As a small business owner, you may have come to realize that you simply don't have the experience or expertise to effectively market your business properly through social media. Instead, you know you need it but that it’s probably best to hire an employee or professional. The problem with hiring an employee is that they can be hard to find and you may not need 40 hours a week for the tasks. At the same time, hiring a pro might seem like a cost endeavor that you are not sure your company can afford and it has it’s own set of questions as well.
How can you be sure the professional understands your brand and audience? That’s an important consideration and so is the next question:
How much is this going to cost?
The truth is, it depends on the regional area and scope of your needs, and you'll find that some social media marketing is more reasonable than others.
You probably think Facebook is the best platform to invest in... and you are likely right. With more than a billion Facebook users, the opportunity to reach your ideal audience is high. Your social media marketing professional needs to be familiar with your client demographics. Hence, to know if they’re on Facebook and if it’s the appropriate place for your business to invest.
Facebook marketing can be complex and will include posts, images, links, videos, and ads to draw traffic to your website. Image quotes are popular and get a good amount of engagement. Your professional needs to be able to choose quotes and images that will get likes, comments, and shares, and stay up on current trends, such as the importance of video and Live Video.
With Facebook, organic reach going down on a daily basis, ads are taking a more prominent place in Facebook marketing. Professionals should well versed in running Facebook Ad campaigns. They should be able to show you case studies and testimonials of successful ad campaigns.
Another option is Twitter. Twitter marketing techniques aren’t as involved, and the overall cost is usually cheaper. Twitter has a totally different type of audience. The demographics may overlap, but the way you communicate with your audience is completely different.
A social media marketing professional that specializes in Twitter will know the in’s and out’s of the 140 character message, Twitter ads, and cards.
You may want to market on other platforms, like Instagram, SnapChat or Pinterest. Unless your company is a major brand or produces a good or service that would specifically benefit from the audience on these platforms, you might not need this. Your professional should know the type of people that use each of these platforms. Additionally, if they overlap with your audience. Be wary of any company that tries to convince you that you need these services if you believe that you don't.
You might be surprised to see the prices for social media marketing, but in many cases, the ROI you get is fairly high. It is a professional position and requires someone with both knowledge and skill in the field but also ability to understand your business and audience and communicate effectively. This isn’t a simple task!
This doesn't mean you don't want to save some cash in the process, right? One of the best ways to save money is to look for bundles. Many companies will offer lower pricing if you choose to bundle social media marketing for 2 or more platforms.
Finally, you can save money by hiring an intern, but you risk the time and energy it takes to train them and get them up to speed. Plus you need to make sure you’re on top of the tactics and strategies because your intern may not be. And even though you’re paying a reduced fee, you may be paying for twice the hours an agency would use.
Have questions about marketing on social media or want to get professional help? Monthly pricing is in the $300-$800 range to setup a social media account and $250-$800 range to manage content and accounts monthly. Contact us for more info.
Please enable pop-ups to receive the download.
