October | 2012 | UberScribbler

Monthly Archives: October 2012

October 10, 2012 · 2:06 pm

Managing Social Media: In-house versus Outsource

Nothing gets the social media communities more kicked up then the debate over whether businesses should absorb social media internally or outsource (outhouse?) the entire thing to an agency partner.

I have heard all arguments for the merits and limitations from both sides—and most agencies will offer very passionate and unsolicited argumentative advice that the only sensible thing to do is outsource your entire process to them. I’m sure they’ve told you this—they are the social media experts after all. And why wouldn’t they? You are their next business opportunity.

But why does it have to be an either/or decision? As a Social strategist—I aim to educate, offer fresh ideas, and then leave the tools behind with the door wide open. Maybe it’s the philosophical in me… you know, the whole teach-a-man-to-fish thing.

I understand the real-world limitations. Not wanting to divert people from their existing responsibilities, or even having to hire new staff. I can empathize with learning curves, and I certainly don’t expect busy professionals with (already) full workloads to invest the kind of time and money that I (and other colleagues) have done into learning about social media, or to be anything close to as engaged as some of us are on a daily basis. And I can even appreciate old dogs not wanting to learn new tricks. But I believe the merits outweigh the limitations in this debate—primarily in opportunities alone.

The opportunity exists for you to really own your social media investment. Own the strategy, own the day-to-day learnings, know how to handle the tools, and learn first-hand from your mistakes. Your customer is not out-sourcing their role as your consumer, and they are engaging and connecting in the social web at unprecedented rates. Don’t risk becoming less connected with your customers, own the behaviour insights that only familiarity will give you. Your company can’t afford to be headed in any other direction—no matter how practical the limitations of in-house may seem to you. It’s time to learn and lead.

This is where it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. Investing in a Social Media strategist up-front can make all the difference for long-term Social Media implementation. Strategists can teach you the tools, train your team members, and make recommendations as to which core processes should be managed in-house. Strategists help with the plan and execution—in whatever capacity your business needs. Learn how, when and where to fish.

Keep that strategist in your pocket and put yourself on the path of practical learning and enriched understanding. Today’s business environment is socially connected—who’s telling your brand story?

Need more info? Contact me at catherine@uberscribbler.com.

What does social media success look like?

The success of any social media program is irrevocably tied to the initial expectations of the program. What did you think was going to happen?

“We’ve integrated the Social channels & Social personality into our everyday business and we’re now seeing unprecedented positive service sentiment and we’re very happy with the steady (organic) growth of loyal and engaged followers over time.” – said no client EVER.

Having a clear formula for success up-front is crucial to your expectations. And having clear expectations up-front is crucial to your success. But this is not the chicken or the egg. Expectations can come in many shapes and sizes. They are very complex and multi-faceted. Here is my top 10 list of expectations that MUST be internalized or the overall perceived success of your program will be decreased significantly.

Expectation #1: Your entire decision-making team must ALL have the same expectations and the “buy-in” needs to be top-down.

Expectation #2: You need to work hard to be relevant. This is not the Field of Dreams—you must do more than build it.

Expectation #3: Be more concerned with measurable engagement than the number of followers. Vanity metrics is good for your ego, but is not sustainable and can be manipulated in the bottom line. Seek to win consumer trust and brand advocacy instead.

Expectation #4: You must provide customer service in social channels with a purpose and commitment that may leave you vulnerable and transparent. Be accountable, timely and consistent with your community.

Expectation #5: Keep evolving. This space is dynamic—changing constantly. Take risks in new channels and with new creative brand storytelling angles. Stretch outside your comfort zone, there are no hard and fast rules. The worst that can happen is nobody joins you. Go ahead and blaze some trails.

Expectation #6: The size (number of followers) of your current social communities is NOT the size of your engaged audience at all times. If you have 10,000 followers on Facebook, I assure you that they are not all collectively holding their breath until you release your amazing $10 off coupon. Refer to expectation #2.

Expectation #7: You MUST advertise your Social presences (online and off) if you want to jumpstart your community numbers. It doesn’t matter what you have to say or offer if nobody is there to hear you. On-going advertising is worthwhile to COMPLEMENT organic growth and raise awareness outside your established communities.

Expectation #8: Social Media is not an overnight success. Be patient. Your success will be determined by your audience sentiment (they will tell you if you have a successful Social program) and not your internal measurement. Traditionally, majority customer sentiment determines a brand’s service quality—and this tradition has not changed.

Expectation #9: Establish trusted brand partnerships that will keep you connected to Social/Digital trends and strategies in order to keep you evolving. Adopt Social policies internally and train team members in best practices and engagement philosophies. People say and do stupid things online, and your employees are people.

Expectation #10: As communities grow, so will the number of hours you need to commit to maintaining them. This is where things really start to get interesting—and consequently where most brands abandon their social ship citing budget restrictions. Momentum is key. Don’t let your mouth write a cheque that your actions can’t cash. (Yeah, actions isn’t what I was thinking either.)

With a base understanding of realistic expectations, you can start to formulate what success will look like to you. Set goals, use benchmarks, and try and have a little fun.