H.Y.V.A. and Save Time™

1. YES – Create content guidelines before you outsource your Social Media Marketing

Business owners and entrepreneurs are very busy so they don’t have the time to spend on-line. Yes outsource to a person who comes highly recommended. Give that person guide lines on what content you want on your pages. Build a relationship with the person who you want to represent you on-line. Remember that your name or your business is going to be on those sites, so if you decide to outsource your social media marketing, make sure that you both are on the same page as to what message you want to send.

Thanks to Eula M. Young, COO of Griots Roll Film Production & Services Inc.

2. NO – You can’t Outsource Your Personality.

When I give social media presentations I frequently get asked if there a Big Easy Button I can use to update everything everywhere online. Social Media looks like a lot of work. True, it can be, but if there was a Big Easy Button you would not want to push it. In life, we belong to many groups and we don’t have exactly the same conversation in each one. Where there’s conversation, there’s opportunity. Be there, engage, participate. It’s not about the platforms, it’s about the engagement.

Thanks to René Fabre of The Talon Group

3. NO – Keep Social Media personal; it makes the interaction more personal and engaging!

I strongly believe in managing my social media pages for The Burger Dive myself. Our customers look forward to our daily updates and posts of daily specials. Often times, I can recognize someone I’ve never met by their picture from when they’ve posted on our Facebook page, and suprise them when I recognize them. It gives the interaction a more personal feel to know that the owner of the business is taking time to not only read, but personally respond to customer feedback in social media

Thanks to Brad Halsten of The Burger Dive

4. YES – When You’re A Small Business Owner, It’s Important To Get all the expert help you can muster

It takes time to actively engage on social media sites and driver up interactions. By relying on an outsourced agency, you can take advantage of their ability to integrate social media with your marketing campaign, leverage key search terms to drive SEO and create engaging content to spark conversation. Select an agency that gets to know your line of business and your social marketing goals before developing your strategy.

Thanks to Daniel Moran, Jr. of Blufish Design Studio

5. YES – The focus should be on the quality of fans & level of engagement, not on the quantity

I manage the Facebook marketing for several clients and the first thing I do is speak with them to create goals for their Facebook page. Some people just want to have it out there, others want to promote a specific product or service, and some just want to get as many fans as possible. The most important factor to consider when outsourcing your social media marketing is the quality of fans and their level of engagement, not the quantity. I would much rather get a client 5 fans who become customers than 100 fans who might see a post in their news feed. Facebook “likes” are a dime-a-dozen. It’s all about leveraging the page to generate action.

Thanks to Mike Kranzler of OMG National

6. NO – Social Media is all about being social, sincere & passionate. You lose your unique voice when you outsource it

While outsourcing social media has become slightly more popular over this last year it still ranks very low. Why? Simply put social media is social and in order for you to achieve the best results the person who is out there representing you and your business must not only know and understand your business but had better be sincere and passionate as well. You wouldn’t send a teenage to speak for you at a business luncheon so why would you do that on Facebook?

Thanks to Diane Stein of JoTo Extreme PR

7. BOTH – Some outsourcing is okay, as long as you don’t outsource your relationship with your customers.

I am a web marketing consultant, and I get asked all the time to “just handle” my customers’ social media presences. My first question to them is “You wouldn’t ask me to go to a party for you, would you?” Increasing your connections seems like a simple numbers game. But, with the more connections, you need to make sure you are taking the time to really connect with each person. So, some outsourcing is okay, as long as you don’t outsource your relationship with your customers.

Thanks to Nick Rosener of Tech Nick Consulting

8. NO – Outsource your Social Media Marketing Efforts With Caution

There are lots of services available that will generate copious numbers of Twitter users for you, but not all followers are equal. Before you engage an outside firm, first make sure that they will attract the right audience members as followers. If they don’t, not only is this wasted money (because the followers won’t impact your bottom line), but many of these “spammy” followers might scare some of your target audience away, which could hurt your brand in the long run.

