In an ideal world, every marketing department has an unlimited budget and endless time to spend on social media but that’s not really a reality for most businesses. Outsourcing sometimes gets a bad rap but it’s often the best strategy for businesses who want the most bang for their limited marketing buck.

1. Do's & Don'ts for Outsourcing
your Social Media

2. In an ideal world, every marketing department has an unlimited budget and
endless time to spend on social media but that’s not really a reality for most
businesses. Outsourcing sometimes gets a bad rap but it’s often the best strategy
for businesses who want the most bang for their limited marketing buck.

3. • Put your accounts in the hands of someone in a drastically different time
zone than your target demographic. You want to rapid responses to
questions or comments from your fans and followers; an hour or two at
most during standard business hours. That’s unlikely to happen if your social
media managers are snoozing in Australia as you start your workday in
Seattle.
We’ll get to what to look for in an outsourcing arrangement in a minute, but
first let’s talk about what outsourcing is not. If you want to use someone
outside the company to manage your social media, make sure you don’t…

4. They later apologized but the damage was already done. The potential for blunders
like these are high when you use a team that’s not plugged into the hot topics and
breaking news happening where most of your customers are located.
• Overlook cultural nuances that are important to your customer. Celeb Boutique
posted this unfortunate tweet during the horrific massacre in Aurora, CO simply
because the #Aurora hashtag was trending.
• Ask your landlord’s wife’s sister’s cousin to oversee your social media
channels because “she’s on the internet a lot anyway.” Social marketing is a
critical component of your overall business plan and should be handled by
qualified professionals with a proven track record of success.

5. What to look for when outsourcing your social media
There are several key qualities to look for when you’re ready to bring in an outside team
to manage your social media channels. Make sure they’re…
Aware -- Is the team up to speed on internet culture? Do they understand the
subtleties of your industry enough to interact with your audience? Can they
walk the line between professional and engaging without being too dry or too
cheeky? For most companies, family-friendly updates are the ideal while
risque or polarizing political messages should be avoided
Responsive -- Is the team available during the hours your target audience is
most likely to be online? As we already noted, it’s critical to respond to social
media messages in a timely manner so customers feel they’re being listened to.
Be sure the team has permission to answer basic questions on your behalf to
avoid wasting time getting every response vetted by 14 middle managers and a
board member.

6. Effective -- Does the team have a demonstrable history of providing the results
you’re looking for? Whether you’re looking to grow your followers on Facebook
or encourage people to join your LinkedIn group, the most effective social media
managers are able to show they’ve been down that road before and know what
it takes to help you reach your goal.
Reliable -- The best Twitter updates in
the world won’t mean a thing if the
people behind the curtain are sporadic
in their content placement or erratically
available to monitor your accounts.
Effective social media management
means constant vigilance and a
willingness to pivot quickly when an
opportunity to promote your business
presents itself. Oreo absolutely nailed
this concept during the famous Super
Bowl blackout of 2013.

7. Reliable -- The best Twitter updates in the world won’t mean a thing if the
people behind the curtain are sporadic in their content placement or erratically
available to monitor your accounts. Effective social media management means
constant vigilance and a willingness to pivot quickly when an opportunity to
promote your business presents itself. Oreo absolutely nailed this concept
during the famous Super Bowl blackout of 2013.
Image credit: Evan P. Cordes