Businesses that see the power behind social media to speed their progress forward and embrace a new way of doing business are wise to use social media to their advantage.
Since Social Media has become such a powerful tool, it’s important to find the right person or team to run your organizations’ social media efforts.
But, what should you do? Hire a social media management agency or a freelancer?
Read below to find out!
The Value of Social Media
With 3.5 billion people on social media daily, it’s not surprising that 73% of marketers agree that social media affects their business strategy.
Did you know that 54% of social browsers use social media to research products?
When used correctly, Social Media can build long-term relationships that will transcend any ads you might run.
If you made it to this post, it’s because you’ve already seen the potential of social media and need help managing it.
What is Social Media Management?
Social media management is the process of creating and publishing captivating content, monitoring engagement and mentions, growing a community of influencers and influencers, running social media paid advertising campaigns contests, reporting and analyzing the results of efforts and campaigns.
Depending on the organization, social media management can involve more than a dozen channels, ranging from Facebook to TikTok.
Regardless of how many social media channels a business uses, social media management is an integral part of a company’s marketing strategy and can generate a measurable return on investment (ROI).
Why is Social Media Management Important for Businesses?
Regardless of whether you are a small local shop or a big national company, you need a social media presence.
Social Media Management is important because it involves having a dedicated team or individual reaching, nurturing, and engaging with your target audience on your behalf.
When businesses use social media to connect with their audience, they can use social media to generate brand awareness, leads, sales, and revenue.
In-house vs. Agency vs. Freelancer – Who to hire to manage your social media?
As a business owner, you have to deal with making many decisions, and depending on the size of your organization, you often have to play the role of the social media manager.
You’re looking for someone to take over this task so that you can focus on other parts of the business.
But who do you hire for your social media management?
Often, businesses will go one three routes; in-house, agency, or freelancer.
Let’s look at all three options in-depth to help you make the best decision for your business.
Hiring An In-House Employee for Social Media Management
Pros:
If the in-house content creation already exists or is necessary, it is sometimes required to have an in-house social media team instead of hiring a freelancer or agency.
A great benefit of having an in-house social media manager, is the handling of company brand operations will always beat an agency or a freelancer because they know the inside information. An in-house social media manager can find more content to publish (behind the scenes, production processes, etc.)
An outside agency may not know all the intricacies of your business and may not be able to answer questions right away through social media.
An in-house social media manager can be trained and adapted to your brand’s culture. However, remember hiring the wrong person can cost you.
Cons:
An in-house employee is essentially an asset to the company and thereby more expensive.
Hiring is painstaking and time-consuming; even when hiring the right person, it has open costs (they are an investment to your company’s future if everything turns out well) of benefits, taxes and training, etc. This alone makes a business think twice about choosing an in-house employee for the role of social media manager, which can easily be given to an agency or a freelancer.
Hiring A Freelancer Pros and Cons
Pros
Hiring a freelancer is far less expensive than hiring a full-time employee or agency. Having an in-house social media manager requires a business to pay a salary and pay for any training required and other additional benefits. There are different arrangements when hiring a freelancer; the job could be done by project or hourly paid.
Freelancers also work with various clients that can give you insights if different business models.
A freelancer also works remotely, making it easy to adapt. Your communication will also be with one person, the only person managing your social accounts.
Cons
It will most likely be that the freelancer will have other clients to attend to. You may not be able to develop the same relationship as you would with an in-house employee.
A freelancer is a good option for you if you have a tight budget, are a small brand, or need someone to teach you, and you’re willing to learn.
Hiring an Agency for Social Media Management
Agencies are composed of a team of experts. An agency can vary from a group of three people or a full-fledged marketing agency handling hundreds of content marketing projects.
Pros
With an agency, you can have instant access to combined resources, technology and processes in the agency’s specialty: SEO, Social Media, Adwords, etc. These tools include social media analysis software, integrated reporting tools, SEO software, and even subscription stock image website.
Since it has a reputation to maintain, an agency has invested in the tools needed to perform. So, it’s in their best interest to get good results as soon as possible. Another thing about an agency is that the right one will let you know when you are going down the wrong path and how to correct it. A team at an agency stay on top of trends, which gives them ideas about what strategies to test.
Most of all, with an agency, your brand or company will benefit from time savings. Because multiple people with different expertise are working on your project, you can find that an agency can hammer out your strategy faster than a freelancer.
Working with an agency is ideal for an organization who
- Has an experience in working with strategic partners
- Has an in-house marketing team but doesn’t have particular social media marketing experience.
- Has a robust strategy in mind and is ready to invest in growing a digital brand
Cons
Working with an agency will require a more significant investment.
In-house vs. Agency vs. Freelancer – Which One To Choose For Your business?
At the end of the day, it depends on the size of your business and your budget. An in-house person is ideal if you have a brand that requires in-depth knowledge of your industry; an agency is an excellent option for any sector where marketing is not a primary competency of the business.
To choose the right one, you need to think about your company’s goals and structure. Choosing an in-house resource is a significant investment in an industry where you could essential vet, find and hire an agency that already has all the resources you need for your organization.
Need assistance with your Social Media Strategy? Social Know How has worked with various clients in different industries to grow their business and reach the people that matter the most. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.
