Should your social media efforts be managed in-house?

To hire an in-house marketing team or outsource your social media efforts?

This is a tough question that multiple businesses face.

For many, it may seem easier to employ the help of a knowledgeable marketing agency who have profound expertise in things such as search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing.

Yet, there are also many benefits that come with hiring in-house.

An in-house team will have greater familiarity with your brand’s missions, goals, and vision, and will be more vested in the long-term voice of the company.

You will also have a greater degree of control over projects and invite the team to contribute to brainstorming sessions.

Here are three advantages of hiring an in-house marketing team:

More control over projects

With the world of marketing being so busy and fast-moving, your social media strategy is likely to need adjusting frequently in order to stay current. But for those businesses who outsource their marketing, it can be challenging to go back and forth with an agency to make such adjustments.

By employing an in-house team to handle your social media efforts, you are able to have much more control over your marketing. Outsourcing your social media efforts runs the risk of losing control of the message you want to deliver.

A more authentic brand voice

While agencies are indeed a valuable resource for creating an expert strategy, no one can understand your brand voice and message better than you do.

Having someone who works in the team, is familiar with your products and services, and who often engages with customers and employees is the ideal person to manage your social media.

This person will be more passionate about the subject matter and thus will provide more compelling content that educates, excites, and engages readers.

You will be sure that your authentic brand voice is weaved throughout your content, which will much more successful at engaging customers than content which is outsourced.

Better customer experience

Social media, in addition to being a platform on which to post marketing content and updates, is a hub for all things customer service related.

More often than not, your customers will flock over to your social media channels to communicate any concerns they have.

A problem with outsourcing your social media marketing is the loss of control regarding the timeliness of your responses- and this can be a costly thing.

To protect your brand’s reputation and to grow sales, your ability to engage with customers on a real-time basis is vital.

In-house marketers will have a strong understanding of what is going on within the business, and will, therefore, be much more successful at navigating your customers’ queries effectively and efficiently.

While the bonuses of having an in-house marketing team are plentiful, this is not to say all businesses are better suited to this marketing model.

For those businesses who do not have the experience or the resources to build and develop a digital marketing strategy, outsourcing would probably be a better option.