Outsourcing social media management

Should I Outsource My Social Media Management?

Well, I am not against outsourcing but part of the beauty of social media is its authenticity. Social media is built on trust and real credibility and by outsourcing it you are misleading people and you lose the trust.

Outsourcing takes the “social” out of social networking. Social networking requires a personal connection with those you are trying to network with. You can only do this yourself. To me outsourcing social media is like hiring someone else to answer your phone or email pretending to be you. (image this for a bit) would you do that? Hope not!

To build a following you need to build trust and you can’t build trust if you outsource your social media management. Remember, that no one knows your business as well as you do and is passionate about serving your customers as you are. “Who can present  your brand’s image better than you?”

Yes, you can have a nearly perfect relationship with the agency you choose for the outsourcing to be effective. But having social media in-house means you have complete control over what you do and when you do it and how. One wrong statement, reply or update on Twitter or Facebook can ruin your company’s reputation with your customers, clients or vendors – so why hire someone to speak on your behalf.

By outsourcing social media you can save your time, but in the long run I think it’s a missed opportunity. From a budgeting perspective it’s cheaper to train current staff plus your staff knowledge about the company is better so its best for them to be the ones to connect with the customers and reach the right people.

The base of networking is to connect, engage, and interact. It makes sense that these actions are done by you. Do you want your customers to connect and engage with your outsource-r or with you?

Despite all of the benefits we hear about outsourced social media, the process isn’t without its risks. So, why risk? shift your social media work away from outsourcing and empower your staff to take on these initiatives themselves. It’s time leverage the power of your online communities in-house.

Furthermore, managing your social media presence takes about ten minutes a day. It looks something like this:

1. Update you status or schedule your statues (yes you can)
2. Check for updates (mentions, comments, feedback)
3. Monitor Conversation (1x/day)

P.S – This is my opinion and would love to hear yours. Do you agree or disagree?