Can outsourcing your social media be bad for business?
Be involved! Stay involved!
We all know how busy we are day to day, and we have all heard that for a business to grow, management has to learn to let go control of some things, but beware who you let it go to!
Social media is huge these days and can help businesses gain profits and brand awareness, so you best be careful how you go about it. People want interaction with real people, period! Give them what they want, and stay connected EVEN if you do outsource. Outsourcing social media does not mean giving up full control! It should be an extension of your input and outreach not a replacement. Funny story, recently I noticed a company for which I am close friends with the owner blocked us on Twitter… Whhhhaaaaatt, I said! Then I remembered that they had decided to use a company (not a very good one) to handle their social media. They let go, and as no big surprise, the company they chose is doing nothing but cross tagging the other companies they have been hired by. Big NO NO!
Be involved! Stay involved! This does not mean the CEO needs to be on all the time, but someone from the actual company needs to be interacting not only with customers but also making sure the company you enlisted for help is actually doing what they are paid for.
Here are a few tips when outsourcing ANYTHING!
First, know what you want! This one seems to be easy but don’t be fooled. Just because you know you want more customers does not define what you really want out of the service. Be honest with yourself and be specific! If you want to just blast your name everywhere, fine go ahead, but don’t expect results. Consider breaking up your ideas into smaller areas. For example, you specifically want to drive traffic to your website, utilize promoting blogs and how to articles on both your twitter and face book.
Second, be diligent, very diligent in researching the company you have in mind. Remember you are going to let this company be your voice, and you want to be sure it’s a GREAT voice. I personally start with the financial side of the company, most counties allow public court records online, USE them. A company that is struggling or has numerous legal issues is no good! Run, run very fast! Look for stability, creditability and more. Remember, people and businesses do not give bad reference for you to check, come on that would be crazy. Expand your information web by following all their social medial outlets, look for common business that are interacting with them and reach out and request your own references.
Third, always remember that you get what you pay for. Rock bottom prices usually do indicate rock bottom performance. Whether it’s TV’s or telemarketers, performance is number one. Don’t be cheap, and make sure you do get all that you expect. Avoid any long term contracts or costly packages. A great company will work to earn your business, not just sucker you in. A reputable company will have a cancellation clause that covers both you and them. Make sure you ask for what you want and demand to get what you agreed to.
