Social Media Management: In-House or Outsourced?
Should your social marketing be in-house, or outsourced?
It’s 2016 -that means everyone should by now that social media must be a specific component of every company’s marketing strategy. It doesn’t take a master’s degree in marketing to know that audiences are being driven to products and services through many different touch points, not just traditional vehicles like print and web searches.
Take a look at a few a few recent statistics:
If potential clients, as well as loyal customers, have an expectation to visit your social sites, and your competitors are most definitely maintaining such content, it’s not really an option to stay out of the game!
Considerations of Outsourcing Your Social Media Management
Once you’ve accepted that your brand, service, product will benefit from a strong social media presence, you might be asking yourself, “How am I ever going to find the time to add this responsibility to my, or my marketing manager’s, already over-full plate?”
This is where an outside agency can be a great solution. While agencies that are 100 percent focused on social media management are relatively new, many marketing, advertising, and public relations firms have added social media management to their roster of services. If your company is already using the services of one of these agencies, and you are pleased with their work, ask if they have expanded into social media management or if they can refer you to a reliable source.
Following are a few things to consider when interviewing a social media marketing firm.
Scope: Be sure at the outset to define the scope of what you would like accomplished. You can always make adjustments to reflect changing priorities or to meet case-based scenarios. For example, you might hire a firm to write 5 Facebook posts per week; publish 3 photos to Instagram; and Tweet a minimum of 5 times per work week.
Manpower: How many people will the agency devote to your account? Will you have one dedicated account representative, or will a team of several people be responsible? If you are interested in a broad media-rich campaign, with integrated marketing elements, then check that the agency has sufficient systems to take advantage of multiple platforms that will deliver an exciting, comprehensive experience to your audience.
Budget: Of course, you’ll want to know exactly how much this is going to cost. Many firms base their fee structure on a monthly retainer; other agencies will charge a per-item rate (e.g., $5 per Facebook status post).
Expertise: Vet the firm’s experience and knowledge with running campaigns. You are looking for a person or agency with a good ear to what is hot and trendy in your industry, and who has excellent writing skills. They must be conversation starters, yet knows how to market without hitting people over the head.
Advantages of Keeping Your Social Media Marketing In-House
You’ll still have to address most of the above items even if you manage your marketing in-house. But there are some advantages:
- Have fun with it! For creative types, maintaining a social media presence can be a real blast! Writing fun copy, posting awesome photographs, and messaging with the world can all be great sources of inspiration and satisfaction among employees.
- Responsiveness: Keeping the job in-house has the distinct advantage of giving you the ability to make changes on a dime. While most agencies will be able to react quickly to changing events—a primary feature of Twitter, Facebook, etc.—if you maintain control in-house, you’ll be able to post within minutes if necessary, without an urgent phone call or email to your agency.
- Share Your Passion! The passion you or your employees have for your company’s merchandise or service will most likely not be matched by any outsourced agency. That passion will come through in the content that you develop and publish on your social sites.
Looking for help in build your social media strategy?
Once you’ve made the decision to build a social media presence, consult with our strategist to really see results!
efelle creative is an award-winning digital agency based in Seattle, Washington. Our passion is helping our customers improve their online presence and we approach each project with an eye towards market-driven results. Contact us at 206.384.4909 or send us some preliminary information and we’ll send you an instant quote.