In this post, we’ll list the pros and cons of hiring a social media consultant for your small business.
Should Your Business Hire a Social Media Consultant?
Pro: You Can Build a Larger Following
Social media experts can help you build a larger following, which exposes more people to your business. When users follow or like or your business’s page or channel, they’ll see your posts on their feed and have a better chance of engaging with your comments or seeing your sale posts. A large following builds social proof and gives you a larger pool of consumers to advertise to.
A good social media expert will have proven experience assisting other brands with building their followings. To help your business, they’ll focus on best practices, such as interacting with your ideal audience, writing engaging posts, and analyzing past performance to determine what’s working.
If you’re serious about growing your business’s following, it’ll be easier to do so by following a consultant. They can devote their time to growing your following more so that you would be able to as a business owner.
Con: It Could Be Costly
According to
the Content Factory, a professional social media manager can cost you $1,000 to $20,000 per month. This depends on how many platforms they’re managing and if they’re also creating graphics and original content. If this doesn’t fit into your budget, you could consider hiring a freelance consultant to help with strategy and have your marketing team execute the professional plan.
Pro: You’ll Get Help With Analytics
Experienced social media consultants can help you understand important information like the number of Facebook visitors that go to your website and their levels of engagement. They can also help you take the data from Google Analytics and provide relevant information to make smarter decisions with your social media budget. This can be invaluable information that influences your marketing plan.
Con: You’re Trusting Someone Else with Your Reputation
Your reputation on social media is important because one wrong comment or post could cost you thousands of dollars in lost customers and damages. For example, in 2014
DiGiorno posted a tweet about pizza with the hashtag #whyistayed, which related to domestic violence. They later posted that they didn’t know what the hashtag was about, but not before people angrily accused them of inadvertently made fun of domestic violence.
By hiring a social media consultant, you’re trusting their judgement on how to best represent your brand. As a small business owner, one mistake could cost you big time.
Pro: They Can Help You Build a Strategy
Having a successful social media presence is more than just posting images and asking people to comment. It’s about creating engaging conversations and videos that entertain followers. A skilled social media consultant can create a robust strategy and inspire reactions that keep your followers coming back to your page for the latest content. A consultant can also help you set goals that address your biggest challenges, which
Sprout Social says is the first thing you should do when creating a social media strategy.
Con: They Might Work Outside of Your Office
Many social media consultants work in another city or state. By not being in the office, they could misunderstand your brand or hear about important information later because they’re not regularly interacting with your employees and soaking up the company culture. If you’re worried about this, it might be best to hire a social media intern who works in the office with you or hire someone local.
Conclusion: Do Your Homework Before Hiring
Anyone can call themselves a social media consultant, but you should hire someone who has a proven track record with managing and growing brands. Before hiring, always ask for work samples and references. Be sure to check out other social media sites they’ve managed and see if you like their style and content. If you’re spending your hard-earned money on a consultant, you should get the best.
Do you have experience hiring a social media consultant? Tell us in the comments section below!