Social media can help you tell the story of your brand, engage your customers, promote events and bring more traffic to your website. But with new platforms appearing all the time, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts and put together a social media plan that actually works.

If you or your in-house marketing team are struggling to keep up with everything or wondering if your efforts are really worth your time, you may want to look at outsourcing.
Here are 3 key reasons to consider outsourcing your social media, as well as some important things to keep in mind if you do.

1. TimeThere’s no question about it: Social media takes a ton of time. The effort that’s spent can pay off in greater customer engagement and, ultimately, sales, but researching and writing great content requires hours you may need for other business activities.It might seem like creating a 140-character tweet or Facebook update would be fast and easy, but producing high-quality content that people actually want to share is a challenge. And if you only have one in-house person managing social accounts, you could get stuck when that person’s away or if there’s an emergency. If you want an active presence throughout the major networks, outsourcing may be right for you. Having a consulting firm take over your social media will give you and your employees more time that you need for other tasks.

2. ExpertiseEven if you have an in-house marketing team, social media may not be their strong suit. As many companies have learned the hard way, a lack of social media expertise can be dangerous. The last thing you need is for someone to make a major faux pas on a social media network. A good consulting firm has experts who know the ins and outs of various social platforms, as well as how to get the most out of each one for your business. With a consulting team, you’ll also have access to graphic designers and photographers who can create images for posts and know what works best for each network.

3. MeasurementEven when experts are handling your accounts, it can sometimes be difficult to determine exactly what your social media marketing does for your bottom line. However, good consultants will have the tools to track your social media activity and be able to tell you if you’re getting more fans/followers, how many viewers are coming from your pages to your website, which promotions are getting results, what questions your customers are asking online and what problems need to be addressed. So if you do hand things off to a consultant, you’ll be able to wash your hands of this whole social media nightmare, right? Unfortunately, no.

Remember: You still know your business best and will have to do some of the work.

It’s best to choose a trusted social media consultant who is familiar with not only your business, but your industry, your competitors and current trends. Still, you are the authority. You’ll get the most out of your relationship with a consultant if you help provide ideas for content from time to time that can then be researched, written up and/or fleshed out by the consulting team.

Also, keep in mind that you’ll still have to monitor their work. Look at updates and posts in advance, if possible, to ensure they’re timely, accurate and relevant, because anything they post on your behalf can be the first (or last) thing someone sees about your brand.

Think outsourcing your social media might be a good choice for your business? Contact us today.