Social media management is a critical tool for any small business that wants to find success online.

With billions of users — many of them active every day, multiple times per day — social media is where connections happen between consumers and businesses these days. It’s also where long-term, solid customer relationships are forged.

However, social media management is no small feat. An effective social media management strategy takes time and consistency, which are two things that can be difficult to come by when you’re a small business owner.

Working with a professional social media manager can make all the difference, but it’s not the right choice for every small business.

The truth is that there are pros and cons to each option — DIY or professional social media management. There comes a time when every small business must determine whether to manage their social presence on their own or to hire a professional to do it for them.

The pros and cons of DIY social media management

Social media is powerful for small businesses, not only because of the potential reach and opportunity for growing customer relationships but because it’s largely free. Sure, you can get more out of your efforts on social through social media advertising and by boosting organic posts, but a small business can do a lot on social without ever having to spend a dime.

For a small business that’s on a budget, free can be a game-changer, and by managing social media on your own, you can keep your costs as low as possible. However, where you save costs through DIY social media management, you’ll often have to make up for it in time and effort.

An effective social media management strategy takes time and consistency. It should include posting on a regular basis — sometimes, multiple times a day depending on the platform and goals.

But, social media management isn’t just about posting content. It’s about managing relationships and connections on social media, which involves responding to comments, reposting user-generated content, fostering engagement and a whole lot more.

Social media management is an active, time-consuming gig, and the greater the number of social profiles you have, the more time and effort it will take.

The other major aspect of social media management is keeping up with the times. The game on social media, just like on any other marketing channel, changes frequently. Keeping up with those changes isn’t always easy if you’re doing it on your own.

The pros and cons of working with a social media manager

Depending on the size and scale of your social media strategy, managing your business’s social presence may be a full-time job in and of itself, and it’s still just one aspect of your digital marketing strategy as a whole!

Seeing as how being a small business owner often involves long hours as it is, the idea of tacking on hours of social media management time just isn’t realistic for many.

By working with a social media manager, you can save yourself from having to log even more hours per week. You can rest easy knowing that your social presence is being taken care of without having to take time out of your already-busy schedule.

As I mentioned, social media management is an ever-changing target. What worked yesterday won’t necessarily work tomorrow, and it can be difficult to keep up.

Having a dedicated social media manager means having someone on your side who is always up to date on the latest trends on social media.

Another big pro of having a social media manager is content quality. Social media managers know how to create content that stands out and makes an impression. They know how to create content that engages your audience and creates conversions.

Get the best of both worlds with Marketing 360®

A lot of small business owners are under the impression that the choice between DIY and professional social media management is an either/or situation. Luckily, that’s not the case.

Marketing 360® Social gives you the option to manage your social media on your own with the help of powerful tools work with a professional who can manage your social presence for you or a combination of the two, getting as much or as little help as you need.

With Marketing 360 Social, you can schedule out social posts on multiple profiles at once, helping you post fresh content consistently. Plus, by scheduling out content ahead of time, you won’t have to log in every time you need to post.

Create your content ahead of time when you have a fresh slot in your calendar, and schedule it out for the future. It’s the easiest, fastest way to ensure that you’re posting consistently on your most valued social profiles.

Plus, gain access to other powerful tools on the Marketing 360 platform to make managing and marketing your business on social media (and beyond) easier. Create and launch ads on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, monitor your performance, create beautiful social images and so much more.

Marketing 360 is an innovative, one-of-a-kind tool for small businesses looking to get ahead on social media, but the biggest benefit of using Marketing 360 may be the access it gives you to professional, dedicated marketing professionals.

When you hire an in-house social media manager, you get the talent and brainpower of one individual. But, when you work with the social media team at Marketing 360, you get the talent and brainpower of multiple experienced professionals — and you get it at a significantly cheaper cost.

Whether you prefer to let our social media managers handle every aspect of your social presence or you prefer to outsource individual tasks as you need them, the team at Marketing 360 is ready to help.

Social media management is just one of the many things you can do with Marketing 360. It’s the all-in-one toolkit a small business needs for management and growth, and it’s backed by professional talent and knowledge you won’t find anywhere else.

Learn more and see our plans and pricing.

Originally published on 10/19/20