During last Friday’s #AptChat on Twitter, Lisa Trosien asked “How do you make the time for FBook? Should I use a service like Sherpa or just try to do it myself? Help!”
Over the years I’ve read many opinions on the matter, but they seem to be divided into 3 groups.
- Group A: The social media purist – All social media activity should take place at the property level.
- Group B. The outsourcer – All social media activity should be outsourced or managed by our marketing team to ensure brand integrity.
- Group C. – Social media outsourcing with participation at the property level. (Those of you that know me, know that I fall into this category.)
The BIG Social Media Question
Some people have expressed “If your company can’t do it right (“internally”), don’t do it at all.” By this, they mean there is a single “right” way to engage online and every other way is wrong. I respectfully disagree. I understand there are concerns regarding authenticity and transparency but let’s face it, not all companies are technologically savvy. Like every marketing solution, the “right” social media marketing solution depends on each individual company.
When coming to my own conclusion, I considered how other industries are using social media. Do we really know who is behind the keyboard? I see some pretty amazing Facebook Fan Pages that I am positive were built by PR or Marketing. It seems to me the most successful social media programs integrate internal and external resources to build and engage their online communities. Why should property management be any different? Yes, I understand onsite staff really know the property best. But do they have the know-how and the time to engage? The majority property management groups I’ve worked with are opposed to onsite staff spending time online and struggle with finding the right solution.
There is No One-size-fits-all Solution in Social Media
Because I’m a big fan of Mack Collier, a social media consultant, trainer, blogger and industry leader, I participate in the #blogchat Mack moderates on Sunday evenings. Last night I asked Mack what he thought about outsourcing blogging.
Mack said, “Companies outsource other business functions, why should blogging/social media be different?”
Mack, myself, and many other social media professionals believe that while outsourcing is not ideal, it is a practical short-term solution for any small business that is just getting started using social media tools. Before deciding what direction your property should take, please compare internal and external strategies to determine what makes the most sense for your property.
What do you think? Should there be a single answer to this question? Should properties be responsible for blogging, Facebook and Twitter? If so, how much time should they allocate to social media and how will they know they are accomplishing goals? Do your onsite staff blog, tweet and Facebook?
*Disclaimer: I am a social media consultant currently working with the 3rd party social media solution provider, Community Sherpa.
Photo Credit: Zen
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
C,
Great post –
I have some very brief thoughts on this as I am penning a more thorough post of my own.
Going forward – content will be one of our most valuable assets [on many different levels]. As such, my question is, why would a property manangement company give this amazing opportunity away? Why would they give a third party all the benefits that come along with asset creation? And, why would you pay them to do it?
My short answer – PM companies must take the time to get up the curve on this subject. It’s a must do in 2010 – period.
M
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mike! I look forward to hearing more on this from you.
Hey Charity!
As you know we have had many conversations on this exact topic and I have similar views as Mark.
I agree the properties should be part of the experience and process of developing a social media strategy. They know their brand and customers best, so if they need help ask those who know you best-your residents!
I also feel it can be beneficial to work with a consultant or a resource like Sherpa to get the ball rolling. Our properties and managers may need guidance and direction of what they need to focus on and remind them of the reasons/goals for creating a social media network. Before even creating this network, one must uncover what differentiates themselves with a brand that others will connect with. This is where the additional resources can become valuable. Once you create this it’s time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
So to answer your question, I do believe it is valuable to have on-site professionals involved in social media networking. The amount of time will all depends upon many factors, this is not a one size fits all category. At first it may take longer to get going, but with experience and knowledge less time will be spent. Finally myself along with all of my staff are involved in posting and updating our social media marketing daily…it has become routine something we don’t remind our selves to do. Do you have to remind yourself to post the rent checks? Of course not, it’s something you don’t even have to think about you just do it!
Great post and topic!
Kim Cory
@ Kim – You are a leader in this industry and your properties are working hard to engage residents. It is impressive the amount of energy your Facebook presence brings. I absolutely agree that if a community needs help, they should get it but also take the opportunity to learn, practice, and engage as well. Thank you for leaving your thoughts!
