Category Marketing

Social media has become a crucial component of many business’ marketing and customer service efforts. As a result, business owners frequently wonder whether they should outsource their social media management to free up time and money for the company’s other operations. However, it can also be very expensive and may require giving up some control over the company’s online presence. The advantages and disadvantages of hiring a social media manager or agency will be discussed when determining whether this is the best option for your company.

Social media’s importance in the current business environment:

In the current digital era, social media has become a crucial component of many businesses’ marketing and customer service efforts. Building brand awareness and customer loyalty is made easier by the ability for businesses to connect with and engage with their target audience in real time. Additionally, a great social media presence can boost client engagement, generate more leads, and boost revenue. 

Advantages of having a strong social media presence: 

• Greater brand recognition: Social media enables businesses to connect with a larger audience and increase the visibility of their brand. 

• Customer engagement: Social media platforms give businesses a chance to talk to their clients and address their concerns and questions. Increased client satisfaction and loyalty may result from this. 

• Increased website traffic: A strong social media presence can increase website traffic, which can result in more conversions and sales for a business. 

• Broader audience: Because social media platforms have a big user base, businesses may target particular groups and reach a larger audience. 

In today’s digital environment, having a strong social media presence is crucial for businesses. It can help in increasing reach, website traffic, consumer interaction, and brand exposure.

Considerations for deciding whether to hire out social media management:

There are several considerations to take into account when deciding whether to hire out social media management. Here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

• Expertise: A social media manager or agency will likely have a higher level of expertise and experience in the field, which can lead to more effective and efficient social media management. 

• Time: For companies that lack the resources or the understanding to manage social media internally, outsourcing social media management can free up time for other business operations. 

• Consistency: Working with a social media manager or company can help you make sure that your online presence is engaging and active on a regular basis. 

Cons: 

• Cost, especially for small businesses: Hiring a social media manager or agency can sometimes be expensive. 

• Loss of control: When social media management is outsourced, some control over the brand’s online presence may be given up. 

• Communication: It may be more challenging to collaborate with a team or individual from outside the organization, which could result in misunderstanding or delays. 

One choice to think about is outsourcing some tasks (like creating content) while keeping control of the social media accounts in-house. This can provide a more individualized approach while still utilizing some of the advantages of outsourcing social media management. 

The choice to outsource social media management will ultimately be based on the particular requirements and assets of your company. Before choosing a decision, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the advantages and disadvantages and take into account aspects like cost, experience, and free time.

How to find the ideal social media management individual or team:

Choosing the right individual or team to handle social media management for your company is the next step once you have made this decision. To make sure you find the right fit, it is essential to do extensive research on it and carefully evaluate prospective employees or businesses. Here are some tips for selecting the ideal social media management group or person: 

• Examine prior work: Examine the social media profiles that the individual or group formerly managed. Look for profiles that are lively, interesting, and in line with the tone and message of the brand. 

• Request references: Asking for recommendations from previous or current clients is nothing to be afraid of. You can get a feel of the team’s or person’s working style and level of skill from this. 

• Take into consideration their knowledge and experience: Look for individuals or businesses who have expertise in your area and a solid grasp of social media best practices. 

• Check their availability: Make sure that the team or person has the time and resources to manage your social media accounts in an efficient way. 

• Take into account their personality: It’s crucial to identify a group or individual who is in line with the culture and values of your business. This will guarantee a successful and pleasant working relationship. 

You can identify the best fit for your social media management needs by doing some research and evaluating potential candidates or businesses. Take the time to select the best group or individual to handle this important duty, and don’t be hesitant to ask questions. 

In conclusion, social media management has evolved into a necessary element of many businesses’ efforts in customer service and marketing. Considering the benefits and disadvantages of outsourcing this activity, taking into consideration factors like cost, skill level, and time limits, is necessary to make the decision. When thinking about outsourcing social media management, it’s crucial to carefully assess and evaluate possible employees or vendors to discover the best fit. 

After taking into consideration all the criteria, it might be a smart move for individuals who lack the time or knowledge to maintain social media on their own or for those who want to ensure a consistent and professional online presence. For companies with the funds and knowledge to manage social media internally, it might not be essential. The choice should ultimately be based on what is best for your business.

