Outsourcing vs. In-House: Which Social Media Management Model Is Right for You?

Managing social media marketing is a big task that requires daily upkeep, content creation, community engagement, and analytical tracking. Businesses have two main options – hiring an in-house team or outsourcing the work to an agency. The right choice depends on your budget, company size, location, content needs, and management preferences. Carefully testing different approaches will help you find the ideal social media management model for your specific business situation.

Build an In-House Social Media Team

Having an in-house social media team allows you to keep strategy and execution tightly aligned with your broader marketing goals. An in-house team has extensive knowledge of your company culture, values, products, and customers.

In-house pros:

• Tightly aligned strategy – Your social media goals will sync directly with broader marketing and business objectives.
• Better brand voice control – An in-house team will intimately understand your brand voice.
• Agile response time – Making quick adjustments is easier with an in-house team.
• Control over content – You dictate the messaging and have full oversight over content creation.
• Institutional knowledge – A dedicated team builds extensive company/product expertise over time.

The downsides of an in-house team include the costs of staffing, workplace infrastructure, and training. It can also be difficult to find social media experts, especially in smaller cities. But for larger companies committed to social media, the investment in an in-house team pays dividends.

Outsource to a Social Media Agency

For small and midsize businesses, outsourcing to an agency is often the more cost-effective route. The breadth of expertise and manpower an agency wields can amplify your social media impact.

Outsourcing pros:

• Broader expertise – Agencies employ a range of social media, marketing, and creative experts.
• Added manpower – Agencies can quickly scale campaigns and initiatives.
• Cost-effectiveness – No need to pay overhead for office space, equipment, HR, etc.
• Flexibility – Scale initiatives up and down as needed.
• Global services – Agencies can effectively offshore your social media team for 24/7 coverage.
• Metrics-focused – Leading agencies rigorously track and optimize based on ROI metrics.

Potential cons include less control over branding and messaging, conflicts of interest (the agency services multiple clients), and contract lock-ins. Carefully vet agencies to find one that aligns with your business needs and brand voice.

Choosing Between In-House and Outsourced Social Media Management

Determining the right social media management model for your business depends on several factors:

• Your budget – In-house teams require more fixed costs.
• Your business size – Larger companies can better leverage in-house staff.
• Content needs – Agencies can produce more content and multimedia assets.
• Your industry – Heavily regulated industries may prefer in-house oversight.
• Location – Remote areas and smaller cities have less agency access.
• Management preferences – Hands-on or hands-off?

For most small businesses, outsourcing provides the greatest reach. The access to diverse talent through an agency offsets the lack of direct oversight.

As businesses grow, the cost-benefit analysis usually shifts toward building in-house social media teams. The brand control and tight strategic alignment that an in-house team provides become more essential.

There is also a hybrid approach – maintaining a small in-house social team for oversight and strategy while still utilizing agency resources. This helps keep initiatives aligned while leveraging agency scale.

Test and Iterate Your Social Media Management Model

The best way to find the right balance is to test and iterate. Start with either an in-house staffer or a small agency contract. Measure the results closely using ROI metrics like engagement, reach, follower growth, leads generated, and sales influenced.

Let data guide your decision to scale in-house operations versus expanded outsourcing. Maintain flexibility, as needs may change over time. Set metrics-based reviews to evaluate your social media management model on a regular basis.

With the right model, you can shore up your social media presence, align it with your goals, reach your audiences, and ultimately boost your business. Define success metrics, review the data often, and make adjustments until you find your perfect social media management fit.

This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics‘ disclosure policy.