For many event professionals, social media can take up valuable time that could be better spent on client work, sales prospecting, networking, and even personal time for rest and relaxation. While some may genuinely love the strategy behind social media marketing, others see it as a burden and perhaps even a mystery.
If you could care less about Instagram analytics or targeted demographics for those Facebook ads, it might be time to consider outsourcing your social media efforts to free up more time in your schedule (and rid you of the stress that comes along with it).
However, outsourcing isn’t always about hiring an intern fresh out of college or asking your niece to take over your company’s Twitter feed. Instead, you need to be as strategic with your outsourcing as you would be with your actual social media content.
“It’s up to you to be the guardian of your brand’s messaging—nobody cares as much or has as much stake in your business as you do.”
A case for outsourcing smartly
Your online profiles represent your brand’s aesthetic, values, and voice, so it can be a mistake to hand it off to just anybody. A platform is just a platform, but it’s your messaging that has the potential to attract your potential client. Without strategy, your marketing efforts will fail. It’s up to you to be the guardian of your brand’s messaging—nobody cares as much or has as much stake in your business as you do.
Regardless, if you’re over social media or you’re just looking for a solution that will bring in more engagement, you likely need to bring a skilled expert on board. At the end of the day, it could be an intern or a younger family member that is particularly savvy with your chosen platforms. However, you must understand that they need to be an expert not just in social media, but in your brand platform as well.
Tips for delegating social media
While you may not be on the hook for the technical aspects of color-correcting photos, writing captions, choosing hashtags, or scheduling posts for publication, you are responsible for providing a clear marketing foundation for your team to work from. Otherwise, you may end up wasting valuable resources on off-brand messaging.
A screenshot from the Catersource Instagram page shows a focus on food, beverage, and event design
Start with your ideal client. Before you can train and delegate any work to someone else, you must have a full understanding of your target market persona. Who do you want to purchase your products or services? What kind of person should your message reach? Without having a grasp on this, you won’t be able to convey it to your social media manager, leaving them with few parameters.
Have clear brand adjectives. Brand adjectives are terms that describe your brand in a few simple words. You may consider your brand “elegant,” “cheeky,” “traditional,” or “whimsical.” It differs for every business, but it’s important to hammer down on these adjectives because they will help your social media manager to hone in on both the brand voice and the aesthetic.
Define core content categories. Take a step back from your business and look at the big picture. What are some of the key topics that you feel that you are an expert? What are you most comfortable talking about? What kind of content does your ideal client find most valuable? These categories because your core content pillars—the subjects in which you take ownership of on your blog and social media, which works to attract that target market persona. Make sure they are clearly defined before presenting them to your social media manager—these will help to guide his or her strategic approach to digital media.
Consider creating a brand brief document that outlines your aesthetic, tone of voice, and other important aspects (like a style guide). This ensures consistency if you lose a contractor or your niece gets a full-time job. You can then bring someone on and provide them with all of the details upfront, so they can easily hit the ground running.
When it comes down to it, outsourcing social media is a great option for those who feel that it takes up too much time or causes too much stress. It’s not difficult to find someone qualified for the task at hand, but it’s up to you to ensure that they are well-versed on your brand image and the messaging that you wish to convey to potential clients.
