Is your small business guilty of trying to do it all? You may have the best intentions: keep budgets under control, delegate and DIY wherever possible. But what if your self-sufficient attitude is eating away your time and causing your brand damage?
For a lot of small businesses, social media can be the difference between rapid growth and treading water online. We know that around 70% of consumers say they’re more likely to make a purchasing decision based on social media referrals. Even if your social media activity isn’t breaking industry sales records, it probably influences how you’re viewed in the market, leading to a positive or negative first impression with potential customers.
When you start to get serious about social, it becomes clear that there’s a mammoth amount of work in a solid DIY effort.
Don’t underestimate the DIY cost
Sure, you’re not paying a set fee to an agency or social media specialist for your social media content. But don’t assume that means you’re not paying for it.
For well-curated, original, targeted and strategic social media content (not to mention ongoing management and analytics) you should expect to invest a fair chunk of hours from someone who knows how to leverage each platform to its potential.
To begin with, there’s competitor research, in-depth platform and trends research and planning that’s essential at the launch of any serious social media refresh. That’s before we’ve even gotten to creating the social content and posting it out across your chosen platforms.
Remember that unlike traditional media, social media is a living, breathing entity. Your social media activity is likely to be met with a human response – positive and negative. So monitoring your community, engaging with your followers and managing how your brand interacts with them is part of a successful social media strategy too.
Working with a social media specialist
If all of that DIY sounds like a pain in the face(book) – consider the alternative: a dedicated social media specialist with the skills and tools to support your social efforts. This is what many small businesses opt for, recognising that they don’t have the resources to hire the best social media experts in-house but still wanting a seat at the social table.
It all starts with a strong strategy – something a social media expert will be qualified to deliver. Working in tandem with other digital experts as part of an agency, your social media specialist is able to spot opportunities for you to raise your social media profile and improve the quality of your social content. They will take on your brand personality, voice and style to create a social media presence that feels authentic.
A great social media talent will take pride in crafting original content that engages with your audience. But beyond this, they’ll have the experience to help you get more out of your social advertising spend.
With detailed campaign planning on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to they know exactly how to target a specific customer demographic, measure their interactions with your brand, and develop a sequence of social posts to re-target and turn your followers into customers.
If your business is ready to stop procrastinating and start killing it on social media, you need help from an expert team. Redline Digital has the insights and tools to boost your social media efforts – no DIY necessary. Contact us for a chat about what your business could be achieving through a strong social media strategy.