Recently I asked why should your business use social media, and I focused on the question of “why” instead of giving you reasons as to why you should. It’s not uncommon many businesses attend a conference or discuss with their contacts and are told they need a Facebook page or Twitter account for their business, but when it comes to how to execute the new-found social media presence they fall flat.
After you determine you do need a social media presence and what you want to accomplish who will run with it? Do you need to hire someone new? Will someone already on staff take on this task? Do you have a team? Should you hire a company to do so? There’s no magic 8-ball answer because every business is different, but here are some ideas to help you find what’s best for your business.
Hiring a new employee
Odds are your business is already bustling and successful, and you are looking for new ways to attract more business. Hiring a new employee may work to add more business without necessarily adding new roles and responsibilities to your already busy staff. When hiring a new employee do your usual checklist to make sure he or she is a great fit for your company, but ask the new potential addition about his experience in using social media as a business application. Just because someone uses Facebook to post pictures or comment on his buddies’ posts doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily know how to convey a corporate message. Experience is key, but no one is really an expert yet.
Assign the work to someone in-house
You may have a good marketing and sales staff. There may be someone with experience in social media as well. Appointing a single person the task can be beneficial because the message will likely remain consistent. The downside of this method is it will take attention away from other roles and responsibilities. Social media for businesses can and will likely be a full-time job. To avoid burn out you may want to give that employee some support for her other roles. If there is an emergency, however, the burden is solely on her shoulders.
Social media team, assemble!
If keeping the management of your social media presence local is a concern, it may be best to assemble a team of individuals to build your social media presence together. There are a lot of benefits to this methodology. A diverse group of marketing and technical individuals who understand social media can develop unique strategies plus not be overburden with the task at hand. The team can tackle pieces of the puzzle and work together to create the entire picture. When issues arise (there will be at least one someday), you will have a team to turn to for brainstorming and problem solving.
Hire an outside partner
This is another popular choice. Hire a partner who understands the tactic and will devote their energy to bringing you a return on investment. Their staff should be dedicated to researching not only social media trends and tactics but also your business and competition. The cost to hire an outside partner will likely be comparable to hiring a new staff member without some additional costs and benefits. The downside to an outside vendor is unless you get a transparent working relationship you may feel like you have this whole aspect of your business you don’t understand. That’s definitely possible, but it is fixable. Find a partner that is transparent in their methods as well as willing to educate.
Who will you choose?
There are many ways you can appoint someone to run your social media presence, and all of them have strengths and weaknesses. By knowing why your business is in social media and what you want to accomplish you can better choose who will run it for you.
Who runs your social media presence? What are some ups and downs with what you’ve chosen? Please share.
