Having an intern or junior person to manage your social media marketing might seem like a good way to save some money. But think again before turning someone loose on Twitter. Relying on a single person to manage your company’s social media marketing can actually be costly.
For starters, social media activity doesn’t limit itself to business hours, which means you’re always relying on that one person to be “on duty” all the time. And time is of the essence online.
Rules About Responding
The rule of thumb in social media interactions with customers is that the quicker you respond to a customer complaint online, the quicker they’ll get back to you. “If we do it within 10-12 hours, we get a response back (elaborating on a bad experience),” explained Jason Raich, owner of SocialEnvi, a social media marketing agency based in Los Angeles.
At a recent social media conference, attendees were surprised to find out that a big brand like Jaguar has 9-to-5 social media presence. Audience asked why?
“With the delay in time it takes to respond, there is a lost opportunity to build/strengthen the relationship, “ said Raich. “You don’t go to a dealership to ask a question. If you have to wait to get a response on social media, that defeats the purpose.”
Be sure to provide your social media team with the information they need. “Be prepared for lots of questions,” said Raich. “Empower your agency with all the necessary information to answer as many questions as possible without having to say, ‘Let me check and get back to you.’”
Content Creation Specialties
Besides the need to respond to fans in real time, social media requires talent in a variety of areas in order to create quality content across your different social channels. Think about it: In addition to the technical side of using social networks and updating a blog, there’s also the need for video, photography, graphic design, writing, and Photoshop expertise.
If you use stock photos in your marketing, need original product photography, or don’t have a graphic designer on staff, you’ll need someone that has those resources. Instead of trying to hire a single person with expertise in all of those areas, it can actually be more cost-efficient to hire an agency with the means to handle all of that.
An agency generally has more staff coverage and more resources to handle the demands. The question then becomes how to best integrate the agency with your company so that your marketing message is seamless.
