Should you write your own organic posts or hire an agency? At BeOnTop, we like to tackle challenging questions head-on. There are many pros and cons of DIY social media, which we will explore in this blog.
Our top 3 takeaways are:
- Authenticity
- Time Management & Resources
- Industry knowledge & Expertise
Authenticity
Producing organic social media posts can be an authentic experience, enabling you to craft a unique voice that best reflects your brand. After all, your business or brand is your creation; you live and breathe it, so who better to promote it?
Artificial intelligence (AI) certainly has its place in our digital world, but there is a noticeable default of repetitiveness. Seeing real-life, visually appealing imagery and enticing words to describe a new product or welcome a new team member on board creates awareness and trust with potential and existing customers.
Using AI as a starting point can be helpful, but be mindful to personalise what AI generates to maintain brand authenticity.
A downside of DIY social media is that not everyone is comfortable in front of the lens. Some aren’t great at taking high-quality photographs, nor do their skills lie in penning witty content to capture their audience’s attention.
Forming a good relationship with your social media marketing agency allows them to unravel and reveal your shining characteristics, brand, services, and products in a creative way you may not have considered or can execute.
The key takeaway is capitalising on your internal team’s skills while being guided by the agency’s direction. BeOnTop’s professional social media management expertise happily works with internal marketing teams!
Time management & resources
Practical time management skills and planning are vital when managing your own social media. Full-time content writing is time-consuming and can involve:
- Reviewing content briefs.
- Working with SEO and social media specialists for keyword research.
- Liaising with the graphics team for icons and infographics.
- Social media sales strategies, content marketing, planning, and calendar scheduling.
- Content writing time, proofreading, and managerial sign-off.
- Then, more planning!
Managing these important tasks alongside other priorities can be overwhelming for a time-poor small business owner. Let’s face it: posting on social media is probably at the lower end of a long to-do list! Using a professional social media management business frees up time to focus on sales or customer-related priorities.
Social media software
Many easy-to-use and efficient software tools and resources are available to support people who wish to create their own social media. Some offer free versions that can be easily upgraded depending on needs. Other apps have trial periods, allowing you to experiment with functionality before committing.
Our blog, How to Create a Social Media Content Strategy that Amplifies Your Brand, has valuable tips to help you stay on track with your socials.
Highlights include:
- Set goals for each post, such as increasing brand awareness, boosting engagement, or guiding customers to a website.
- Research, identify, and understand the target audience.
- Develop a social media content calendar to help organise when to publish your social media posts.
- Regularly analyse data within the social media apps and trial-adjusting content and posting schedules for better results.
Spend money on what you are not skilled at, saving time, resources, and hard-earned cash.
Industry knowledge & expertise
BeOnTop trusts that you know what your business does and why it benefits your customers, and sometimes, it is hard to trust a third party to represent your brand.
Digital marketers currently operate in a saturated market, but BeOnTop believes this is because ‘we’ have to. When executed well, digital marketing experts know how to increase online sales through social media and drive business growth.
We also know that if your website is outdated and you’re not regularly using the power of social media, your business is likely losing vital new sales opportunities. It will rank lower and lower on search engine pages while your competitors rise to the top.
BeOnTop thrives working alongside clients and in-house specialists to formalise impactful and visually appealing social media campaigns.
Some behind-the-scenes action includes:
- Understanding the difference between effective organic social media vs paid.
- Maximising knowledge by Google ads professionals, including managing Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns.
- Performance analysis to monitor consumer engagement and click-through rates.
- Integrated A/B Testing…and more.
But for those up to the challenge, plenty of courses are available to improve your digital marketing skills. Check out the Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Certificate offered by Google, a 7-course, online, self-paced program that allows you to try before you buy. LinkedIn Learning offers hundreds of products, resources, and courses in the business, technology, and creative industries.
The hybrid approach.
Whether you’re already managing your social media or about to create a new content plan but need creative or SEO support, there is another way!
BeOnTop recently embraced the hybrid approach when working with a not-for-profit organisation and its limited budget. We offered as much expertise as possible while supporting their brand strategy and upskilling internal staff.
- Upskill – BeOnTop ran the campaign and showed internal staff how to manage it.
- Educate – The client learned what they could manage independently versus capitalising on our areas of expertise.
- Add Value – Our team will always add extra value, no matter the budget.
How can BeOnTop support your social media strategy and delivery? We’d love to find out!
Call 1300 172 839 today and speak to our friendly team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a social media marketing agency?
A Social Media Marketing Agency (SMMA) is a company that helps businesses grow their online presence, engage with their audience, and drive sales through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube and uses Social media SEO strategies to achieve brand and sales growth.
Does social media marketing increase sales?
Yes, social media marketing can increase sales, but its effectiveness depends on various factors, such as strategy, audience targeting, content quality, and engagement levels. These include increased brand awareness, direct customer engagement, targeted advertising, influencer—and user-generated content, retargeting and remarketing, social proof, and reviews.
What is a sales funnel in digital marketing?
A sales funnel in digital marketing is a step-by-step process that guides potential customers from first discovering your brand to making a purchase (and beyond). It’s called a “funnel” because it starts broad—attracting a large audience—and narrows down as only a percentage of them convert into paying customers.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic approach involving creating, distributing, and promoting valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a specific audience. The goal is to drive profitable customer action by building trust and authority rather than directly pitching products or services.
