As a small business owner, staying on top of your social media presence can be an overwhelming task. Turning to outsourcing as a solution can seem like the perfect way to save time and money, but that’s only if you take the right approach and find the right partner to help!
In this article, we’ll provide some red flags to look out for when considering finding help with your social media strategy, so you can make sure you’re getting the best value, and most importantly, results..
Whether you’re just starting out or have an existing digital presence, there are a few red flags everyone should pay attention to when it comes to outsourced social media management. Don’t miss out on opportunities just because of mistakes from vetted partners; read on for our insider tips!
Let’s speak about communication.
Communication is critical when outsourcing social media management. You need to be able to communicate frequently and efficiently with your partner to ensure that your social media campaigns are aligned with your goals and objectives. They should be easy to reach and respond promptly to your enquiries and concerns.
When choosing an outsourcing partner for social media management, it is essential to assess the degree of communication they can provide. A successful relationship between you and an outsourced provider depends on effective communication. You should look for a potential partner that provides clear, frequent, and honest communication with them throughout the entirety of the project.
They also need to be available when you need to communicate with them, which is a problem we often hear of when hiring overseas VAs to work on projects (though other social media VAs are excellent in this respect).
The ability to have open conversations about any potential issues is key to any successful outsourcing partnership. This means that you should look for a potential partner in social media management that is willing to listen to your needs and feedback, as well as being open and transparent about any problems or concerns that arise during the course of the project.
By maintaining open dialogue with your outsourced social media partner from the start, clients can ensure that issues are addressed quickly and efficiently, leading to a more successful outcome.
Let’s talk about pricing and what to avoid.
You need to consider the pricing and services that your outsourcing partner offers. If there’s hidden or surprising ‘add-ons’ you weren’t aware of early on, then my advice would be to run the other way. They should provide a range of services that fit your budget, such as content creation, account management, and paid advertising. They should be flexible in their pricing and provide transparent pricing models.
Some outsourcing partners charge a high fee for setup or onboarding services. These fees can quickly add up and should be avoided if possible by agreeing upon a flat fee before any work commences. Furthermore, make sure you understand what exactly is included in the onboarding process as well as any additional charges that may arise throughout the project.
Another common hidden cost involves software licences or subscription fees. Some outsourcing partners require their clients to purchase specific tools or software in order to access certain features or capabilities offered by their service. Always ask about any such fees upfront and ensure you understand all of the associated costs with them before signing on the dotted line.
Finally, many outsourcing partners don’t provide a clear breakdown of their pricing structure and may not offer details on exactly how much certain tasks will cost until after they have been completed. To avoid this issue it’s best to ask for an itemised list of all associated costs up front so you know exactly how much each task will cost before any work begins.
Let’s touch on the importance of experience and expertise, and why you want your outsourcing partner to have plenty of both!
Your social media outsourcing partner should be knowledgeable about different social media platforms and have experience in implementing social media strategies. They should have a proven track record of helping other small businesses grow their social media presence. Additionally, they should be familiar with the latest trends and developments in social media, such as algorithm changes, new features, and best practices.
When teaming up with an outsourced social media partner, business owners should look for a few red flags that could indicate that the service provider is not the best fit. One of the most important signs that trouble is ahead is when a social media agency doesn’t offer any kind of track record or case studies. Experience and expertise are paramount when it comes to social media, as there are many nuances associated with platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
Working with an inexperienced service provider could lead to costly mistakes and improper execution of your strategy. Additionally, be wary of any provider who promises unrealistic results without providing a comprehensive plan on how they will achieve them.
It’s also important to pay attention to customer reviews and feedback. A good outsourced partner will have solid references from reputable organisations and individuals in their field, along with positive customer experiences shared online. If a company does not have any customer feedback or reviews available, this could be a warning sign that they are either too new or lack credibility to take on your project.
If a social media agency does not understand your product or target audience, it’s likely that they are not well-versed enough to provide value through their services.
Look for social media agencies that specialise in working with businesses similar to yours, as this could indicate their ability to better understand your needs and develop effective solutions accordingly!
Let’s discuss content and quality!
The quality of the content that your social media outsourcing partner produces is crucial. The content should be well-written, engaging, and consistent across all platforms. You should be able to review and approve every piece of content that they produce, and they should be open to feedback and suggestions.
When outsourcing social media management, it is important for business owners to focus on the quality of the content produced by their partner. Poor quality content can lead to damaging the reputation of a brand, limiting its reach and losing potential customers
Posting outdated or inaccurate information: It’s important that your outsourced social media manager keeps up with industry trends and news in order to post current and relevant content. Inaccuracies can make your business look unprofessional and out of touch, potentially turning away customers.
