Outsourcing your social media marketing is not an easy decision. No one knows your business better than you.
On the other hand, you don’t have the time to manage every single notification, much less work 365 days a year.
Use this guide to decide if outsourcing your social media marketing to a third party is the best solution.
You’re (Probably) Doing It Wrong
First of all, let’s get down to brass tacks. And it’s ugly (sorry).
Companies often *think* they’re doing social media well, but aren’t.
Go ahead, take a look. Many brands are merely shouting at their social media followers with sales-y pitches and promos.
In addition, a jaw-dropping 89% of social media requests go unanswered by brands.
And as we pointed out in our recent post about the cost of DIY social media, social media expectations often exceed reality.
Hence, there’s not enough time, focus or commitment to social media efforts, leaving a bare-bones presence online.
Or, a lack of interest in real results from the higher-ups makes proving return on investment difficult.
Bottom line, there are plenty of reasons companies decide to outsource their social media efforts.
You are not alone in making this decision!
Why Brands Outsource
Most importantly, you’ll want to take a good long look at your social media marketing needs.
Try and identify what the gaps are. What are the most difficult tasks for you and your team to achieve?
The pain points we hear the most include:
- Lack of time – Internal teams don’t have time to invest time in recruiting someone, training someone, or even just managing the daily responsibilities that come with social media marketing.
- Little resources/knowledge – Many companies we work with don’t have a marketing department, much less a social media expert on hand.
- Cost – Not only do companies not have a department, team, or person with social media skills, they can’t afford to pay the average yearly salary of $96,267 for a social media manager.
Study after study shows that time is the number one reason brands choose to outsource.
If any part of managing your social media is too cumbersome, it’s time to take the next step and consider outsourcing your social media marketing.
Option 1: Hybrid Teams
One option to consider as you start this journey is a hybrid team.
These teams allow internal team members to work with outsourced team members and accomplish all of the tasks required to succeed.
Hybrid teams are a growing trend among companies that decide to outsource to a third party.
This is because even the companies that handle most of their social in-house have issues — especially as it relates to social being a 24/7 job.
Bringing in an outside person or team of people often allows companies and brands …
- New processes and perspectives
- A fresh approach
- Rapport & industry experience
If you already have some social media personnel, processes, or best practices in place, you may want to see how you can fill the gaps with a hybrid team.
