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The power of social media today is without a doubt a blessing to most businesses who take the time to understand the full marketing capacity that exists within the social media platform. The question becomes whether or not social media marketing is a chore that should remain within the company or one that is outsourced to an advertising agency that specializes in social media marketing. There is not an obvious answer to that question because so much information about social media is company specific. Therefore, the hope for a blanket answer is fading fast. This means that companies are going to have to evaluate their social media marketing goals, and forge an answer to this question themselves. In the meantime, here are some considerations that every company should consider. It is always wise to get an estimate of what an outside agency will charge, and then compare the cost to what it would cost, for the work to be completed in-house.
Cost and Goals:
Any marketing plan should begin with goals that outline what you hope to accomplish with the plan. Figuring out what those goals are going to cost is a basic business skill that companies use to figure out if the plan is feasible. The other side of looking at social media costs involves the cost of implementing and maintaining the plan. Does your in-house staff have the skills to develop and maintain your social media marketing plan? Do they have the time to deal with the rigorous demands of social media marketing? If the answer is yes, what will the overall cost be to your company?
Social Media:
To tap into the full power behind social media often requires initiating a plan for several different social media platforms. The social media platforms are also a form of marketing that requires constant attention. It is not uncommon to hear that businesses post social media bits on a daily basis. That equates to a marketing plan that is labor intensive. Not only is the daily posting part of the gig, but someone has to develop the content that gets posted every day.
The Internet:
Right now the Internet is an exciting place to be. The web is full of stories about how social media changed a business from a small time shop to a massive global set up. This is even true with stories of pinterest.com rising to become a global mega-site. Among the Internet excitement is all of the cutting edge technology that is making an impact on the social media platform. This brings up another problem for those companies who wish to keep their social media marketing in-house. Because the technology of the Internet, is constantly changing the need to train employees will remain a constant requirement. Utilizing the services of a social media marketing company means that all of the responsibility and cost of training belong to the agency. This might be an attractive thing for out sourcing social media marketing, especially for smaller companies who do not have the staff or the resources to provide training or the knowledge to even know where to start with in social media marketing.
The structure of social media changes constantly too. This is partially due to the advancement of technology within the Internet as a whole, but it is also due to the changes within individual social platforms. Those changes are usually marked by a change in Terms of Service agreement that users must accept in order to use the platform. The changes themselves may not be compatible with the social media marketing plan developed for your company. This brings up another point in favor of out-sourcing social media marketing. It is their job to meet your needs. You don’t have to worry about changes to Google, Facebook, etc. You just have to submit your plan and approve their work. The changes within Google alone are enough to drive Internet marketers Mad.
Whether businesses choose to keep their social media marketing in-house, or they choose to send it out to an advertising agency is a choice that is made one business at a time. Tips to make that decision are based on the skill and resources available to in-house staff. The cost of using an outside agency can be can be far cheaper then training staff and implementing new software and equipment to meet the ever changing needs of social media platforms. An outside firm is also more likely to be in the know, and more familiar with the latest technological tools and new trends within the social marketing arena.
Thanks Stacey