A definitive answer to this is tricky, but we’re going to try and lead you to the right answer: the answer that fits for you. Each business that comes to us is unique in its time, tone, skills, situation, and goals.
First of all, you need to work out these five things for you and your business.
Time is the most common concern we find with businesses looking to adopt a new digital strategy. You might have the passion and the drive, but if you don’t have the time to sit down and push out a comprehensive strategy, then you’re not going to be able to carry out a successful campaign.
What do you want the tone of your marketing to be? Serious? Chill? Authoritative? Once you know that you need to figure out if you have the capacity and skills to follow through on that approach. If you want your brand identity to be witty and sassy like Wendy’s, you need to ask yourself if you are witty and sassy. You will need a consistent tone throughout your ads and community management - each interaction you have with your online community needs to be consistent, measured, and appropriate.
Your skills count. You don’t have to be the best, but you need to know a little something about digital marketing if you’re going to embark on managing your own accounts. You may be a native social media user, which will give you some insights into how the online platforms work. You’ll surprise yourself with what you know - unconsciously you’ll know who to target, what they want to see, and maybe even how to create that content. On the flip side, if you’re averse to technology, don’t spend any time on social media, and don’t see yourself as a creative- it may pay to know your limits, and outsource accordingly.
Do you have the budget to outsource your digital marketing? If you do, then it may just be easier to take one thing off your plate. If you don’t have the budget, then perhaps you can make it work with your current team, as long as you have the time and the drive to follow through. If you don’t have the time or the budget, perhaps you need to go back to the drawing board, or park this for further on down the line when capacity within your business opens up, whether it’s schedule or budget.
What are your goals? Are you looking for growth? Conversions, leads, inquiries. If you’re looking for these things then it may pay to outsource to a specialist, people who know for sure what they’re doing and will be able to generate results from day 1. If you’ve got more time on your hands to learn, take it slow, you may want to navigate the world of digital yourself. There are plenty of learnings out there and you will only learn by doing.
Once you’ve asked yourselves these questions and worked out your answers, you’ll be in a better position to make a call on your digital marketing efforts. If you’re still in doubt, give us a call and we can work with you to figure out what your next move should be.
Read more about ‘What is Digital Marketing’.
