Should I hire someone to handle my Facebook Page....

I was recently asked by a local businessman asking me why he cannot get as much interaction on his Facebook page as I can on mine and if he should consider hiring a marketing firm to handle his social media.

I quickly explained to him that social media should be handled by someone that is dedicated to your business,  you need to think of social media as your personality being presented to your customer 27/7.... I think I had the poor man scratching his head...so I later emailed him a list of answers to help him out!

I feel for small businesses in today's time, especially those owned by an older generation and are trying to stay up with the newer generation.  There is the risk of being to "hip" for your older clients and not hip enough for the younger generation.

Here is what I later answered the local businessman:

Marketing firms are great, I think they could get your Facebook page up and going, but I would look closely to who you hire.  I would want someone that would be at my beck and call, someone that would take the time to sit down and explain how to use Facebook, someone that would spend some time in your business getting to know YOU and YOUR CUSTOMER!

I then told him to consider this for his Facebook Page:  his business was located in a town with a population of less than 900, his local school more than likely had a business club or something of that sort.  Look for a teenager that is pursuing a career in marketing, media, or just loves to be on Facebook.   Get with them, talk it out with them and see if you can slip them some money for helping you with your Facebook.

No Luck there....then look for a local blogger, or social media guru (like me), someone that he (or his wife) follows on Facebook  and talk to them.  Many folks love to make a few extra bucks and lets face it running a Facebook Page is not that hard (I secretly admin several).

If still no luck, look within his own business, maybe he could purchase a book on Facebook and someone with his own business could take control over his Facebook.

Then I explained if all else fails then I would consider hiring a marketing firm to handle his Facebook account.

Of course this left him standing with tons of questions, like how much to pay, what do I have them post, how do I know if they are doing a good job.

Pay for Facebook????  Everyone charges a different fee, some charge by the month, some charge by the post.  I personally charge both ways depending on each individual page I am running, some pages are high maintenance and some just want me to look over the page and make a few post here and there.

What do they Post????  Here is the real trick to Facebook, what do they post.  The key to success with

Sample Post I did for the Town of Marquand, Missouri.
To see video click here:  http://youtu.be/7ro6VVXtRC0

Facebook is the person making your post has to LOVE your business as much as you do.  They have to be able to portray YOUR PERSONALITY 24 hours a day.   I have personally became so mad at local businesses for the sheer fact that they come off as buttheads in their Facebook post and I know they really are not....I often have to remind myself that someone other than the owner is running their Facebook Page.
When I am hired to work on a Facebook Page I take a few days to get to know the person I am working for, I then look back over their past social media presence, and then I begin to write some post.  My goal is to always put the business first, even if I know I am going to work harder than what I paid to work.  I know many local and small business owners don't have the money to put out in marketing that large companies do.  In fact many of them can barely afford a newspaper ad let alone to hire a marketing firm to do all their advertising.

Statistics for Visit Bollinger County -
A Facebook Page I started on 07/23/13

How do I know they are doing their job????  The first thing is to NEVER lose power over your Facebook, make sure they leave you on as an administrator and do not hire them unless they are willing to take the time to TEACH you how to operate and understand your Facebook including where to find your stats.  In your insights you will be able to see the number of people being reached, the number of likes, new likes, and interactions....Here is where you better be getting what you paid for.  If you are not seeing drastic changes in your Facebook after you have hired someone (especially within the first few weeks) then you better rethink your plan.  I have seen people hire someone and pay good money for them to run their Facebook and the page only increase likes by 10 or 15 over a few months time.....that is BAD.

My last and most important piece of advice is DO WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH.....your gut instinct it far more important than my advice.  I never want anyone to make the mistake of doing what they are not comfortable doing.

Have a Social Day :-)

~Becky