Keep in mind, Reach is a website and marketing agency aimed at helping other small businesses, so feel free to give us a call for a no-obligation chat. Contact Now

You’re ready to take your marketing to the next level? Here are a few tips to help you reach your goals. 

1. Set and Post Goals 

Marketing goals are critical and will help you to define what you need to focus on and achieve. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based and POSTED for all to see. 

You will also need to allocate a budget to your marketing activities. Your marketing budget will need to include elements such as:

• Website development and maintenance
• Website search engine optimization (SEO) & Keywords
• Design of branding
• Printing of promotional material (business cards, brochures, signage, etc)
• Advertising (google, social media, email marketing)
• Donations and sponsorships
• Employing staff or hiring an agency to undertake marketing activities

Click Here for a Marketing Plan Template

2. Market Research

Market research is a key part of developing your market strategy. It is about collecting information that provides an insight into your customers’ thinking, buying patterns, and location. In addition, market research can also assist you to undertake an initial sales forecast, monitor market trends and keep an eye on what your competition is doing.

3. Profile your Target Markets

Trying to promote your product or service to everyone can be costly and ineffective. Grouping or segmenting your potential customers based on certain characteristics will help to focus your marketing efforts.

Generally segmentation is based on factors such as:

• geography – location
• demographics – age, gender, education level, income, occupation
• behaviour – loyalty, attitude, readiness to buy, usage rates
• lifestyle – social class, personality, personal values.

Your target market should have a need for your product or service and be willing to pay for your offer.

4. Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A USP is the unique reason your customers buy from you and not your competitors – it’s what makes your business stand out from the crowd. It is important to define what you do differently and be able to convey that to potential customers.

Your USP may be having a new or unique offering or providing exceptional service. Start developing your USP by answering the following questions:

• What do you love most about your products and services?
• What special skills or knowledge do you have?
• What makes your customers come to you instead of your competitors?
• How do your customers benefit by purchasing your products or services?
• Which aspects do you generally highlight when you describe your business to strangers?

5. Choose Marketing Avenues

Use a CRM. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships to grow your business. A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.

Your website and CRM should be working seamlessly together. Your website collects data and your CRM for managing and reaching your customers. The most popular CRMs on our websites at Reach are Constant Contact and Keap. 

6. Nurture your Customers

Your customers are the key to your success so it is important to look after them. Providing exceptional customer service can keep people coming back and set you apart from your competitors.

Strategies to build loyalty in customers include:

• communicating regularly with customers
• providing after-sale automated and personal follow ups
• delivering on your promises
• go the ‘extra mile’ and exceed initial expectations
• using feedback and complaints as an opportunity to improve services
• listening to customers
• training staff in customer service and basic sales processes. 

Read more on providing effective customer service. 

7. Optimize your Website

Your website should be a fine oiled machine working 24hrs a day bringing in $ and saving you time. Your website should be glamorous on the front end and a work horse behind the scenes (SEO, Keywords, Meta Tags, Backlinks, etc…). Websites should inform of your services, give testimonials, show your products/services, introduce yourself and your mission, allow purchasing and booking options, and provide valuable insights and best practices. If you need a personalized website audit click here or use a generic service here. 

8. Content is King

Quality social media and website content is essential to bringing in and maintaining clients. Content helps people find you, builds trust, and keeps customers coming back. Be sure to frame your content in a positive light. Example, if you’re selling ground beef, is it better to focus on 25% fat or 75% lean beef? Also, do a google search for ground beef, scroll to the bottom to find other related search terms that should be included in your content. 

Use tools like Hemingway to grade your text on readability and grammarly to further edit your writing. Or Canva to make eye-catching graphics.

9. Monitor and Review

It is important to regularly monitor and review your marketing activities to determine whether they are achieving the desired outcome, such as increased sales. Initially you should review your marketing plan every three months to ensure your activities are supporting your strategy. Your website should provide plenty of analytics for this process. What products did your customers buy, how did they find you, what aren’t they buying, what content gained a lot of traffic? 

Be sure to also evaluate your website, CRM and social media analytic tools to determine the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Need help with an effective website, creating content, managing your social media or CRM? Reach is a website and marketing agency on a mission to help businesses reach their goals. Check out our range of blog posts, our talk to an expert advisor.