The popularization of social media may be less than twenty years old, but it’s not going away any time soon, if anything, it’s only ramping up. Regardless of whether you personally use (or like) social media, the reality is that a good majority of people visit a company’s social media before they visit their website. That being the case, it’s hard to be seen as a credible business without a social media presence.
The decision then becomes whether you want to take full ownership of your social media, hire a consulting strategist, or hire a team that covers content creation, posting, engagement, and analysis.
Anyone can post to social media, but as a business you want it to work for you. Here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding if a designated social media team is right for you.
PRO: Content Creation
Sharing other people’s posts (while easy) is not enhancing your brand. To take full advantage of social media, you need original images, videos, reels, and more. Creating that content takes time. If you’re managing all your own social media that’s a lot of time that could be spent growing your business using your area of expertise. Plus, if you’re not a visual graphics person, the content that a designated team creates is nearly always more pleasing to the eye.
CON: Losing Your Voice
Some people are passionate about engaging with customers directly in their own style and voice. You can certainly coach your social media team on this, but it’s not always the same. If engaging directly is a major priority for you and you have the bandwidth to keep up with all your platforms (with the optimum frequency), then managing on your own may be the best choice. Just remember, you should be posting a minimum of 4-7 times a week on all your platforms.
PRO: Analysis
What is working? What isn’t? When should I be posting? When should I be posting on each platform? What is my reach? What are my impressions? What even are impressions? Why am I doing so well on Facebook and not on Twitter? Am I going crazy, or did I wake up and Instagram changed its whole darn set up??? ALL these questions come off your shoulders and move to your social media team. When you’re managing your own social media, you have access to metrics, but are you looking at them and understanding them? If so, are you changing your social media tactics to set you up for success? All of this is one of the biggest reasons to hire a team. They spend every day creating content, studying metrics, and strategically planning so you don’t have to.
PRO: Keeping on Trend
Social Media trends come in waves, and as Briana said at 2021 ICON in August, it’s about riding the wave until you can catch the next one at just the right moment. When you’re not a social media devotee, it’s hard to truly understand the trends, their mechanics, and create the appropriate strategy on the fly. If social media doesn’t feel inherent to you, it’s likely that by the time you get a grip on the new hot trend, a newer and hotter one will have already come along.
CON: It costs money.
An automated system can only get you so far. Having custom content and a creative mind behind your strategy is a skill that social media professionals have carefully honed. These are the people who get up early and go to bed late to ensure they’ve made the most of the day’s opportunities for you. And yes, that is not always cheap.
The good news is that most social media teams create a plan that’s suited for your needs and budget. Reach out and get some quotes! A good social media team will want to understand where you're currently at and what your goals are before throwing out a number. Remember, when you hire a team, they work for you. If they throw out a number that isn't doable, negotiate! A professional social media plan should be fully customized. A quality team will give you honest feedback on which platforms to pull back on, where to go full steam ahead, and when there are opportunities for hybrid content creation that may result in a more affordable contract. The most successful social media partnerships are a marriage between the experts and the client, so don't be afraid to shop around and find a team that suits both your budget and your vision.
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