Coming to the decision to outsource social media isn’t easy. But once your organization decides it’s the right move in order to maintain consistency and grow your presence online, there’s a lot you can do to confidently get the help that your company needs.
When you pay attention to these four areas, you’ll experience better results with outsourced social media and help your outsourcing team provide you with great service.
Establish Benchmarks and Know Where You’re Coming From
Before your company even begins looking for outsourcing solutions, you need to take a clear look at your current social presence and results. A consultant or outsourcing team will need to know how you’re currently performing so they can help you improve your results.
Taking a look at your current results and benchmarks will also help you understand what type of help your company needs. If you’re very active on social media but aren’t seeing the results you expect, you need to bring in a team or consultant that specializes in engagement rather than page or profile launches.
Use your own analytics tools to keep an eye on their progress. Native social media analytics solutions work well. Third-party tools, like Linktree, also provide analytics options. Here’s a good article explaining what Linktree is. There are also various premium social media tracking and analytics tools.
Understand the Contract and Know What Your Responsibilities Are as a Client
Before the project starts, you’re obviously going to read the contract so you understand what services you’ll receive. But as you go over the contract you need to take note of the responsibilities that your organization will have at the start of the project and while the project continues.
All professional consultants will need information and resources in order to get started. They’ll want to know about your goals, your objectives with social, your existing stats and other important benchmarks. This should be outlined in the contract or in the supporting documents that accompany the start of your outsourcing project.
If you and your team are prepared to give the outside social media experts what they need, the launch of your project will be a lot smoother.
Manage Finances When Outsourcing Social Media Services
Incorporating financial management and bookkeeping practices is vital when outsourcing social media services without direct hiring. Make sure to:
- Define and stick to your budget: Establish a precise budget for the social media outsourcing endeavor, considering all potential costs. This foresight aids in selecting an appropriate service provider and prevents financial overextension.
- Opt for outsourcing partners offering scalable solutions, allowing for cost adjustments in line with your business’s evolving needs. Scalability prevents overpaying and facilitates financial flexibility as your social media endeavors expand.
- Understand every cost associated with the outsourcing agreement, including any hidden fees. This clarity enables better financial planning and avoids unforeseen expenses.
- Incorporate bookkeeping practices: Implement rigorous bookkeeping practices to track all expenses related to outsourcing. This will help in monitoring the financial health of your social media projects, ensuring expenses are accurately recorded and categorized for tax purposes and financial analysis. Here’s a detailed guide on how to become a bookkeeper.
- Conduct periodic reviews of your outsourcing financials to ensure services remain within budget and adjust as needed for optimal financial performance.
Get Your Team on Board with the Social Media Outsourcing
One of the biggest problems with any type of outsourcing, social media outsourcing included, is smoothing the transition between in house and outsourced services. Even if you’re just having consultants come in to refine and perfect your approach to social media, there can be some ruffled feathers.
Before the outsourcing service begins, be sure that anyone involved on your side of the fence is fully invested in what you are going to be doing. Share the benefits of the outsourcing service. Help everyone understand how it will increase your company’s success with social and streamline internal resources.
Make sure your social media strategy aligns with your other marketing efforts, including email marketing, SEO, PPC, etc.
Manage Your Expectations for Outsourcing
When you outsource social media training and begin implementing that training in house, don’t expect the world overnight. It’s very common to have a pent-up demand for social media. Your company may have been waiting for expertise in the area or made limited investments up until the point you decide to outsource.
If either of these is the case, it is going to take time for the social media team and your internal team to get the ball rolling in an efficient and effective way. Don’t try to do too much at once and manage your expectations of how much your team can handle and what results you can expect.
With these four areas, you can make the outsourcing process efficient, effective and as stress free as possible.