekends and Evenings?
As you all know social media runs 24/7. That means every second of the day someone is actively scrolling through their feeds, sending messages, sharing posts and asking questions.
The funny thing about social media is that the peak times tend to be when business hours are at their low point. That brings me to the next question many of you have:
Should Social Media Managers Work On Weekends and Evenings After Regular Business Hours?
As a social media manager you may be wondering if you need to work on Saturdays, Sundays and even evenings. I will tell you what I have done in the past….
Setup Automatic Replies
Yes Facebook fan pages do record when the page owner typically replies which give insight to the level of customer service on social media. They let the customer know that their page is active and and their are humans behind the scene ready to answer questions proactively. However, you can setup automatic replies with most social platforms that at least reply back to the person after hours with a message that lets them know you have received their inquiry and when they can hear from you, such as “Thank you for your inquiry , we will get back to you within 24 hours during our regular business hours of 9am -5:30pm.” (Of course remember if you state how long it will take you to reply then be sure to honour that statement.)
Make Exceptions For Special Events
If there are special events or peak times for customer service for certain business, maybe you will just want to make exceptions. The positive about this if you know ahead of time that extra hour in the evening may not seem as much of a hassle or get in the way if you know about it. Plus, tuning in after regular business hours is one of the bonuses that make you such an awesome asset to the company that has hired you to be there for them!
Get Hired Help
You can hire on Upwork, sometimes for cost effective purposes on Upwork which is great if you have someone overseas. During our evening and nighttime hours they can check in on messages and comments. This actually gives you 24/7 coverage which is huge. If you are worried about the extra expense this is something that should be stated in your contract ahead of time ensuring to the client that you will provide them 24.7 coverage which is extremly valuable for clients.
Of course being transparent and talking about these details with your client before signing the contract is always important. You are not required to strain yourself all hours of the day just to keep someone happy so balance is key! (ha! – that easier said than done right;)
