We hear from quite a few Ecommerce site owners who are captivated by the lure of social media.
Part one of the conversation is about the potential of social media. Wow. Part two of the conversation is about the time commitment involved. Gulp. Most small business owners wonder how they can possibly have time to develop a social media presence.
A valid question, as you are contemplating how to make social media work for your business, is whether it is possible to outsource your social media efforts. The short answer is … probably not.
A successful social media campaign usually involves:
- Timely engagement with your customers.
- Honest communication.
- Forging a close connection with your audience.
- Responding appropriately to customer feedback.
Outsourcing these functions to another firm can be tricky business. It will be challenging to find that rare person who can communicate as your proxy. They will need to be the voice of your business and communicate from the heart without having the experience or personal knowledge of your business culture.
Of course, it is possible your social media strategy is more focused on posting announcements, specials, photos, or scouring the web for relevant info and sharing it. These are the type of tasks you will have more success in outsourcing. Then again, if your entire social media strategy is about posting factoids and sterile information, the odds that your users will respond in a meaningful way goes down dramatically.
A good solution/compromise can be to assign someone in your organization who already has an inclination toward participating in social media to lead up your company’s efforts. You, as the business owner, can supplement those efforts by contributing as your schedule allows.
As the social media industry matures, businesses will sprout up that specialize in handling social media communication for other businesses. But, be careful about entrusting your communication to another firm that might not fully understand your core message and be able to communicate in your voice.