Thanks to Jeff Kear of Planning Pod For Photographers

9. YES – Find someone to help build your brand on social media site while you handle other important business activities

As a social media strategist, I encourage every business to take the time to engage on their social networking channels. Just creating a facebook or twitter account isn’t enough. Often I’ll see people jump on board with enthusiasm only to abandon their accounts after a few weeks. It takes time to build a following and consistency is the key. Find someone to help build your brand on your social media sites and maintain them while you answer the phone with sales calls and orders.

Thanks to Julie Spira of Social Media And More

10. YES – Remember Cheap is not always best, Personality Matters & Stick to the Script

When outsourcing Social Media Marketing tasks to a Virtual Assistant, I advise clients:
1. Cheap is not always best. You often get what you pay for and a damaged reputation is not helpful.
2. Personality matters! Your V.A. must be able to represent your brand.
3. Stick to the script! Carefully plan out what, when, where, how and why the V.A. should interact online.
4. Know when & how to qualify a lead and bring to your attention for follow-up.

Thanks to Roland Reinhart of Reinhart Marketing Group

11. BOTH – Be you, be authentic, outsource and automate parts of your Social Media Marketing

I think social media needs to be authentic or else it’ll feel like a robot invading a cocktail party. But at the same time, much of what I use sites like Twitter for can be automated, like adding links to my latest blog posts.

So I’d say a combination.

Thanks to Andrew Warner of Mixergy.com

12. YES – Outsource Your Social Media Research

Whenever we start a new project, or release a new product we go into heavy social research mode. We pass this on to out virtual team to collect all the data we need. More specifically we need to know the blogger, the power Twitter users, the Facebook Pages, the LinkedIn Groups, etc who have the attention of the market. Our virtual team follows our guidelines and creates a massive spreadsheet of data including URL’s, names, Twitter handle, FB page, Phone, email, Skype and anything else they find.

Thanks to Greg Rollett of Radically Ambitious

13. YES – Do what you are great at and outsource the rest!

A true business leader is one that can delegate and inspires greatness while doing so. So by all means outsource your social media marketing. Do what you love, do what calls to you, do what you are great at and outsource the rest.

Thanks to Julie Auslander of CSubs–Subscriptions Simplified

14. NO – People buy YOU. Nobody engages your audience like you do

Outsourcing social media may work well for some. Perhaps if you’re a large brand and you’re simply looking to engage a broad audience about new products and promotions. However, if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re in sales by definition. In this case, as always, “people buy YOU”, and you can’t outsource your personality. Nobody engages your audience like you do, and you’re the only one for the job.

Thanks to Jordan Harbinger of The Art Of Charm

15. BOTH – Outsource repeatable social media task and not your personality

Outsourcing social media is a tricky subject. Here is what you can outsource – repeatable process. Here is what you can’t outsource – your personality. When it comes to social media, know that no one can be you as much as you can. So, I recommend writing your own words, but have an outsourced group do the repeatable, promotional type stuff!

Thanks to Mike Michalowicz of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

16. YES – You do it all in the beginning, eventually you will have to delegate it to someone else

Social media outsourcing is like sending your baby off to school for the first time. As an entrepreneur, your business is your baby. You spend a foundational period of time raising your baby, feeding and nurturing it. My business is still in the “baby” stage and I am covering social media myself. My philosophy is that I am preparing the way for social media to be outsourced. There comes a time in every business (and every child) when other people’s influence is a positive source of growth.

Thanks to Leta Hamilton of Leta Hamilton

17. YES – A good writer can adopt your voice for 80% of the time, and toss the other 20% to you for a personal response

You should definitely outsource your social marketing. It can take LOTS of time to monitor, comment, update, track, post, blog, and all the other functions required for a social media presence. A good writer can easily adopt your voice for 80% of the work, and toss the other 20% to you for an edit or a personal response (which you add to a swipe file that your writers use to learn to write in your voice.

Thanks to Steven Sashen of Feel The World, Inc.

18. YES – Focus purely on the Return on Investment (ROI) of Outsourcing Social Media Marketing

Sure. My thoughts are pretty results focused. It’s going to depend on your business and your strategy. If you are achieving the results you are looking for, I think it can work. I’m happy to respond to anyone’s comments or provide further perspective.

