The Importance of Outsourcing Your Social Media Efforts Outsourcing is not a bad thing in the business world, especially for small to medium sized businesses. It’s a great way to focus on the priorities of your business from doing inventory to shipping and receiving, and from hiring and firing to customer service and keeping your business afloat. Social media marketing firms are around to help you get your business off the ground and hit Main Street running. It’s a way for customers to interact and get to know your business and what it has to offer. To some small business owners that have had their store for years may see social media as overwhelming and stressful; that’s where a social media-marketing firm comes in to save the day. While the business owner may not understand the workings of social media platforms they want to stay up to date and competitive with their competition. What does this mean for you? Why you should outsource Social media marketers know how to use the various social media platforms and stay on the cutting edge of the online world. These people eat, sleep, breathe, and Tweet social media! They know how to reach your customers and target market though Facebook ads, Slideshare presentations, Infographics, Instagram photos, Pinterest accounts, and online contests and promotions. If you’re not engaging online then who is and how is your business being represented? Social media marketers know where to look to find what others are saying about your business. Not only that, but they know how to communicate and diffuse an unhappy customer, which helps with your business’s reputation from that day forward. Time is another huge factor when dealing with social media. Take a load off your shoulders, spend some more time with your customers, and enjoy the pleasures of owning your own business, and let the social media experts handle the online side of your salon, boutique, restaurant, or any business for that matter. How it works Social media marketing firms work with a contract and many times work off a monthly fee that varies by package. Each package includes different kinds of social media profiles and perks within those platforms like Facebook ads and Google Ad Words. What to do when deciding on a package that’s right for you

Ask any and all questions that you have, especially if you are unsure about a platform or what is included in a specific package that you are interested in. This way you have a better idea of the various aspects of social media in general. If the social media-marketing firm allows you to customize your package be sure to ask them which extras would work best for your kind of business. Secondary platforms are important to consider when signing up for packages as well. These secondary platforms will vary depending on your business and where your specific target audience is engaging. Once you signed up Promote your social media platforms in your business in a creative way. Put the Twitter or Facebook icon on a business card, draw the icons on a chalkboard that you put out on the sidewalk, or promote it on your bags or receipt. By doing this, your customers will make the connection and check out your pages, especially if they enjoyed your business and had an overall positive experience. Communicate with your social media-marketing firm and check up on how things are going online from time to time. Or better yet, check out your Facebook page during slow hours to see how many people are interacting and engaging with your business online. If you find that people in your store are talking about a social media site that you don’t have a profile for consider adding it to your package if it’s an option. What about you? Do you outsource your social media efforts? How has it helped or hurt your small business?