Over-promoting products or services: Too much promotion can be turn off for followers and could result in an influx of unfollows or negative comments. Keep promotional posts limited and use other types of content such as educational posts, fun facts, or engaging questions to keep followers engaged.
Ignoring customer enquiries: If a customer leaves a comment or direct message on any one of your company’s platforms, it is important that it gets answered in a timely fashion – ideally within 24 hours – even if it’s just an acknowledgement that the issue will be looked into further later on. Ignoring customer enquiries reflects badly on your business as it suggests lack of attention to detail and not valuing customer feedback.
Poorly written copy: Grammatical errors have been known to ruin a businesses online presence in an instant, giving potential customers a bad perception of the brand before they even interact with them properly. Make sure you review all copy before it goes live on any platform – automating posts should also be done carefully so that sentences read correctly and without any typos or errors in punctuation or spelling.
Rehashing existing content: Reposting the same thing over and over again makes your social media feeds look stale and risks annoying followers who may feel they are getting bombarded with the same stuff day in and day out. Your outsourced social media partner should come up with creative fresh ideas regularly to keep things interesting for your audience while still staying true to the core messages you want to send out about your brand.
Let’s focus on reporting and insights.
Your outsourcing partner should provide you with regular reports and analytics on your social media campaigns. This will allow you to track your progress, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your strategies as needed. They should be transparent about their methods, results, and outcomes.
Measuring the effectiveness of social media campaigns can be a complicated task, but it is essential for business owners who rely on social media to build relationships with customers and promote their brand. It’s important to have a clear understanding of how successful your campaigns are, even when you’re outsourcing social media, so you can improve your social media marketing efforts and maximise return on investment. Here are some tips to measure the effectiveness of your outsourced campaigns:
Track Engagement: Keeping track of how many engagements (likes, comments, shares etc.) each post receives is a great way to measure the success of your campaigns. This will allow you to compare posts and see which ones are garnering the most attention from users. If something isn’t resonating with your audience, you can adjust and try something else until you find what works best for them.
Monitor Reach: Another key metric when analysing the success of any campaign is reach – that is, how many people are seeing each post? Monitoring your reach will give you an idea of who is interacting with your content and if it’s being seen by the right audience. You can also use this data to inform future targeting efforts so that you’re reaching an even broader or more defined group depending on what makes sense for your campaign objectives.
Analyse Conversions: Finally, it’s important to track conversions from social media campaigns – whether that’s leads generated, products purchased or website traffic driven directly from a post or ad – so that you can better understand which tactics and messages drive results for your business. If something isn’t resulting in conversions, consider pivoting and trying something new – or dig into analytics insights to better understand why it isn’t performing as well as expected compared to other variations tested.
Let’s talk about flexibility and adaptability.
Social media is an ever-evolving landscape, and your outsourcing partner should be able to adapt to changes in trends and algorithms quickly. Look for partners who offer flexible contracts and are willing to tweak their strategy as needed for your business’s success. You want your outsourcing partner to be flexible to your business needs and excited to take your ideas on if there’s merit to them!
Establish clear objectives from the outset: Prior to beginning any collaboration, it’s important to ensure that all parties involved understand what the goals of the social media campaign are. Doing so will help ensure everyone is on the same page, and that expectations are realistic and achievable.
You’ll want to make sure there is a timeline for delivery and a good social media agency will facilitate you with timelines, if you don’t have one! A timeline should be created that outlines when important milestones must be completed throughout the course of the project. This helps to keep everyone accountable and ensures progress can be monitored along the way.
We touched on this previously, but it’s an important one! Open communication between your team and the outsourced social media partner in order to ensure everything is running smoothly and meeting expectations. Regular check-ins should take place in order to make sure no details fall through the cracks and deadlines are being met effectively.
Most importantly, both you and the agency you’ve chosen to outsource your social media business accounts should show flexibility toward changes. These could be social media trends that change quickly, so it’s important for both sides to remain flexible as new strategies or changes arise during or after a campaign begins. A successful campaign requires constant adaptation, so having an outsourced partner who is willing and able to adjust their approach if needed can be invaluable for your business.
Outsourcing your social media management can be a wise decision for small business owners who don’t have the time or expertise to handle it themselves. However, selecting the right outsourcing partner is crucial for success. Your outsourcing partner should have experience, expertise, and a proven track record in social media management.
They should produce high-quality and engaging content, communicate efficiently, provide regular reports and analytics, and offer flexible pricing and services. By evaluating potential outsourcing partners based on these qualities, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a successful social media presence.
As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk or if you’d like to talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.
