Social Media for Business: DIY or getting in the experts?
We all know that social media for business is an integral part of being taken seriously online: but many businesses are struggling to manage their own social media accounts. The pressure is on to connect with your market in a personal, yet professional way online, giving your company its own persona, keeping your market engaged, and promoting new events, products, services and trends. The pressure to manage all of this in a way that supports your current branding persona can be massive: this is why social media management was born.
Have you been feeling the pinch when it comes to presenting your company professionally online? You’re not alone! We often get asked about the benefits of having business accounts managed professionally, and we’re happy to tell you what we tell every one of our clients: there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. Social media is all about using the voice of your brand in the best way possible – and that’s why having professional help can make a big difference. Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of DIY social media, versus having your business social media account managed professionally.
Pros and Cons of DIY Social Media vs Managed Social Media
Managed Social Media
PROS:
A social media management company always triple checks a client’s posts before going live with anything. We look at the tone, the fit with your company profile, the feel of the message, and of course the construction of the post. We think about your target demographic, and shape the message to suit. Your online persona is managed with precision in a controlled, measured way. Promotions, events and new products are promoted in a structured way, with a long-term plan for integration with other marketing techniques. Posts are constructed with a purpose in mind: to push customers through to specific products or services, to encourage attendance at events, or to engage on a more personal level. These results are measured and assessed by a social media management team, and the outcomes have a direct influence on future campaigns. Good social media management companies will have a background in media, giving them the skills necessary to manage multiple media solutions. Ensuring a cohesive brand across multiple platforms is something a good media management company will excel at. Riding the crest of social media developments is also what a good social media company will do: as online platforms develop and change, so should your online campaigns. This is a fast-moving brand platform, and understanding how things are changing online is 90% of the job.
CONS:
Social media management companies have been known to miss the target demographic by not being able to use the right ‘voice’. The unique persona of a company is very specific – a good social media management company will take the time to fully immerse themselves in this persona before posting. Social management teams must be allowed to connect with a company on a different level, in order for them to fully embrace the personal aspect of social media. This can be time consuming, and many social media companies use a generic voice template as a short cut. This gives their clients a bland public image, and can do more harm than good. Disconnection between a company and its social media management team can be disastrous for both the brand and the market they’re trying to reach.
DIY Social Media
PROS:
Managing your own social media can offer your followers an instant immersion in your company psyche/voice. You will have a complete understanding of internal events, possible faster reaction times and more of a feeling of connectedness with clients. Managing your own social media will and can lead to a more instant response times on queries, with an ability to offer remedial action faster. You may save money by tasking an employee with the responsibility. You have the ability to make spur of the moment decisions, giving you greater flexibility.
CONS:
Company branding can suffer if multiple voices are involved, leading to multiple personas: this is common in a social media team environment where responsibilities are split between different employees. Managing your own in-house social media can also lead to possible errors, and misinformation. This can result in a possible lack of professionalism with responsible posting. Social media can be as damaging as it can be effective. Handing control of your social media over to staff members can leave you vulnerable to malicious posting - this is the branding of your company, and is an extremely powerful tool to place in the hands of an employee or team member. Finding the time to manage your online campaigns, timing those campaigns to fit in with your instore or physical sales, and using different graphic medias online are all barriers to successful DIY social media as is handing the task to an already busy team member with no prior experience.
Still unsure about the right option for your company? Contact Live Wire Media today to discuss your options: partial DIY, fully-managed, or simply using our easy self-manage social media dashboard… Whatever your desired level of involvement, we’re happy to help you every step of the way!
Live Wire Media: specialists in social media
