Should My Business Outsource Social Media?

The burning question, should my business outsource social media, is one that comes up at almost every meeting we have with potential clients. Whether they are just starting an online marketing program or have an established one, they consistently ask the same question of us: should my business outsource social media marketing?

The answer (unfortunately) is it depends.

Why Outsourcing is Good

On the one hand, there are several excellent benefits to outsourcing your social media to a 3^rd party:

Expertise

• Any social media expert you turn to will likely have more experience working Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, a blog, and the like than yourself or any employee.
• They will also have experience using these platforms to market businesses, not just keep up with news and friends. There is definitely a difference.
• Tip: any expert will want to first understand you and your business before offering solutions. If an expert starts telling you what to do and how they can help before they know anything about your needs, proceed with caution.

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Time

• You and your employees may not have time to manage your social media accounts with regularity. Being consistent will go a long way toward your overall success, so be sure to give this some thought.

Trust

• If you’re working with an outside agency, they will have to earn your trust with time. They should offer you a contract that helps to alleviate some initial concerns.
• While your employees may have the best intentions at heart, a quick, unfiltered response online can quickly damage the reputation of your entire business.

Why Handling Social Media Yourself Is Good

Saves Money

• This is almost certainly the number one reason to keep the social media management in-house. If you have the time, inclination, skill, and desire to do everything yourself, then this a great option.
  • You can learn a lot from our DIY blog with helpful social media tips for businesses.
  • It doesn’t take as long as you think if you concentrate on one thing and do it well. Spend a few hours each week on your updates, responding to customers and try to learn something new each week. You’ll be a pro in no time!
• Monitor your time so you can see if it’s worth continuing yourself or passing on to an employee or 3^rd party. When you factor the cost of your time, don’t forget lost opportunity time if the social media management is taking you away from generating/managing your business better.
• Tip: get a quote from an agency you like or have been referred to and compare that against the cost of your time. You might be surprised at the results.

Authentic Voice

• Having an authentic, consistent voice as a brand is very important. If you handle all updates yourself, then you know the voice will be consistent. Just remember to keep negativity out of the conversation no matter how frustrated you might get with someone online.
• This is also one of the most difficult things for an employee or marketing agency to replicate.
  • For example, when we first take over a social media campaign, we communicate frequently to make sure the voice being represented is one that’s consistent with the brand. It’s immensely important, and we’re lucky to have professional writing experience to help in this regard.

  Fun

• Some business owners just flat out enjoy their responsibilities with social media. While they take them seriously, they also have fun doing it. The key here of course is to enjoy it without letting it take you away from anything else.

Now that we’ve explored a few pros and cons for both, what do you think is best for your business? Should you outsource your social media marketing to a marketing agency? Or is it better for you to handle the social media in-house?

There’s no wrong answer. It ultimately will come down to commitment and hard work. Doesn’t seem like so many things come down to that?? I’ll leave you with one last

Tip: before you begin your social media marketing, think about your strategy – your goals, your audience, your message, and your metrics. A sound strategy may be the difference between success and failure.