The topic of outsourcing social media management is one that many companies will face and battle with internally; looking for reasons for and against when sweating it out with the board or their MD. Many believe that an external agency should look after all digital marketing, whereas some think that they have it all under control in-house. In fact, 57% of social marketers are doing their social media in-house. But are they doing it right?
With most companies looking to ramp up efforts on social media in 2016/17, there’s more evidence that businesses should really consider outsourcing their social media marketing tasks. And for those that are just emerging into the world of social media, they will soon realise that it’s not as easy as it looks, and will most probably, if not definitely, fall at the first hurdle.
We will always be champions for outsourcing, not for our own benefit, but for the wellbeing of our clients, both existing and new. But why should a business outsource its social media? Well, there are plenty of reasons, but the key ones are as follows:
Experience
A professional marketing agency will almost certainly have a more in-depth working knowledge of social media platforms and how they work; a lot more than an internal employee will have. Fact.
While keeping abreast of the latest features and tools available through available platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, an agency will always have a finger on the pulse and an eye on the ball at all times. If you can’t commit to continually learning, then it’s best to leave it to the experts.
Perspective
If you are keeping most, if not all of your marketing within the business, then it is so easy to become introspective. An agency intervene here, challenging your current ideas and concepts that are stuck in the past. Of course, no one really knows your brand as well as you do, but objectivity can help grasp and understand the business from a client or consumers point of view; which is obviously key when identifying your KPIs and USPs. Take advantage of this perspective!
Time
All too often, your marketing will be put on the back burner, especially if client issues arise or you have a crucial deadline to meet. 9 times out of 10, you’ll find that it’s social media that falls by the wayside; we see it time and again. This is mainly because it’s more difficult to calculate the ROI of social media when pitted against the more traditional forms of marketing or lead generation. But, let this be a lesson. This does not mean that you can afford to abandon your social media channels for a few weeks, or even months. Social media is a beast that constantly needs to be tamed. When you entrust an agency with managing the every day tasks that come with marketing your business online, this is its only responsibility, so you can guarantee that it is done well and that activity doesn’t stop.
Insight
Competitor insights are vital to ensure that your digital marketing strategy works as effectively as it should, and an agency’s access to tools, paired with knowledge and expertise can provide you with the exact data that you need.
Outsourcing your social media management can provide you with real and tangible insights, as well as giving you access and skills to certain techniques and approaches that your competitors may be implementing. With analytical tools at their fingertips, they can also show you exactly what messages are driving engagement and where you need to improve; even going as far as breaking down your customer demographic by age, sex and where they are geographically. There’s a lot of really clever stuff that you can tap into here.
An experienced social marketer will handle the ever-evolving strategies and tactics in the digital marketing sphere and help you reach the goals you set out for your company online. So, when asking whether you should let the experts help you to understand the marketing landscape within your industry, the answer is always “yes”.
Looking for more handy tips about Social Media, or perhaps you’d like to chat to us about all things Digital Marketing? Give us a shout on 01642 989158 or email us on studio@betterbrandagency.com