Thanks to Dan Andrews of OutsourceToThePhilippines.com

19. NO – I won’t hand this touch over to someone else because engaging is the new customer service

I’ve automated certain functions of my social media efforts, but I wouldn’t hand this torch onto someone else. If you only care about the numbers, then yes, by all means put your company on auto-pilot. But if you want to be in business for more than a couple of years, don’t. Social media has revolutionized the way we do business. Engaging is the new customer service. Your followers WILL let you know how much they love/hate you. It IS personal. Those numbers are people and they want to hear YOU.

Thanks to Vanessa Coppes of EnV By Vanessa Coppes

20. YES – Outsourcing Social Media will enable you to learn best practices from the experts

When we launched YouTern, we did outsource our Social Media. However, our goal was to learn throughout the process in a “reverse mentorship” model. In addition to getting the ball rolling on social media, we placed a strong emphasis on learning best practices from the expert. The person we chose understood this role, embraced the concept, and was a terrific tutor/mentor. Ultimately, this approach had a huge impact on the organic growth of our company and our brand.

Thanks to Mark Babbitt of YouTern

21. YES – Learn everything about Social Media Marketing before your outsource it

Quite frankly, I don’t think companies should outsource anything that is core and important to their business, at least not at first or an important piece of your business will be at the mercy of your consultant(s) and you will never really understand this channel. Rather, start in-house. Sure you’ll make mistakes but you’ll learn but you’ll develop a good foundation and be in a better position to understand/evaluate/work with consultants.

Thanks to Rick Perreault of Unbounce

22. YES – Outsourcing certain aspects of your Social Media Marketing is great, not all of it!

I have outsourced mine in the past. But I do still participate on it personally most of the time. I get my assistant to post 1-2 times per day with my blog posts or other sites…but the other 8-9 posts I do a day are me personally…it help to ensure i’m getting my stuff out there on a regular basis. I wouldn’t recommend that someone outsource the entire thing…it’s like sending a mannequin to a party on your behalf.

Thanks to Tracy Matthewman of TracyMatthewman.com

23. YES – Social Media is always evolving and demands constant attention / monitoring, get an assistant!

Intimate company knowledge drives Social Media content. However, effective use of Social Media, its technology and dynamics has to be learned, it is always evolving and demands constant attention/monitoring. The third and vital component is the IMPACT of well-chosen words. All this expertise may be found in your Virtual Assistant, who can either set up and train you or be responsible for your entire Social Media output. Less expensive and more personal than an outside agency. Passion essential!

Thanks to Jaimie Skultety of A Virtual Assistant 4 You

24. NO – Your Company Culture Is Your Biggest Asset & Any Engagement On Social Media Sites Should Reflect

We feel that culture is our biggest asset and that is created from our strong team and family spirit. It is our belief that all communication channels reflect our true culture, whether it be on Facebook or on the telephone. The only way to truly deliver the culture is to be a part of it.

Thanks to Graham Kahr of Zappos.com

25. YES – Jump all in and become passionate about it!

Whether working for our own brand or for a client, social media has become a major component of all our strategic plans. The McClain Companies approaches social media by building a community & engaging with them and it’s not about the quantity of followers we attain, instead about the relationship we have them.

Currently, TMC does handle social media for various international brands – whether you decide to outsource or not, remember it’s about jumping all in and being passionate about it!

Thanks to Troy McClain of The McClain Companies

26. YES – It’s A No-brainer For Busy Entrepreneurs That Want To Work SMART, Rather Than HARD..!

The fact is that being active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn & all the other social networking platforms is very time consuming. Virtual Assistants can easily build up followings, friend potential business partners & clients & perform a host of other relatively mundane, but required tasks for you. With this work put to one side & performed professionally, you can then focus on the real ‘relationship’ building through more personal messages & tweets. It’s a no-brainer for busy entrepreneurs!

Thanks to Chris Ducker of VirtualBusinessLifestyle.com

27. YES – Keep the parts of social media you love, outsource those you don’t love!

Social media marketing is important. What if you don’t have time? Outsource the parts you don’t love – the technical part. People want our perspective and personality, and what we can do for them. We can’t outsource that. If someone writes for you, read it before it’s posted. Be sure it’s “you”. Find someone who does the same thing for colleagues and friends. Interview them. Choose the one who has the skills and you enjoy. Read what’s out there – have your finger on the pulse of what’s happening

Thanks to Jan Wallen of LinkedIn Works!

