Social media outsourcing: Why you need it
Social media and its many platforms have become the next big thing in digital marketing.
The wide reach of social media and the demographic heterogeneity of its users make it a potential marketing goldmine.
These marketing opportunities presented by social media did not go unnoticed by marketers. Marketers flocked en masse to the various platforms and set up brand profiles poised for advertising.
Even companies without in-house digital marketing teams have realized the importance of social media in this area.
Without their own team to manage and improve their brand’s social media image, these companies often turn to the next best thing – social media outsourcing.
What is social media outsourcing?
Simply put, social media outsourcing is the process of delegating your business’s social media efforts to a third-party service provider.
These service providers are often offshore outsourcing companies, though some businesses opt to outsource to nearshore or onshore companies.
Delegating your business’s social media efforts to an outsourcing company means entrusting them with your brand’s online image.
The social media team of your outsourcing partner will be responsible for handling your brand’s social media marketing efforts and, ultimately, how online users will perceive your brand.
Thus, ensuring that your partner for social media outsourcing is a trusted company you can rely on for quality output is necessary.
Is social media outsourcing necessary?
Social media outsourcing is not only a smart move but also a necessity for some businesses.
With the integration of social media into many people’s everyday lives, you’d think that managing one for a business or company would be a walk in the park.
However, being adept at managing your personal social media profile doesn’t equate to being equally skilled in handling that of a business or company.
When it comes to brands’ social media profiles, metrics and analytics come into play.
These performance measurement tools are rarely, if ever, used in managing personal social media profiles. They’re also seldom available to small and medium-sized businesses running their brand’s social media profiles.
Business owners also often lack the expertise that allows them to publish the right content at the right time and to the right audiences.
These are just a few reasons why social media outsourcing is necessary for businesses that wish to increase their brand awareness using social media platforms.
Benefits of social media outsourcing
Social media outsourcing brings a plethora of benefits to businesses, big or small.
Below are some of them.
Access to field experts
Social media outsourcing brings in social media specialists who are well-versed and experienced in navigating the fast-changing environment of social media.
As such, they’ll often come up with far better social media strategies than you would on your own. These experts can also identify shortcomings and opportunities in your social media efforts.
Moreover, social media specialists possess the necessary skills and know-how to generate more leads, lead conversions, and faster response times.
Access to leading industry tools
Along with access to experts in the field, social media outsourcing also gives you access to these experts’ premium tools. These tools range from reports and analytics to graphic creation, conversion optimization, and lead enrichment tools.
While these tools are highly effective, they often come with a rather hefty price tag and require specialized knowledge to be used efficiently.
Fortunately, social media outsourcing sorts this out as these tools also come with experts that know how to use them efficiently.
Freeing up your in-house employees’ time
Entrusting your social media campaign [1] to your outsourcing partner reduces your in-house employees’ workload.
This gives them more time to focus on other core aspects of their jobs and other tasks they’re actually well suited for.
Reducing operational expenses
Social media outsourcing also helps you save on operational costs.
Hiring experts from offshore outsourcing companies are often a more cost-efficient solution than recruiting, hiring, and training an in-house social media expert.
Add to this the access to premium tools and outsourced social media experts, and you’ll see how much you’re saving by tapping into an outsourcing company’s resources instead of building your own.
Factors to know before considering social media outsourcing
Social media outsourcing is an efficient solution for many businesses; however, you must also understand your brand’s needs to maximize its benefits and ensure that your outsourcing partner is right for your business.
Below are some factors you should consider before outsourcing your business’ social media needs.
Type of content to publish
Knowing what kind of content you’ll want on your business’s social media profile is crucial for your outsourcing partner to understand your brand voice and preference, as they may require some time before fully adapting to your existing brand voice.
Social media goals
Knowing what you want to achieve with your brand’s social media is also another vital aspect that will help your outsourcing partner determine the strategy they’ll employ to meet these goals.
ROI measurement
Setting up key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics will help you and your outsourcing partner gauge how effective your brand’s social media campaigns are.
These metrics also help point out areas of improvement.
Content publishing frequency
You should also determine beforehand the number of times and frequency you want to have content published.
This will help in determining the platforms and tools that your outsourcing partner will use in implementing your overall social media plans, as each social media platform has different standards and audience preferences.
Independent
