With 76% of Americans on social media, managing multiple accounts has become a necessary part of any business’s marketing strategy. Social media has become an effective tool for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and large businesses alike to build strong relationships with their customers through audience analytics, one-to-one communication, and high-quality referrals. Social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope, Google+, LinkedIn… the list continues to grow!—each have different tools for businesses, as well as different post requirements, different best practices, and different types of audiences.
Many business owners and busy marketers keep this process fresh and simple by partnering with an agency that can keep their social media accounts engaged and on message. Here are three more reasons to look at outsourcing your own social media management!
Cost-effective: The hiring process, onboarding, training, benefits, and taxes for new employees add up. Even part-time employees or interns who are hired to primarily manage social media accounts have additional costs above the salary. On the other hand, requiring just any employee to manage your social media on top of their existing responsibilities has its downfalls as well. When you add up all costs associated with a dedicated social media employee and compare the expenses, it can end up being more cost-effective to use an external marketing agency.
Expertise: A professional social media agency requires a more in-depth working knowledge of social media platforms, and must stay on top of existing and emerging trends. This allows for an agency to produce more effective strategies at a better value for your money. Likewise, any in-house Social Media Manager must take the time to keep abreast of all the latest features and tools across each social network. As these platforms grow and diversify, keeping up with them is a major time investment, even for an employee dedicated to social media.
Consistency: When other responsibilities pop up, such as customer issues or upcoming deadlines, certain aspects of your marketing may fall behind. Social media’s lead generation value is harder to quantify, so it often suffers in the face of other pressures on your time. However, you can’t afford to abandon your social media presence for varying lengths of time, even for pressing factors such as employee illness, varying workloads, or lack of idea flow. Utilizing an agency guarantees that your online presence remains consistent despite your employees’ or your own other responsibilities.
Keep in mind that inconsistent or unresponsive social media management can negatively affect your brand’s reputation. To learn more about how a strong social media strategy can grow your business, click here to read 3 Ways Social Media Efforts Support Your Brand.
To discuss how the Social Media Team at R.C. Brayshaw can help strengthen your online presence, reach out to Samantha Gordon at 603.298.5057 or sgordon@rcbrayshaw.com.