Why You Should Keep Your Social Media Management In-House

One quick Google search will tell you that the jury’s still out about whether businesses should manage their social media channels internally or rely on a partner or agency to handle them on their behalf. Ultimately, the decision is yours. But from our perspective, the benefits of social media are greatly amplified when your team manages it in-house.

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Here’s a look at some of the uses of social media, and why we think you should hold onto it as part of the marketing mix for which your internal team is responsible.

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Authenticity

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Think about the reasons that social media initially began, and one of the primary ones is that it provides a digital way for human beings to connect with one another. It was intended to foster real conversations from person to person. Then later, businesses joined the fun and started connecting with their customers through these platforms too. But throughout its history, a big part of the appeal of social media is the way it enables authentic sharing between individuals (or between individuals and businesses)... which means authenticity matters.

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When you outsource your social media management to an external team, it can definitely save you time. It might even give you a more polished social image, if you partner with a person or firm that specializes in social media. But, you’ll be missing the power of authenticity that you could have when someone internal is the one tweeting, posting or commenting.

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The vibe of your company’s culture and the voice of your brand is something that is nearly impossible for someone outside your business to replicate, even if you describe it to them. Keep your authenticity strong, and keep the conversations with your customers real, and you’ll see more benefits of social media than you would otherwise.

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Internal Access

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Another one of the best uses of social media is sharing images and videos, and doing so increases the return you’ll get on your posts. In fact, Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without images. But not all images are created equally, and original photos almost always perform better than stock photos. When you keep your social media management in-house, you have the advantage of taking - and sharing - original images and footage whenever you want.

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Furthermore, when a customer wants to interact with a company on social media, they’re usually interested in the brand and feel drawn to it for one reason or another. Giving customers glimpses of your behind-the-scenes environment, team members, accomplishments, events and more goes a long way in establishing rapport with them. You can only do this with any sort of frequency when you’re on the premises, and actually with your team on a daily basis.

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After all, people may love your brand, but what they’ll really remain loyal to are the people behind that brand. You can get far more real and connect more closely by capturing images and videos you’ve shot yourself, at your office, as well as doing the sharing.

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Strategic Alignment

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As fun as using social media in your marketing mix can be, it’s pointless if it doesn’t move the needle on your business’ goals in some way. When your internal team manages your social channels, they can do a better job of aligning your social strategy with the company’s overarching strategy. If you try to convey this to an outside entity, they’ll probably try their best to deliver strategic alignment - but only your team members really have their fingers on the pulse of your business’ strategy and direction.

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When all is said and done, your target audience should come to enjoy a delightful and productive experience with your brand every time they visit your social media channels. The best way to create this, and maintain it over time, is by managing your social in-house. This allows the people who best understand your company culture to be responsible for shaping your social media presence, posting off-the-cuff, real images and videos that accurately represent your brand and keeping every part of your marketing mix in strategic alignment with your vision.

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Still have questions, or need a guide in improving your social media results? Contact us anytime. While we suggest keep social media in-house we can audit your current efforts and provide industry best practices, suggestions for driving more traffic to your site and ideas on how to engage with your followers.