The magic of Social Media 

One of the most outstanding features of social media is that it’s designed for all users. A minimal learning curve is involved when first signing up for a platform, and you can instantly begin posting moments after registering.

Due to the ease and accessibility of these platforms, a common misconception many people fall into is that generating impactful content designed to influence an audience takes a matter of minutes.

To be frank – that is simply not true.

It’s no fault of anyone’s if you’re someone who believes this. Often times it takes a person trying to build a social presence for their business or even themselves to realize the amount of time and effort that goes into establishing a hard-hitting social strategy. If you’re a business owner, then you know that having a strong social presence is an absolute must.

 So, how do you create one if you’re unsure how to do so, or don’t have the time to put into it?

DING, DING, DING! You guessed, it – Outsourcing.

Outsourcing to companies that specialize in social media management is the easiest and most cost-effective way to ensure your business gets the social presence it deserves.

In this blog, we’ll go over everything you need to know about outsourcing so you can sleep peacefully knowing your business’s social presence is in good hands.

Challenges of Social Media Management

As touched on above, a common fallacy of social management is that it’s as simple as pressing a few buttons on your phone and instantly receiving hundreds of likes.

While it may seem effortless on the outside, there is so much more that goes into managing a social account that many people don’t realize.

Below are a few of the biggest challenges social media managers face.

1. It takes time!

The generation of unique content takes a ton of creative brainpower coupled with strategic thinking so posts align with a company’s brand and goals. Sitting down and planning out a social calendar for the month that crosses six different platforms is not something one can do in an afternoon.

2. Staying consistent and engaging is a MUST

• To ensure your social posts show up in the feeds of those who don’t follow you, it is essential that you post content on a regular basis. This is one of the best ways to ensure the social algorithm provides visibility to your posts, which will help you generate higher views, likes, and followers. It’s easy to start out with a consistent posting schedule but fall behind when you don’t see an increase in interactions. It takes a while to establish yourself, and not being consistent is the easiest way to keep this presence from growing.
• On social media, it’s not enough to just post regularly; the content also has to be engaging. This means it should be interesting, relevant, and valuable to the audience. In order to understand the desired audience, it’s essential to know their interests, problems, and preferences.

3. Keeping current with the latest trends and algorithm changes

• Tailoring your content to the latest memes and viral posts is a great way to help your content rise to the top of the algorithm chain. For a business, staying relevant means being aware of these trends and finding ways to incorporate them into their social media strategy without losing their brand identity. One of the biggest challenges of this is that trends are always changing. This requires brands to continually monitor what the latest and greatest content is. Being late to adopt a trend can result in missed opportunities. 

• Social media platforms frequently update their algorithms, which determine the reach and visibility of posted content. These changes can dramatically affect a brand’s social media strategy. Staying up to date with these changes can be challenging because they are often not announced in advance, or the details may not be fully disclosed. This requires brands to pay close attention to any changes in their engagement or reach and be ready to adapt their strategy accordingly.

These are obstacles that everyone in the social media world encounters. Even if you do have the time and desire to keep up with maintaining your own presence, there are many other reasons why outsourcing your social media agency is the best way to maintain your social profile.

Why Outsource?

Outsourcing your social media team provides a variety of benefits that can take away the stress of managing your social channels. Below are a few of the benefits outsourcing provides.

1. Top-Tier Content Creation at Your Service

• By hiring a social media team to manage your content and interactions, you’ll know that the fate of your social presence lies in good hands. Those who specialize in social media management understand the dos, don’ts, and best practices of how to get your accounts off the ground. The process of posting gets taken off the weight of the business owner and put in the hands of someone who has years of experience doing this for a living.

• Outsourcing your social team will ensure content is posted consistently. Not to mention, the quality of the content will be significantly better, as they’ll be skilled in taking professional images and videos, as well as generating scripts that are designed to quickly engage an audience.

• A professional social team will be well-versed in incorporating the latest and great search engine optimization (SEO) best practices to ensure your content shows up on the feeds of others.

2. You Will Save Time and Money!

• As stated previously, managing your social presence takes a considerable amount of time. Outsourcing this to a specialized team allows you to spend time focused on your specialty.

• Hiring your very own full-time social media manager can be expensive, and an entire in-house team can be astronomical. After calculating the costs of benefits, training, and software subscriptions, the end cost significantly outweighs how much it would be to outsource a team since you’re only paying for one specific service.

• Social media management agencies often have subscriptions to services that can be quite pricey for a small or medium-sized business. Having access to these resources without having to pay for your own subscription can help boost the amount of users who see your content.

