7 Signs Your Business’s Social Media Needs Outside Help

At first, it seems easy – and because of social media’s personal nature, many businesses prefer to take care of their social media marketing in-house. Then there are the concerns about cost and entrusting their corporate image to outsiders. But no matter how much you may want to do everything yourself, you could be doing your business more harm than good – especially if you’re finding it difficult to execute a strategy that gains any traction or generates conversions. In this social world, you’ve got to have a presence, so how do you know when it’s time to call in outside help for your business’s social media management? Here are seven signs to look out for:

#1: You have no strategy.

Random posting and updates without a coherent strategy won’t get you anywhere in terms of growing your business. It’s important to work out a detailed plan which spells out your objectives and quantifies the results you aim to achieve. This plan must identify your target audience using the right analytics. You should also be able to deliver on your strategy without going off track, and adjust it accordingly when you’re too far away from your goals. A strategy ensures every post counts, and without one, you’re wasting your time.

#2: Your posts aren’t engaging.

A big difference between social media and other marketing platforms is the rare ability to engage and interact with audiences. This is a two-way street, where you can start a conversation and get immediate feedback, criticism or praise. Your posts should be designed to stimulate response and engagement. After all, that’s what people are on social media for – to be social! If no one’s interacting with your posts, then what’s the point of posting?

#3: You don’t respond to queries and complaints.

Customers often find it much easier to ask questions of or make complaints to businesses on social media, rather than calling a service helpline. The problem is, if you aren’t responding to questions and concerns on your social media page, people will know because they can see the unanswered post on your page. For that reason, responses should be made as quickly as possible to any and every comment, question and complaint. Unfortunately, running a business doesn’t leave much time to respond to online queries.

#4: You no longer update your profiles.

This is the tell-tale sign that a business doesn’t think much of its social media audience. Many business give social media responsibilities to one employee, who soon finds it a distraction from his/her core duties. With time, the posts become less frequent and finally stop altogether. Depending on your budget and business goals, you might not be able to justify hiring a full-time employee just to do social media, but it definitely cannot be done by an already busy worker. You need someone with the time and dedication to update, answer questions, create engaging an content strategy and monitor analytics.

#5: You mostly self-promote.

Social media is a great marketing platform. But that doesn’t mean your profile should look like an online billboard. Companies that post purely promotional content put off audiences and generate fewer leads. People use social media to engage and interact with other people and brands they love. Your audience needs to find value in what you post in order for them to become leads, repeat customers and even brand ambassadors.

#6: You have zero conversions.

The whole point of social media marketing is to generate buzz around your business and leads for your sales team. A well-structured strategy will show conversions, giving you measurable ROI. This often requires more than just social media content – you’ll have to coordinate efforts between your blog, your website, emails and landing pages – and of course all your social media profiles.

#7: You aren’t growing your audience.

While the number of likes or followers may not necessarily mean much in the way of ROI, it is still an important metric to know for how well your profile is connecting with social media users. Increasing your audience means your customers are loyal and that your brand is reaching new people and connecting with them on some level.

A social media management agency will have the time, talent and resources to get your business on the right track to social success. And there are a ton out there. Make sure you ask the right questions when deciding if you should work with one, and then be sure you know that you’re getting what you paid for.