Small businesses, particularly those with a tight cash flow and a limited marketing budget, typically struggle with the concept of outsourcing their social media.
Why spend money when social media profiles are free – and so simple to set up?
Many business owners create their own business pages (usually on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), post as frequently as they can, and maintain an online presence.
Unfortunately, this approach never fully exploits the potential of social media – and can often have a negative impact. So, let’s look at why it’s worthwhile to outsource social media.
Surely, some Social Media is better than no Social Media?
Social media has permanently altered how consumers connect with companies. Because of the immediacy of social media, customers anticipate a near-instant reaction to all comments and inquiries and are irritated (often loudly) by delayed replies and involvement.
According to Sprout Social research, the typical customer expects a response time of 0 – 4 hours, whereas the average brand response time is closer to 10 hours. This leaves customers feeling disgruntled and disregarded, prompting them to seek out a competing brand.
The ability to respond in real time in a dynamic environment is arguably the most compelling argument to outsource social media. In summary if you are on social media, you had better be responsive.
Social Media requires constant attention
According to research, 89 percent of social media inquiries go ignored. This creates a bad impression, loses potential consumers and brand evangelists, and harms your brand image more than you realise.
In fact, social media questions and comments must be responded to quickly — 7 days a week.
However, it is not enough to merely reply to online comments; you must also invest time:
- Creating engaging content (including images and videos)
- Developing a strong content calendar (built around notable events like launches, sales or holidays) Scheduling posts
- Tracking your brand mentions
- Managing your online reputation
- Monitoring competitor activity
- Developing paid advertising campaigns
- Tracking activity and spend
- Analysing return on investment
A large task should not be underestimated. If you don’t have the time (or energy) to devote to social media, outsource it to a company that does.
How much does it cost to Outsource Social Media?
How much would all of this set you back? Unfortunately, that is a difficult question to answer. A skilled social media consultant or agency will be able to analyse your demands and design a budget-friendly plan.
Outsourcing social media may be accomplished in a variety of ways:
- Initial setup and fundamental social media approach
- A monthly social media freelancer to handle your demands.
- A digital marketing agency, often known as a full-service team.
Choice one is an excellent option if you have the time to commit to social media (and a genuine passion and talent for it).
A social media consultant can assist you with setting up each platform (based on an analysis of where your target audience is), providing you with a lesson in each platform (dos, don’ts, and fascinating tricks of the trade), and providing you with a basic strategy to get you started.
Depending on your requirements, the basic ‘set-up’ price might start as little as £99 per platform.
The second alternative is to hire a freelancer to manage your social media channels for a set number of hours each month. A 25-hour social media package, for example, may include the following:
- Creation and delivery of high-quality content.
- Engagement across all your social media pages (responding to queries and content).
- Sharing interesting posts.
- Tracking and analysing your activity.
A freelancer can charge anything from £15 and £100 per hour, depending on your demands and their degree of experience. As a result, you could outsource your social media for as low as £375 per month.
A full-service digital firm, on the other hand, will handle all of your digital demands and guarantee that your brand’s online presence (including all social media) is sleek, professional, and contributing to your bottom line.
What can a Social Media Agency do for me?
Although a digital marketing firm may appear to be the more expensive alternative, it will still be less expensive than hiring a full-time employee. The presence of a dedicated social media staff will guarantee that:
- Your social media strategy works for your business: driving traffic to your website, increasing sales, building brand awareness.
- All social media activity fits within your overall marketing strategy and brand objectives.
- All messaging (across all platforms) is coherent, professional and “on-brand”.
- All activity is tracked and analysed – and instantly tweaked if necessary.
- Return on investment remains top of mind (especially important for small businesses with a limited budget).
Social media is a highly strong marketing tool, but realising its entire potential and worth requires time and work. And most small company owners just do not have the time. Is it worthwhile to outsource social media management? Absolutely.
To learn more about FBS Digital’s social media services, call 0204 526 5195 or send an email to hello@finchleybusiness.co.uk.
