Should you outsource Social Media Management?
By 2020 eConsulting
10 Points to Consider When Outsourcing Social Media Management
Social media platforms allow brands to reach more people through a single marketing campaign than any other form of advertising. Today's brands use social media marketing to connect with their target audiences in real-time. Using such platforms has become so widespread that not implementing a social media marketing strategy for your company would put you at a significant disadvantage compared to your competition. However, brands are often too busy managing other important aspects of their business.
Hence, outsourcing this key task is definitely an option. Outsourcing to a good social media manager, whether an individual professional or an agency, can increase brand awareness, tell brand stories, generate leads, and, ultimately, result in conversions. Consider the following 10 points when choosing a social media manager for you.
1) Track record
Social media managers today develop and maintain portfolios of their own work. Try checking your prospective social media manager's website or asking them for actual references for their previous work. Their past clients should be able to tell you about the brands your social media manager has worked with and their impact on those brands. Finally, you can do a background check on the quality of your prospective social media manager's accounts and the information they disclose. An excellent social media manager has a clear and straightforward bio and a cohesive feed.
2) Adaptability
Social media platforms are evolving every day. Good social media managers stay updated about any platform, such as limits on the number of hashtags, optimal posting schedules, and many more. Social media marketing necessitates the use of new techniques and templates, and social media managers operate with a mix of routine and anticipation. Always consider a potential social media manager's adaptability, especially if your brand requires you to keep up with the latest trends.
3) Affordability
Social media marketing typically falls under advertising, and budget is a primary concern for every brand. Hence, many businesses employ one or a few in-house "social media officers" to save money. After all, posts and tweets can be created with a few keystrokes and clicks. However, businesses tend to misjudge the effort involved in social media marketing. Outsourcing to social media managers typically saves your business from having to dedicate time and resources to training in-house social media marketing personnel.
4) Strategic know-how
Good social media management implements solid social media strategy and techniques while considering brand goals. Beyond generating a social media content calendar or quarterly reports, good social media marketing managers must familiarize themselves with their respective brands to optimize content and marketing campaigns. Look for social media managers who create and publish good posts, generate analyses, and develop content strategies tailored to your brand.
5) Advice
Business owners may not always know the best platform for their brands. A good social media agency will advise you on which channel or platforms are best for achieving your brand goals. Furthermore, after analyzing the performance of your social media campaign, a good social media manager should be able to develop and implement sustainable and effective social media strategies.
6) Resources
Brands may attempt to conduct their own social media marketing using rudimentary tools such as Facebook Ads or Google Trends. However, social media managers have numerous tools that allow them to document and evaluate the success of social media campaigns for brands in terms of reach and interactions. The best social media marketing tools on the market, particularly those used for search engine optimization, are costly and can cost your brand anywhere from $400 to $500 per month. Social media management agencies can spread the costs of these tools among many customers, and your brand can receive the benefits of these tools.
7) Quality copywriting
While writing captions, posts, or tweets does not require any training, a good social media manager can provide high-quality copy that leads to conversions. Assess your potential social media managers' writing skills by asking for a portfolio of their written content. Outsourcing to a bad social media agency or professional carries the risk of faulty and grammatically inconsistent copy, which may undermine your brand's credibility.
8) Availability
Social media has no opening or closing hours, and customer queries or complaints can be posted on your website or social media handle anytime. Negative comments can especially lead to short- or long-term reputational (and financial!) damage to your brand and must be managed promptly. Good social media agencies can conduct constant monitoring and engage in direct customer contact by reacting to interactions and comments, answering questions, moderating discussions, or providing assistance -- practically 24/7. Thorough community management by a social media manager can help your brand build and maintain positive and long-term customer relationships in a targeted manner.
9) Versatility
Good social media managers are open and enthusiastic about new platforms. Social media management agencies deal with the constantly changing social media environment every day. For instance, social media giants Facebook and Twitter have recently seen an alarming loss of market share to relatively new player TikTok, with brands and celebrities rapidly adopting the new platform. Hence, always choose a social media manager who has mastered the current platforms and is also continuously adopting new ones.
10) Creativity
Your brand has its own language, style, and voice. However, brands with an online presence typically face stiff competition, and businesses that fail to come up with fresh ideas tend to fall behind. Hence, this is where an outsider's perspective helps. Social networks tend to bring the desired success as a surprise effect. Hence, fresh ideas from outside of your brand can strengthen your company in the long term, and innovation, as in business, ensures further development.
Outsourcing the social media aspect of your brand allows you to focus on other important aspects of your business. Good social media managers facilitate professional campaign monitoring and help you analyze large amounts of customer data, which are indispensable for your brand's long-term growth. Save time and resources and set your brand up for success by outsourcing social media management today.
Marketing Automation for Social Media
Take it a step further and supplement your managed social marketing with social media automation from our Smart Automated Website Product. Pricing starts as low as $427/mo.
Smart Automated Websites
