Our last video: Can you outsource social media flared up an interesting discussion and we are taking some flack because of our ideas regarding outsourcing and customer relations in social media. We have two different camps in this debate. One group believes it is good to outsource social media and the other group believes social media works best long-term when it’s in-house.
Why we want to have this discussion
First let’s clarify our questions in the last post: Is it possible to outsource the company relations and the most important question; do you really want to do it? We want to provoke and wake people up to see what it takes to succeed with sales and customer service 2012. It’s hard work! Companies will see their balance sheet bleed If they treat social media like a check in the box. We don’t said that outsourcing firms and consultants are bad, there’s a lot of very competent people in this area.
Your goal creates different context in social media
When it comes to social media marketing for awareness we have no problem to see how a business can reach a beneficial outcome through outsourcing, but as we said, when it comes to sales and customer service, companies need to be seated in the driving seat. Don’t create to many keyboards between yourself and your end user of your products and services.
Implement a social media strategy
Some companies outsourcing to a certain extend when implementing a social media strategy. They then work like a tag-team with a consultant or firm during the implementation phase to learn what it takes to reach their goals in social media. This is a great way for companies to take driving lessons how to handle the social media band wagon. We think it is efficient for companies to have a social media coach along the journey exactly the same way they have a sales coach.
It’s your turn
What do you think? Please continue the discussion and leave a comment.
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About Mattias Gronborg
Totally agree! That is why I always start my clients with educational workshops and encourage them to be part of the process. This has two beneficial outcomes: 1) Your client understand what hard work proper social media marketing and customer service is (hence understanding what they are getting for their money), 2) There is no disconnect between them and the conversation with their customers. For medium to large companies this is the best way to go, but it might be hard for a solo entrepreneurs who already have their plate full. For them, it would be difficult to find an ideal situation.
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