4 questions to ask before outsourcing social media

For those companies, there are several factors they should consider before handing it over.

Admittedly, I work for an agency that provides social media marketing management, so I have a vested interest in companies outsourcing their social media services. But not every organization should take this route. If a company doesn’t know what it wants from an agency, the partnership won’t thrive.

Here are four questions to ask that could help determine whether outsourcing social media capabilities is the right move:

What are we gaining from our metrics?

With exception, most companies—business-to-consumer and business-to-business alike—that handle their social media presence in-house don’t have the metrics capabilities to get the most out of their social media presence. You can look at Facebook Insights metrics, but that’s only telling part of the story. And unless you’ve shelled out thousands for a sponsored campaign on Twitter or hired a company to do a one-off analysis, you likely have little insight as to who is actually following you on Twitter.

A full metrics outlook will tell you the audience you’re currently reaching, who you could be targeting and how you should be communicating your message.