Outsourcing Social Media: Should Your Small Business Do It?

22-Dec-2011 By Fred Schebesta

Is it a good idea to get a third party to build my Facebook/Twitter presence?

Is it ever a good idea to get a third party to build my Facebook/Twitter presence, or should I do it all myself?

First, consider if it’s worth opening and running an account or not. Some niches don’t respond that well to social media, such as funerals, penis enlargements and cigarettes. People don't really want to socialise around these things and talk about them openly or positively. The "sin" products have always been a little bit more discussed in private.

Ask yourself: "Is my product or service something people would be interested in discussing at the pub?" If:

• No - Perhaps consider other less time consuming channels like search engine marketing.
• Yes - Consider pushing into social media some more. If your niche is responsive to social media then it might be worth outsourcing it and buying the extra time to make it work.

What are you going to need to be successful:

• Large amount of time commitment to get it to actually work. Social media is one of the most time intensive things to get started.

You have to be social all of the time. That is like going to the pub every day of the week and talking to everyone there. Think like a politician trying to campaign in an area and become "socially popular".

• The best social media accounts are genuine and transparent. You need to be open and honest.

If you don’t have the time to commit you could outsource it, the only problem is that it won't be very transparent. You might want to make the analysis as to whether it’s worth you doing it.

Read full article. Cited in StartupSmart Daily eNews Update, Thursday 22 December 2011.

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