In the digital age, the presence of many companies on social networks is becoming essential to gain visibility, stand out, be preferred & be chosen. However, being present on social networks is a time-consuming activity. Fortunately, it is possible to outsource it. For a company of any size, outsourcing will only be effective if the company that chooses to do so has reached a sufficient stage of maturity & organisation to start with a medium-term outsourcing (six months minimum).
If you think you are ready to outsource your company’s social networking activity, let us share with you tips on how to make this collaboration a success!
TAKE STOCK OF YOUR COMPANY'S POSITIONING
Firstly, we advise you to take stock of your company’s positioning for the next 12 months. It is important to re-affirm your actual company positioning in comparison to its competitors & to where you would like it to be positioned. You need to think about the values, the promises of your services &/or products, the essence of your brand (i.e. what your brand aspires to, what its mission & vision are), your ideal clients & finally your brand guidelines.
Why? Because if you are not able to write & explain your company’s positioning, explaining it to someone outside your company will be even more difficult.
Your positioning must be clear, simple & precise. This is the only way to get the right messages across, to communicate with the right words & to reach the right prospects.
GIVE YOUR COPYWRITER ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO GET THE ESSENCE OF YOUR BRAND
Once you have done the groundwork on your positioning, you will have no trouble explaining the brand essence of your company to a copywriter. It is important to explain to your future copywriter what you want to express through your brand & how you want outsiders to perceive your brand.
Give him/her all the elements you have in hand so that he/she can best communicate on your behalf. The keywords & hashtags related to your business, the graphic design guidelines, the tone of voice to use, the topics to communicate about, are important elements to share with your copywriter so that he/she can best understand his/her mission.
DEFINE YOUR COMMUNICATION STRATEGY ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
You need to define the textual & visual communication strategy on social networks with your copywriter to be sure you are on the same page & avoid any bad surprises.
The type of topics, the posting rhythm, the targeted objectives & the type of content (texts & visuals) are the -non-exhaustive- essential elements to discuss with your new subcontractor. Working out the communication strategy with your copywriter will ensure that you like it, that the objectives will be respected & of course, that the work carried out is aligned with the messages & the image you are trying to convey.
DETERMINE "POST-PUBLICATION" MANAGEMENT
Don’t forget to discuss with your subcontractor who will take care of the “post-publication”, i.e. who will manage & maintain the conversations on your social networks. You can’t neglect this part, because interactions on your social networks allow you to create links, empathy, & even a community & therefore to give visibility to your brand, your company.
There is no right or wrong way of doing this. The choice depends on your ability to handle it, your financial means & therefore what is at stake commercially. Perhaps you need to keep a personal hand on the conversations generated by your publications to create opportunities?
EVALUATE EACH MONTH & ADJUST
Last but not least, think about measuring your performance on your social networks. If you outsource your social media strategy & its execution, or even its animation, think about measuring the results to make sure that it works & to what extent it works. You have set goals beforehand, so you need to make sure you measure the results against the goals you have set on a monthly basis. Setting objectives helps you to measure & analyse your strategy, which helps you to understand what is working & what is not, & then helps you make the right decisions to improve. This is what contributes positively to the development of your business.
