Have you ever noticed all those social media managers who seem to have hundreds of followers on Twitter and Facebook? Their posts look good, they have tons of likes and shares, and their profiles look pretty slick. They even appear to be really busy…but what exactly are they doing?
Does your social media presence look like a mess? Have you got a lot of followers, but not much engagement? Is your social media profile just another place where you post your latest updates?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, it may be time to hire a social media management agency.
A good social media manager should be able to help you manage all aspects of your social media presence. They should understand what works and what doesn’t when it comes to engaging your audience.
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You may be wondering why you should hire an agency or social media expert to handle your online presence on social media platforms at all. After all, you know how to do it yourself, right?
If you've been around more than a handful of rotations around the sun, you've heard the saying, "time is money." As a business owner, you probably feel like there aren't enough hours in a day, and might even feel like a chicken with its head cut off trying to attend to customers and administrative tasks.
Do you have the time to stay abreast of social media trends?
So if you’re looking to save money and time, then you should definitely consider hiring a social media management agency. But if you’re hoping to learn from an expert, then there are courses that can be found for free, or a nominal sum, in many different places online.
Below are a few pros and cons we've seen clients express before hiring us to manage their social channels:
You may think hiring a social media management agency is the more expensive option as you see that retainer money flying out of your bank account each month or quarter. But if you decide to recruit and hire for an in-house position, you could easily hire the wrong person, it could actually end up costing you more than you realize.
When you hire someone full-time to handle your social media accounts, you are hiring a person who has expertise in one particular aspect of your business. Professionals who are trained to do things like write blog posts, engage with customers and respond to customer questions. But who does that training? YOU.
You can spend upwards of $10,000 every 3 months just hiring and training a person to take over your social media. Understanding your processes, business voice, technology stack, and engagement processes take time and effort not only from the person hired but also from you. Imagine doing that process multiple times over the year!
There's a lot of time and effort to turn someone into a bonafide social media marketer. And not every social media marketer has the same training and experience.
Can you afford to take hours out of your day to train someone to understand the software you've used to be successful previously?
Most business owners would say no.
It’s important to know how much you’ll spend before you decide whether or not to hire a social media manager. If you don’t know how much you‘ll spend, you won’t know if you’d be better off hiring someone in-house or outsourcing the work to a social media management company.
Social media management agencies are becoming increasingly popular thanks to the rise of social media tools such as Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social. These tools allow anyone with a basic understanding of how to use social media to manage multiple accounts from one dashboard.
However, managing multiple accounts yourself can be time-consuming and difficult. If you don’t have experience as a social media manager or managing a social media campaign or two – then hiring someone else to do it for you may seem like a good idea.
But before you hire a social media agency, ask yourself if you really need one. If you already know what you’re doing and you’ve got a solid plan in place, then you shouldn’t need help. But wouldn't you rather spend your time becoming an expert in another part of your business?
Social media agencies are experts at creating, managing, and promoting content across multiple platforms. They know how to do everything from setting up accounts, scheduling posts, and monitoring the performance of each campaign.
They also understand what works best in terms of content, so they can tailor campaigns to meet the needs of different audiences.
And when it comes to social media, nothing beats quality content. If you’re looking to improve your rankings, you need to invest time and resources into producing quality content — not quantity.
If you've looked into social media management tools at all, you know the cost of entry can be prohibitive depending on which stage you're in with your business. With prices ranging from, "why is this so cheap" all the way to, "wow, there's no way I can afford this," it can be easy (and expected) to get a bit overwhelmed.
You may think that having a professional handle your social media accounts means you won't have time to do anything else because you'll need to micro-manage someone else. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Working with a social media management agency frees up your time so you can focus on growing your business.
When you hire a social media management agency, you’ll receive access to their team of experts. They’ll work with you to develop strategies, figure out how to best engage with your target audience, and monitor your performance across multiple platforms.
They’ll do all the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to.
Most agencies will handle every aspect of your social media account, even more than just social media posts, scheduling, and monitoring. They'll realize social media channels are an important part of your business's overall marketing strategies.
While it may sound daunting at first, hiring a social media manager is actually easier than you think. As with anything in business, you'll need to have clear goals in mind before the partnership starts. Otherwise, the foundation for success will be rocky, to say the least.
This is why choosing a good social media agency is key. A good social media agency will walk you through the initial details of what you're looking for and how you can align your social media goals with your business goals.
Since a social media agency can wear a lot of hats, including posting, monitoring, strategy, and in some cases, reputation or engagement – the prices can range widely. But again, it all depends on the stage your business is in and what services are most important for you.
Social media management services charge anywhere from $50 per month to thousands of dollars per year, depending on how many social media channels you have. You may even find freelancers who will offer all an agency can at a third of the price.
You might think that hiring a full-time social media manager would be expensive, but you'd be surprised at how affordable it can be. The only pitfall is you're usually seeking a diamond in the rough when hiring for an in-house position.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when looking searching for a social media management agency or what you should think of when considering how to choose a social media marketing agency:
Social media management can be a very daunting task. There are so many different platforms to keep track of, and each one has its own rules and regulations.
It can seem overwhelming to try and manage everything yourself. But if you're serious about growing your brand, you need to start thinking about hiring someone else to handle it for you.
The truth is, you probably won't be able to do it all by yourself. Sooner or later, you'll need to delegate tasks, and that's where social media marketing companies come in handy.
They know exactly how to drive traffic to your site and convert them into buyers. This means less time spent on social media and more time focusing on growing your business.
Want to speak to trained social media professionals about managing your social media presence, reach out to us and learn why our clients rave about our social media management services. Or, if this post hasn't convinced you and you just want another resource to handle your own social media strategy, grab our free eBook to get the most out of your social media management process.
