Why you shouldn’t outsource your social media. Even to us.

Don’t outsource your social media. Ever. Even to us.

That’s the message we give our customers when they ask us if we can manage their Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Outsourcing is a short-term solution. At Canary Dwarf, we don’t run anybody’s accounts other than our own, and here’s why.

Choosing the right person to manage social networks in any business should be a carefully considered choice.

The person must represent the business, its character and its principles in its outward communication, and they must also be able to respond to inward communication with authority, knowledge and without delay. The person must understand the purpose and visibility of every message, its impact, and indeed its legality and morality.

Often businesses choose the ‘youngster’ because he or she is assumed to ‘know about that stuff’. That’s not enough.

They may be socially active with their own networks, but running a business account is a totally different ball game, unless they’ve done it successfully, they shouldn’t be doing yours.

A business may also consider a consultant or agency to update by proxy. Looking around, this is likely to be a ‘package’ consisting of a set number of updates or a set number of hours, but a monthly fee to deliver a package of updates is a disaster waiting to happen. You can’t know when people will contact you, so it’s impossible to buy a packages that fits.

You can’t outsource passion

And it’s also likely that these ‘proxies’ will be running tens of accounts for caterers, events, retailers, herbalists, engineering companies, oil companies, coffee shops, etc.

Now you tell me how can that person have the passion, knowledge and interest in everything you do to present themselves as the ‘social face’ of your business, and all those other businesses too.

[tweet “‘You can’t outsource passion’ #socialmedia”]

How can they respond to random communication, post relevant content and engage with your biggest asset, your customer base. We love the variety that our customer base brings, and the relationship we create does allow us to gain an understanding of how they work and what they do., but we can never claim to be ‘part of the furniture’.

Sure, if you hired the right agency, they would spend the time getting to know your business, but at £100-£250 per hour, that’s not feasible for most small businesses.

There’s usually only one person for the job. And it’s you, isn’t it?

You know your business inside out, you talk to your customers on a daily basis, you communicate with them. You know the answers to their questions.

What you need is the help understanding how social media works, how the right content for your business generates leads. How marketing your business through social channels leads to more conversions, and how you can continue to care for your customers past the sale. Why network X is better for your business than network Y. Anybody can post to a network.

Getting it

The difficulty business owners have is not typing messages, it’s typing the right messages. It’s about ‘getting it’, but in today’s fast-paced world, learning by your mistakes is burning your bridges.

Businesses which struggle with social media can benefit enormously from a programme of guidance designed for long-term benefit.

That’s what we do. That’s what any agency doing the right thing, does.

If you go to the doctor with a sore leg, he doesn’t offer to walk for you, he fixes your leg. They’re your legs, you need to use them.

[tweet “If you go to the doctor with a sore leg, he doesn’t offer to walk for you, he fixes your leg #outsourcing #socialmedia”]

So don’t even think about outsourcing your social media. Instead, think about learning how social media can integrate within your overall marketing strategy. Pay your money to someone who cares about your long-term business goals, not making a fast buck.

The exception to this rule might be if you’re holding an event or running a short-term campaign where you can budget for an all-in service, but check that the agency has the right approach to market your event or campaign successfully, and that it can demonstrate an effective inclusive media strategy. If they think bringing an iPhone to your event and tweeting about it on the day is giving it publicity, they’re the wrong people for the job.

And of course, if we’ve convinced you that you need help and not a doppelganger, feel free to get in touch.

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