So businesses have finally realized that social media is basically a necessity in today’s world of marketing. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn, YouTube… the list goes on. It’s a lot of work to develop the best content for each platform (which, yes, it needs to be different on each platform, in case you didn’t know) and managing all of this content on top of day-to-day operations can be a lot of work.

But it doesn’t stop there. You’ve probably wondered whether you should contract with a social media agency or if it’s worth it to hire an employee whose role it is to successfully execute social media.

A Social Media Employee:

An employee has the advantage of only focusing on one organization or brand and has first hand knowledge on the in’s and out’s of the business. They can easily snap photos at a potluck or internal meeting and post them live to all social media channels.

An employee has the disadvantage of being a subject matter expert. The challenge is to find that employee that understands and is up-to-date on best practices! Do they know about things like content management systems, how to read analytics or implementing an advertising campaign? This can be A LOT to learn and manage.

While an in-house employee with some social experience may seem like a good fit, it may be affecting your bottom line. It’s often the case that the social media employee will be tasked with multiple other duties and responsibilities. This tactic often leads to burnout and the effectiveness drops.

A Social Media Agency:

A social media agency has the advantage of an entire team of experts at your fingertips. It take the worry out of trainings for your staff and finding the time. Agencies are staffed with individuals that live and breath best practices for their craft and give you back the time you need to work on what YOU know best. Hiring an agency will also give you an outside perspective of the social media landscape specific to your industry.

A social media agency has the disadvantage of miscommunication. As you work through your entire marketing agenda or communications meetings, sometimes the agency doesn’t hear about next steps or initiatives because they are out of the loop. It’s hard to integrate a contractor into the fold.

Working with an agency means your group would need to be willing to work collaboratively. You will need to voice all upcoming goals, events and internal details that go along with marketing. Agencies plan ahead!

Why Does It Matter?

In order to get a return on investment (ROI) it is important to stay competitive! Staying current on the latest marketing trends and having a strong digital presence will give your organization the edge you need.

Whether you choose an employee or an agency you have already made the first step. Identifying your marketing need for digital and online communications is a big undertaking! Now it is time to identify your goals and with that you will know which route is best for your organization.  

For more information on what an agency can provide check out siarza.com.