28. YES – If you don’t have the time or patience to develop your social media strategy, outsource it.

When it comes to social media, many small business owners find it daunting and/or uncomfortable; however it is necessary for growth and brand development. If you don’t have the time, patience or money to develop your social media strategy, outsource it. Know what your social media purpose is, have a plan and measure your efforts. Get an intern or pay a professional. Either way it has to be done.

Thanks to A.Michelle Blakeley of Simplicity Mastered

29. NO – Social Media is a communications job and outsourcing it can skew the message

Outsourcing to save a business or serve a business has been an ideal move. But when it comes to social media, there is more at stake. How does one outsource a social media campaign that is built on knowing a niche? Social media is a communications job. I fear that oursourcing it messes up the communication and relationship a social media marketer can have with its audience.

Thanks to Sana Ahmed of SanaDotCom Consulting

1. Think Church And State; keep your full-time job and your business separate

I’m a full-time corporate executive, but always had the desire to write a book and run a corresponding entrepreneurial venture around it. I did it, but in order to do so, I had to master my full-time job completely. My tip? Focus totally on your full-time job during the day; then focus totally on your side business at nights and on weekends. This will ensure you won’t be mediocre at both. Do both jobs wholly, but separately. Don’t try and juggle both simultaneously through the course of a day.

Thanks to Mike Sprouse of MikeSprouse.com

2. Consider joining an established franchise; they already have a proven system you can leverage

As a Franchise Consultant, I help people explore franchise ownership. Often, candidates want to start their own business, but are not ready to quit their jobs. Most franchises require full time involvement, but there are “semi-absentee” franchise opportunities that make this scenario possible. Most are retail/manager run, and require capital to put together, but the franchisor provides a proven model, direction, marketing, training & support to make it happen, versus attempting all this alone.

Thanks to Laurie Pollock of FranChoice, Inc.

3. Like a sponge, soak up the knowledge of how to run your business from successful Entrepreneurs

I built a private practice as a psychotherapist while I worked fulltime as an executive assistant for a CEO. I was interning and completing my doctorate at night and on weekends. It was not easy and took 5 years, but was so worth it. Fortunately, my boss was a completely inspiring and brilliant businessman. When I got my degree, I quit that job and committed fully to my practice, using the invaluable, transferable sales and marketing skills I had learned from him over those years.

Thanks to Nancy Irwin of Dr. Nancy B. Irwin

4. Get buy-in and support from family & friends. You need all the help you can muster!

I started my cottage business as an antiques dealer and needlework artist after a bout of Empty Nest Syndrome. I work 40 hrs+ for two different companies – “spare” time is a luxury!

The biggest hurdle isn’t money – it’s time management & accepting help. Outstanding team of family and friends help me do it all: research, buying, site/page management, inventory… therapy.

“It’s not the weight of the load that brings you down, it’s how you carry it.”

Thanks to Leslie Crook of Pat’s Girl

5. Run your business & do not quit your day job until you have a year’s gross pay in the bank

Start slowly and develop the business one step at a time rather than borrowing money to start a home business. If possible, market your business from what you earn from it. Sell 100 units of your product and then buy 200 more. Sell the 200 and buy 400. Go slowly.

Begin small. Keep your day job and live on the earnings of your current employment. Use the proceeds from your business to build growth. It is a good idea not to leave your day job until you have a year’s gross pay in the bank.

Thanks to GARYU BRONGA of CLIPEZE WORLDWIDE, INC.

6. Master the 3 P’s (Planning, Persistence and Patience) and become a time-management Jedi

The three core principles to building a successful business while working full time is planning, persistence, and patience. Plan each day by setting a prioritized daily agenda of tasks you want to achieve. Schedule every activity so it gets done. Persist by setting up processes and simple routines (both at work and home office), to get more time back each day without fail. Patience is a virtue with business ownership. Trust and believe it is a process that doesn’t happen overnight.

Thanks to Zenobia Garrison of Success Transitions