This can be great for small and medium-sized businesses who wish to market their company and create strong brand recognition. But what if your business requires more volume when it comes to social media accounts? Managing one account isn’t too complicated, but if you want to maintain a social presence across several accounts it can quickly become more complex and time-consuming.
Part of that complexity can revolve around the effort it takes to create the posts you require. It would be a blessing for most users if social media accounts all used the same format so that one post could be shared with multiple accounts.
Sadly, that is not the case.
Each social account has its own restrictions and limitations when it comes to image size, post length, and the number of hashtags allowed. If you are trying to establish your company across several platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram, then a single post can quickly multiply into 4 individual pieces of content.
Each one will need to meet the specifications of the social platform so that it can be posted correctly without captions or images being cropped to fit. Tailoring every single post to comply with the needs of each channel can soon become extremely tedious and time-consuming.
Managing social media at scale
Fortunately, there are a few solutions to the problem of multii-posting that you can use to make the process less time-intensive, however, they also have some disadvantages.
Let’s take a look at 3 ways you can manage your social accounts at scale.
1. Posting and Scheduling software
There are lots of different websites and software packages that are designed to help you manage your content and maintain a systematic posting schedule. Usually, they contain tools to help you construct and edit posts and may often have features like hashtag suggestions or include royalty-free images that you can use for your own content.
Normally, tools include a posting calendar so that you can schedule your content to automatically post on different days. Depending on the software you are using it may incorporate analytics reporting that can help you determine how successful your posts are.
While using scheduling and posting tools is an affordable solution for your social media management, the downside is that someone (you!), still has to create the posts. While Saas software and packages admittedly make the process smoother, it still means that you are stuck at the keyboard hammering out captions and resizing images for the content you need.
2. Pay a freelancer
There are lots of services online that will make it easy for you to locate and source a freelancer to manage your social content on your behalf. Search through some of the freelance marketplaces and you will see dozens of listings from workers offering to handle your social media for you. The trick is finding the right one.
Problems can arise when clients and freelancers don’t speak the same language, and they will need to have some understanding of your business or industry so that you don’t pay for a whole bunch of generic posts. There may also be issues around reliability and security. You might not feel comfortable handing over your business login and password to a complete stranger who you have never met before.
Before engaging the services of any freelancer it is worth asking for references, negotiating the cost and deciding on the scope of work upfront,. Ask for a sample post so you can check the quality. Ask what happens if you are not happy with the work produced, is the freelancer willing to put it right at no extra cost? All of these questions will need to be answered clearly before you agree on a business arrangement.
3. Use a social media management service
One of the safer alternatives that you can use to outsource your social media management is using a professional company. Sending work out to a reputable service means that you have the secure backing of a professional organization, often with a money-back guarantee. Social media management companies will prepare content on your behalf and you typically have the chance to review it for quality and make changes before it hits your social channels.
Graphics are typically of superior quality as many social management companies employ a whole team of graphic designers with knowledge and expertise across many different industries. The process flow should be smooth and communication easy between you and your social media content provider. With experienced companies there will be customer service people ready to help you with any questions or challenges from onboarding to billing.
In terms of security, social media management companies frequently avail themselves of tools that allow secure logon to your accounts without the need to share passwords. This is a good bonus for safety and security. Reputable companies should be easily able to provide you with work samples from similar businesses, and a list of clients in the same industry who they have helped with social content.
Whatever your needs are a social media management company will be able to handle them smoothly and effectively. As your company grows and you increase the quantity and frequency of posts across your social channels, a good social media company will be able to keep up with the increased demand and scale right alongside your business.
What is the most cost-effective option for social media management?
When determining how to handle your social media marketing efforts it is important to be aware of the cost. However, ‘cost’ does not always equate to the amount of money paid out.
In the case of the first scenario where you handle all the work yourself, financial outlay may be minimal. But how do the hours add up when that time is not being spent on your business? Could it be used to better financial advantage by managing customers or prospecting for sales? When considered in those terms, the question revolves more around value than cost. Is your time more valuable when directed to another area of the business? If the answer is ‘yes’, then one of the 2 remaining scenarios may prove to be the better option.
Using freelancers is a great solution, but as your company grows a single individual may not be able to handle the work volume all on their own. Also, without the support of people like a customer service team, response times to questions or changes may be slow. Issues with security and reliability can often leave to many unanswered questions and not inspire confidence in those who are risk-averse.
That leaves businesses with scenario 3, outsourcing to a social media management company. For companies who need to manage their content at scale, and potentially increase volume, this may well be the most efficient solution. Expert designers, customer service support, and secure systems mean that businesses needing large volumes have the benefit of a professional service with a built-in safety net.
Social media management companies will also be aware of things like copyright issues, and GDPR rules for items such as email marketing, blogs, or landing page construction. As a B2B service, it means that your content can be managed and scheduled with minimal oversight and lesser risk.