3. They’ll Stay on Top of Trends so You Don’t Have to

When a social team isn’t busy generating content, posting, or engaging with others through your accounts, they’ll be doing their research to stay up to date with the latest trends in the social world. Staying relevant is essential, and by having content that incorporates the newest TikTok trend everyone’s partaking in, you’re significantly more likely to show up on someone else’s algorithm.

How to Choose the Right Social Media Management Agency for You

When looking to outsource your social media management agency, it’s critical that you do a proper evaluation to ensure they’re meeting your needs. If you’re unsure what exactly you should evaluate them on, then be sure to review the key items below.

1. Portfolio Review

• The first step when trying to choose an outsourcing company is to review their website and portfolio. This is the best way to get an idea of the type of content they’re able to generate, and the quality. If you love the look of their samples and think they could design similar content to fit your brand, then definitely reach out. If it’s the opposite for you, then close that tab and go back to your Google search. There are a variety of options out there so if one isn’t for you, don’t sweat and keep on looking.

• When reviewing past work, try to keep an eye out for the type of clients that the company has previously worked with. If you see any that are within the same industry as your business, then that can provide a significant advantage as that agency already has experience posting similar content.

2. Services Offered

• After spending some time reviewing the company’s portfolio, it’s time to evaluate the services offered. Ideally, they’ll cover all aspects of social media management, including strategy development, content creation, post scheduling, engagement, and analytics. Don’t let it be a deal-breaker if for some reason a service isn’t offered that you would prefer to have included. You can always reach out and request a custom offering and see if they’ll accommodate it.

• Another key item to address is whether the agency has experience managing all social platforms you would like to be present on.

3. Qualifications, Certifications, and Partnerships

• Look into the background of those on the team. This information should be accessible on the agency’s website or on LinkedIn. They should have a mix of skills, including strategy development, copywriting, graphic design, analytics, and customer engagement.
• Check if the agency has certifications or partnerships with major social media platforms or digital marketing bodies. This can indicate their commitment to staying updated with the latest developments in social media.

4. Thought Leadership

Agencies that regularly share insights through blogs, research, or industry events demonstrate their knowledge and expertise, making them more credible potential partners.

Common Concerns

After you pick out an agency that feels right for you, you may still feel bogged down by concerns. Below are a few of the most common worries people have about outsourcing their social media management and tips on how to mitigate these from happening.

Concern #1: Loss of Control and Brand Voice

It’s completely normal to fear putting the voice of your business in the hands of someone else. Even though the agency is the social media expert, you’re still the boss and ultimately in charge of what gets posted on your behalf. Follow the tips below to avoid losing control of your brand’s voice:

• Establish clear guidelines: From the start, ensure you provide the agency with all necessary guides that will help them maintain a voice that’s consistent with your brand.
• Approval process: Implement an approval process for all social media content. This can be as simple as a shared content calendar where the agency proposes content, and a representative from the business approves it. This can provide a level of control while still freeing up the business from the day-to-day management of social media.
• Regular communication: Maintain open lines of communication with the agency to ensure all parties stay informed of the latest information about your business and goals. This also allows for more collaboration between you and the agency on content.
• Performance reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews to help the agency understand where they’re succeeding and where you’d like them to improve.

Concern #2: Data Security and Privacy Concerns

Feeling nervous about sharing private information with another company is inevitable. Below are some ways to ensure the safety of your information so you can feel 100% comfortable sharing it with your agency.

• Data handling policies: Before partnering with an agency, you should review their data handling and privacy policies. The agency should have strict protocols in place to ensure data security, including encryption methods, secure storage systems, and safe data transmission practices.
• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA): You can always ask the agency to sign an NDA to legally bind them from discussing confidential information regarding your business.
• Access control: Only provide the agency with access to the data they absolutely need to manage your social media accounts. Also, ensure the use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication for your social media accounts. Regularly review and update who has access to your accounts.
• Employee training: Ask the agency about their employee training practices. They should provide regular training to their staff on maintaining data security and privacy.

Following these simple guidelines can ensure your comfort when working with a social media management agency.

Conclusion

Outsourcing your social media management is one of the best ways to get your business front and center in the digital world. Companies such as Digital Media Trade provide you with premium service and content to ensure you’re getting more than you ever thought was possible from a social media management company. Outsourcing can be a difficult step to make if it’s something that’s completely new to you. However, once you get started, you’ll be mad at yourself for not doing it sooner.