Social media has become essential for every company that operates in the online world. Today, you cannot imagine a business that doesn’t have some sort of presence on social media platforms. The main reason why so many companies leverage social media in the first place is that it became crucial for their marketing strategies and their relationships with consumers.
As a matter of fact, you can promote your business or sell your products and services directly to your target audience on social networks. However, building a proper presence on these networks requires a lot of effort, time and dedication. In addition, you must develop a unique approach for each network you wish to build a presence on.
Once you do, you must remain consistent at all times, in order to maintain a good relationship with your audience. Some companies simply lack the time or resources to achieve that, which is why they oftentimes outsource these tasks, to begin with. With that in mind, here are the pros and cons of outsourcing social media management.
Why outsource at all?
As mentioned before, some companies lack both the time and resources to commit to social media management, but there’s always more to it. First of all, you need a good knowledge of the social media platforms in order to understand how to develop your approach. Some companies simply don’t know how to do this because they don’t have enough experience, to begin with.
It’s better to hire an expert to manage your networks than risk ruining your reputation by making a mistake that could otherwise be easily avoided. Another reason to outsource is funds. In order to manage social media on their own, companies would have to bring in an entire in-house marketing team. Sometimes, that’s just unaffordable in certain situations.
Last but not least, there’s an issue of dedicating enough time to social media management. You have to research each network because one-size-fits-all doesn’t work on social networks. You must also post on social media regularly in order to avoid making your audience feel neglected. In addition, you must develop new and original content to remain relevant to your audience. If your company cannot commit properly, it’s better to outsource social media management, in the first place.
The pros of outsourcing
Outsourcing social media management has many advantages. It can be very beneficial for your business, especially if your company is currently in a tough situation both financially and operationally. As an example, here are a few pros of outsourcing social media.
- Affordable – Compared to hiring a full-time marketing team, outsourcing is quite affordable. You can hire a digital agency to manage your social media or consider working with freelance digital marketing professionals.
- Reliable – Social media experts know what they’re doing and you can rest assured that they’ll drive viable results with their strategies.
- Saves time – As mentioned before, all the time-consuming tasks are outsourced, which means you can focus on other relevant business aspects while your social media networks are well taken care of.
- Reduced costs – In most cases, outsourcing also includes content creation, publishing, visual design and many other activities that are vital for social media management. In other words, you won’t have to spend money on such activities because your partner is taking care of it.
- Regular reporting – You won’t be in the dark about your outsourcing partner’s activities. They will supply you with regular reports on the progress of your campaign.
- New ideas – If you lack the perspective on how to build a presence on social media, you won’t have to worry about it. Your outsourcing partner will have good ideas on how to proceed.
The cons of outsourcing
Like with anything in life, there are two sides to every coin. Outsourcing social media management can have its disadvantages you should be aware of before you decide to opt for this option. That said, here are a few of the cons of outsourcing social media management.
- Lack of control – Outsourcing social media management includes giving up control. Even though you may consult on various strategies with your partner, the final decision is on them.
- Poor tone of voice – You need a specific tone of voice that will distinguish your business on social media, especially if you’ve developed a brand. Your outsourcing partner may not be able to get the tone right and it may cause a stir with your audience.
- Sensitive information – You have to give access to your social media profiles to someone else.
- Involvement – Even though you’ve outsourced social media management, there might be a lot of back and forth communication with your outsourcing partner. This can take up a lot of time in some cases.
Social media platforms have become an integral aspect of every online business these days. It’s safe to say that your chances of business success greatly decrease if you lack social media presence. If you don’t know or can’t manage your social media for any reason, outsourcing this task may be the solution you’ve been looking for.
