Social Media: To Outsource, Or Not!

Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS PDF Available: slideshare.net/mpostphd

Lessons to Learn

• What is SM Outsourcing? • What can you outsource? • The SM Industry • Full-time SM Salaries • The Time Social Media Takes • Pros / Cons of Outsourcing • Questions to Ask Yourself • Questions to Ask a SM Expert • Food for Thought From Hootsuite • Social Media Tools • Where to Find Outsourcing Resources • Resources

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Or Not!

What is Social Media Outsourcing? Investopedia defines Outsourcing as, “A practice used by different companies to reduce costs by transferring portions of work to outside suppliers rather than completing it internally.”

Social Media Outsourcing Increases 128% in 2-years.

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

What can you outsource?

Take a Look at: A Day In The Life Of A Social Media Marketer [INFOGRAPHIC]

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

The Social Media Industry

Drell, L. (2012, February 12). The Social Media Salary Guide [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/02/12/social-media-salary-infographic/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Full-Time Social Media Salaries

Drell, L. (2012, February 12). The Social Media Salary Guide [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/02/12/social-media-salary-infographic/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

The Time Social Media Takes

Stelzner, M. A. (2014, May). 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. San Diego, CA: Social Media Examiner.

Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Pros • Time • Save Money • Dedicated Expert • Enhanced Branding • Grow Your Team • Capacity Management • More Flexibility • Contract As Needed • Consistency (Pro & Con)

Cons • Lack of Industry Knowledge • Less Control • Impersonal • Losing Authenticity • Slower Response Rate • Lose Your Voice • No Personal Engagement

With Audience • Marketing Integration

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Do you need social media for your business? • Do you want to use social media for your business? • Do you want to handle your own social media? • How much time are you willing to invest in your social media a week? • How much money are you willing to invest in creating a social media

platform? • Do you have self-discipline to work your social media every day? • Do you like technology? • Do you like engaging online? • Do you have strong critical thinking skills, common sense, creativity and

confidence? • Do you like to play and learn at the same time? • How committed are you to building a social media platform? • Are you not afraid to ask for help?

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Questions to Ask a SM Expert

• What is your experience with social media? • Do you know how to find my target market? • What type of content are you familiar with? • What platforms do you know? • What are the best times to post on each platform? • Will you create a social media strategy that is built from my business

goals? • Do you know what is the best platform for my business type? • What do I receive for my investment? • What is your role and my role in this relationship? • Do you just post? Or do you engage too? • Do you provide monthly statistics on my social media? • What do they do to stay current on the social media industry? • Are they a good writer? • Do they know how to handle a social media crisis?

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Food for Thought from Hootsuite

• . . . turning to an agency ensures that someone is paying attention to your social accounts and your audience.

• . . . if you have the time, no one will be able to manage your social media persona as well as you. It’s a rewarding experience connecting with such a wide audience on a one-to-one level.

• If you have the resources, it’s not something you will want to hand off.

• The right solution for your business might be a combination of both internal and external social media management.

• Analyze your current social presence and see if you can find the balance you need to excel.

Cisnero, K. (n.d.). When To Outsource Your Social Media Management [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.hootsuite.com/when-to-outsource-your-social-media-management/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Social Media Tools

• Hootsuite - https://hootsuite.com/

• $99Social - http://www.99dollarsocial.com/

• DigitalSherpa - http://www.digitalsherpa.com/

• Sendible - http://sendible.com/

• PostPlanner -http://www.postplanner.com/

• SproutSocial - http://sproutsocial.com/

• Vertical Response - http://www.verticalresponse.com/

• Sprout Social - http://sproutsocial.com/

• Postling - https://postling.com/ • Crowdbooster -

https://crowdbooster.com/ • Raven Tools -

http://raventools.com/ • Argyle Social -

http://argylesocial.com/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Where to Find Outsourcing Resources

• LinkedIn Advanced Search – FYI: 6,812 in Greater Denver area for Social Media Manager

• Search for reviews on Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, etc.

