Outsourcing Social Media? As small business owners, we never get a break from being responsible for – well, everything! There will come a time when the opportunity arises to outsource your social media. We already know social media is an invaluable marketing tool for success and you also know how much time and effort it takes, on top of everything else you’re already doing. There will come a time when you’ll have to decide if you have the time, knowledge, and expertise to fully leverage the power of social media. Outsourcing your social media is an important decision that can bring additional resources to your marketing and that’s something we support- but under a few conditions. Since you’ll essentially be choosing someone to represent you and your brand online, here’s where you’re going to making a judgment call.
Here are our 4 tips to help you carefully outsource and what to look for in choosing a new voice of your business without losing yours:
1. Choose someone truly passionate about your mission and purpose. They should have countless questions for you, and understand your vision. You are choosing someone to represent you; so they must grasp, understand, and most importantly- become your voice. By handing over this much power, you want someone who loves your company as much as you do. Details matter, so you need someone who never loses interest in learning more about you and your brand.
2. They must become an expert on your products and target market. They have to understand how things function behind the scenes, what goes into creating your product and the people behind it. Understanding exactly who your target customer is, and having conversations with current loyal customers to find out and what makes them happy is essential.
3. Creating a strategic plan that you understand and can be a part of is important. They may be the experts but still need to explain the appropriate social media platforms for your business and why, what type of content they’ll be creating, and a schedule of when they will be posting. We can’t stress enough how important consistency is and that social media is a conversation; so be sure these concepts are a priority of theirs too.
4. Together you must set clear expectations and goals and have an understanding of what will go into growing your following. Stay engaged in the process and provide feedback on what you like and don’t like about what they’re doing. The better you understand each other, the more successful you’ll be.
So if you decide to outsource, make these four things a requirement. Remember: it’s all about creating a new relationship with the new voice of your business- an extension of who you are. Don’t settle for less than you deserve and need to succeed. We’re always here to help if you have any questions.
