“Social media is too changeable to be the lead on a strategy, and human relationships will become more key as technology replaces people-led roles.”

Cemanthe McKenzie is the founder of New Media Angels; a company leading the way in digital communications. Believing that conversation over numbers is the key element for building your online credibility, Cemanthe has led the way for a new style of marketing which has enabled her to be recognized as a specialist in this industry.

New Media Angels is a collection of businesses providing an integrated service to mid-size companies under one roof. They work collaboratively to provide social media support to their clients, and clients are absorbed into their team through ongoing education even when they manage social media for them. One of their company values is empowerment, for them and for clients.

BusinessInterviews.com: How does your marketing approach separate you from the competition?

Cemanthe: For our own marketing it’s very much more than just attending networking events; I speak at business events, run seminars through trusted partners and have partnerships with related companies that provide us with warm leads. I value the relationship I have with people and focus on this rather than traditional marketing of leaflets etc. I prefer to attract ideal clients to us, and never chase business. I believe that if people want to work with us, they will. For our clients it’s less about marketing in the normal way and rather about considering them as a whole business with every aspect covered. We do their social media, but also get involved in customer service, online profile and offline marketing where applicable. I like to absorb my clients and their business success matters as much to me as my own. When someone becomes a client, or ‘honorary angel’, we implement and follow a 4 part process: Plan, Traffic, Nurture, Convert and build their strategy around the tactical points for each of these steps.

BusinessInterviews.com: One of the cornerstones of your company is empowerment for both your team and your clients. Can you give us some examples of how this value is reflected in how you run your company and lead your team?

Cemanthe: All of the team work from where they are in the world. The majority of the Angels are UK based, in fact, most near me; however, I prefer that they work from home. As mentioned in our company description, we’re a collaborative business, so they have their own projects going on and we group together when a new client starts. We keep in touch on regular emails, visits to clients when needed and regular phone calls. I would like to have an office in 2014 for more cohesion, however; even then it will be about working to your best strengths rather than just fulfilling a job role. I hire my team for the passion they feel in a certain area, and Angels interests are matched to the clients business where possible. This way managing the social media is a personal interest rather than delegated job task. For my clients it’s important that even when we manage their social media that they understand how and why we do what we do. The eventual aim is to get them warmed up enough to be able to manage it in-house. We train as we go where possible.

BusinessInterviews.com: You hand pick the companies that you most want to work with. How does that process work and how do you let down a potential client who was keen to work with your agency?

Cemanthe: We manage and train social media across a broad range of industries, so I would say that the one thing our clients have in common is that they’re all nice! Yes, really. They make me smile regularly, are a pleasure to see and hear from, and I care for them and their business to the nth degree. Social media and the other services we offer are pretty much a 24/7 responsibility so if I’m to hear from a client at 7pm on a Sunday or 11pm at night, then it must be someone I’m happy to hear from. For potential clients who don’t fit our culture, i.e. they buy us on price or quibble about everything before we even start, or don’t believe in social media enough for us to take them on, then I let them know that it’s not a beneficial relationship for either of us and that I’d be happy to refer them to a company that is a better fit. I have a range of social media partner companies that I trust and can refer people to.

BusinessInterviews.com: What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur seeking a mentor? What kinds of questions should they be asking to get the most out of the relationship?

Cemanthe: My advice would be that they stick with their gut instinct and don’t just sign up with someone because they’re the cheapest, or feel pressurized to sign up with that person. Firstly, understand what it is that you feel you need, the right person will be able to help you extract this too, and then find a mentor who can help you to achieve this, but also help you find other things within yourself that you didn’t know you wanted to achieve. Insist on an initial meeting at no charge to get a sense of who they are and what they can do for/with you. Ask about their experience, previous clients they’ve helped and their expertise or knowledge of the industry you’re in. They don’t need to necessarily have to have worked in what you do but they need to know what it is. I’d also make sure they have business experience that relates to what you want to achieve.

BusinessInterviews.com: What are some social media trends that you’re excited about or think that our readers should be paying attention to?

Cemanthe: Mobile is definitely on the rise and sites need to be mobile friendly as well as giving customers the option to purchase there and then if they so desire. I think that social networks are maturing, but that none of them are indispensable… who knows if Facebook will still be around in the same form, or at all, in 5 years time. I would say that the biggest social media trend is to focus on your face to face relationships and use social media to leverage them to the next level. Social media is too changeable to be the lead on a strategy, and human relationships will become more key as technology replaces people-led roles. If you spend too much time on technology, you’ll be left behind when the world changes. I really couldn’t say whether social media is here to stay or not, I think for right now people need to live in the moment and embrace the opportunity it provides currently, but not forget old school principles of connecting, relationships and face to face.

BusinessInterviews.com: Once a client is ready to move on, how do you ensure a smooth transition and prepare them to take back their social media in-house?

Cemanthe: A full handover of what we’ve done, how we’ve done it (without giving away anything unique to what we do), and being in touch with them afterwards to check in on how it’s going. For the technology side it’s just a case of unsubscribing the team as admin on the account and confirming with the client that it’s done. On some occasions people have required us to do a post-management training session, where I will go in and train their team on how to manage it like an agency would. If I’m honest, even after clients have long left us, I still keep a beady eye on their social media and pop them an email if anything needs changing or updating, or if I hear of any changes coming along that will affect them. Cemanthe is not just for Christmas, she’s for life!