• Ask other business owners • Join a forum on LinkedIn,

Facebook, Google+ • Check out various blogs on the

topic • Search LinkedIn for Social

Media Managers • Networking events • Training events

• Elance - https://www.elance.com/

• eaHelp - http://www.eahelp.com/

• oDesk - https://www.odesk.com/

• Fiverr - http://www.fiverr.com/

• Comparison of Freelance Sites - http://www.ddiy.co/freelance-websites/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

RESOURCES

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Resources: Blog Posts

• Dr. Post Pinterest Board, Outsourcing Social Media - http://www.pinterest.com/mpostphd/outsourcing-social-media/

• When To Outsource Your Social Media Management [Blog post] - http://blog.hootsuite.com/when-to-outsource-your-social-media-management/

• It Has To Be You: Why You Shouldn't Outsource Your Social Media [Blog post] - http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2013/09/24/it-has-to-be-you-why-you-shouldnt-outsource-your-social-media/

• Can You Afford Your Own In-House Content Team? [Blog post] - http://blog.influenceandco.com/can-you-afford-your-own-in-house-content-team

• Why Brands Should NOT Outsource Their Social Media [Blog post] - http://www.podmarketinginc.com/brands-should-not-outsource-social-media/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Resources: Blog Posts • Should You Outsource Your Social Media Efforts? [Blog post] -

http://blog.intuit.com/employees/should-you-outsource-your-social-media-efforts/

• Pros and cons of outsourcing social media [Blog post] - http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-decision-maker/pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing-social-media/

• Outsourcing Social Media – Should You Do It? The Pros & Cons [Blog post] - http://www.business2community.com/social-media/outsourcing-social-media-should-you-do-it-the-pros-cons-0425173#mg6CdfHI1X3ioW26.99

• Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Social Media [Blog post] - http://www.lifelearn.com/2014/01/pros-cons-outsourcing-social-media/

• Outsourcing Your Social Media Management: Yay or Nay? [Blog post] - http://www.business2community.com/social-media/outsourcing-social-media-management-yay-nay-0881650#!ZKIaq

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Resources: Blog Posts • Influence and Co - http://www.influenceandco.com/ • Outsourcing Social Media? Four Questions You Must Ask a Prospective

Agency - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-lee/outsourcing-social-media-_b_4391122.html

• Small Business Owners Express Desire to Outsource Social Media and Other Marketing Activities, But Have Cost Concerns - http://investor.constantcontact.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=790823

• Marketers are Saying “Yes” to Social Media Outsourcing - http://www.socialstrategy1.com/marketers-are-saying-yes-to-social-media-outsourcing/

• Why outsourcing social media costs money - http://decorummedia.com/social-media/why-outsourcing-social-media-costs-money/

• 10 Reasons You Should Outsource Your Social Media Marketing In 2014 - http://b2socialmedia.com/blog/10-reasons-you-should-outsource-your-social-media-marketing-in-2014/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Resources: Blog Posts

• Parsing the pros and cons of outsourcing social media - http://smartblogs.com/social-media/2013/09/03/parsing-the-pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing-social-media/

• 62% of companies outsource their content marketing - http://oursocialtimes.com/62-of-companies-now-outsource-their-content-marketing/

• Should I Outsource My Social Media? - http://boomtownroi.com/blog/post/should-i-outsource-my-social-media

• 8 Questions to Ask a Potential Social Media Manager - http://socialmediatoday.com/memktgservices/1572486/8-questions-ask-potential-social-media-manager

• How To Outsource Your Social Media Marketing And What It All Means - http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140530205839-18297-how-to-outsource-your-social-media-marketing-and-what-it-all-means

• 8 Questions to Ask If You Outsource Your Social Media - http://blog.amsterdamprinting.com/2014/01/30/8-questions-to-ask-if-you-outsource-your-social-media/

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Resources: Videos

• What to Ask Before Outsourcing Your Social Media Marketing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ru_xhyGaOg

• Social Media Marketing - Is Outsourcing Cost Effective? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otdGiODGxpY

• 5 Tips to Make Social Media Marketing Less Overwhelming - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QJoCMQwcRk

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

References

• Drell, L. (2012, February 12). The social media salary guide [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/02/12/social-media-salary-infographic/

• Investopedia. (n.d.). Definition of ‘outsourcing.’ Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/outsourcing.asp

• Lee, D. (2013, December 6). Outsourcing social media? Four questions you must ask a prospective agency [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-lee/outsourcing-social-media-_b_4391122.html

• NFIB.com. (n.d.). Damien Basiles social media-collage [Image file]. Retrieved from http://www.nfib.com/Portals/0/images/account/br/damienbasilesocialmedia-collage.jpg

• Stelzner, M. A. (2014, May). 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. San Diego, CA: Social Media Examiner.

• Successiory. (2014). Social media: Outsource or hire? [Image file]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1n7H2Qi

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

#3RdTT Workshops for 2014

• July 15 - Outsourcing with Fiverr • Aug 19 - Finding Your Target Market

for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn • Sept 16 - Creating a Social Media

Campaign for Brand Awareness • Oct 21 - Content Curation Tools are

Cool • Nov 18 - Keywords are Key • Dec 16 - How do you measure up?

Performing a Self-Social Media Audit

©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS