Pros and Cons of Multiple Social Media Managers for a Company
Between the tweets, hashtags and pins, you may find yourself wishing you had a dozen social media gurus to run your accounts. Or if your social media efforts have gotten out of hand, perhaps you’re wishing you had just one easily managed individual instead of a vast team.
Social media presence is a powerful tool for your business and one you need to make sure ends up in the right hands. Take a look at these pros and cons for social media management to help you decide how many hands should take on the task:
The Power of One
Easy management is at the top of the “pro” list for letting an individual employee run your social media sites. With just one face behind your social media profiles, you’ll never have to wonder whom you should delegate a Facebook contest or ask about an Instagram photo. The brand image remains consistent when one person is the voice of your company, and customers can expect the same standard of service with each returning visit. Plus, paying one person versus an entire team provides you a cost-effective social media strategy.
But even the most organized individuals become overwhelmed, especially if your company expands into new social networks, gains a significant amount of followers or launches new campaigns that require a lot of hands-on social media time. Also, if your expert doesn’t have enough free time to study the social media landscape and ensure he or she remains an expert, your methods may soon become outdated.
The Power of a Team
If you decide to E pluribus unum your social media efforts and put a team of individuals behind your brand, then you benefit from having multiple creatives and experts fueling your online profile. Ideas abound and having a whole team following social media trends helps you more easily stay on top of what works. A well-organized team also provides near constant monitoring of your online presence, so customers enjoy fresh content and quick responses to queries.
But don’t spoil the soup by giving too many cooks unfettered access to your accounts. Structure is key: hire a social media manager and assign employees to certain platforms, time frames or topics to ensure balance. You must provide clear rules, a concise style guide and extensive training to ensure a unified approach. For security’s sake, take advantage of online programs such as GroupTweet or HootSuite to allow multiple users to post to a single account without having your passwords.
Whether you start with the individual approach or build a dream team, make “adaptable” the theme of your social media efforts to ensure you’re always growing and acting in the best way possible for your business.
Harvin Bedenbaugh – Content Writer