Hi Charity, thanks for the mention and mentioning #blogchat! As far as outsourcing goes, I think that most social media consultants would prefer that companies handle as much as they can. But the reality is, some companies simply cannot or don’t WANT to handle social media internally. So as a consultant, your option is to either do the work for them, or let them farm it out to someone else.
But I think we consultants sometimes send companies mixed signals; we tell them that they should ‘just do it!’ when it comes to social media, and speak in their own voice, then we wonder why they won’t hire us! Hello! If we tell them not to outsource and that they should do it themselves, what do they need us for?
I agree with Mack.. no reason companies can’t outsource. But if they do, the outside consultant/agency has to set some ground rule regarding staffing, etc. But that said, think most companies (even those that start with outsourcing) will eventually bring it in-house because it’s just too expensive to pay a consultant to do it Full-Time. My o2.
Hi Charity:
being one of those “social media purists” I err on the side of wanting to teach a company how to manage their social media without me. However, what a company needs me for, if not to do the social media for them, is to give them information on the changes going on in social media. Their social media “doer” might be too overloaded to keep up with the latest updates to how Facebook is doing things. A company’s blogger or compliance department might not have the time to get into the details of the new FTC regulations. So, while i”m not doing the direct social media work *for* them, I am keeping them up with the changes that they don’t have time for. That’s where I see my job and my value in social media consulting.
@Mack – You have been a valuable resource for me. I continue to watch and learn from you! Thank you for commenting!
@Tom – I think it would be a good thing to bring the efforts in house over time. The benefits would include authenticity, a better understanding of the customers/products/services and of course the financial savings. It might be a good idea to keep the consultants number for a quarterly review of the status of the strategy.
@Tish – I respect your position. I think it all depends on the needs of the organization’s audience. Some companies are capable of utilizing internal resources or hiring for social media… while some are still struggling with their SEO and email marketing initiatives. I find your blog very interesting and will continue to follow your thoughts.
I adopted Collier’s philosophy a long time ago. Set ‘em up, teach’ em how, and try to disengage.
It depends on so many factors, but when a company doesn’t have the manpower to refresh strategies, appropriately maintain their presence, craft new tactics, and be social, I wind up in a bind that I can frequently resolve with a marketing intern and a retainer that incents the company to learn the ropes.
@Don You’re right, it depends on the company but Mack’s philosophy is ideal. The more engaged the company is, the more engaged the audience will be.
Charity,
Awesome post! I think this debate will continue. Its a personal choice, similar to outsourcing incoming calls to a call center.
Since social media is so new, and busy multi-family managers are having trouble fitting in or are not sure how to get started, outsourcing can often get you off the ground. Its something you can experiment with and see what works best.
-Jackie
@ Jackie – Thanks so much for your comments. I can appreciate your comparison to call centers, that expresses exactly how I feel! I look forward to watching properties grow within these social spaces. Some property managers are very creative individuals and I cannot wait to see what they come up with!
Hi, Charity,
I was directed to your blog by a tweet from Mack Collier, so thanks to you and Mack for my being here.
I think the points you make go well beyond property management, of course. And I agree with you completely that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here, but the common sense approach says a combination of outsourcing and client participation will usually be the right path.
There is a myth going around that social media is easy and simple: Listen, converse and be happy. That’s fine in theory, but in practice it can be alarmingly complex to engage in social media, especially for large, multi-regional, multi-brand marketers. The complexity has nothing to do with technology. (Social media tech IS simple.) It has to do with what to say to whom on what platform and when…. What do I respond to and what do I ignore? What stories do I tell and how? And so on. (We’re at work on an eBook on this topic, so stay tuned.)
At my agency, Story (http://www.storyworldwide.com), we see the core of social media as a challenge in editorial organization and execution. As Clay Shirky has said, social media is publishing — real-time publishing. The complexity comes from conducting hundreds of conversations while being consistent, attentive, informative and engaging.
So we endorse outsourcing for all the reasons you have mentioned and for the additional reason that not many marketers understand how to engage in real-time publishing or have the time or editorial skills to pull it off. But we also endorse pushing clients (hard, if necessary) to get personally involved as much as they can. This is the winning combination, I think.
Kirk
@Kirk I really appreciate your thoughts on outsourcing! Thank you for reading and contributing.