I was browsing one of my favorite newspaper sites the other day and discovered a good article that presented the pros and cons of outsourcing social media.

As we all know, social media can suck away a lot of time interacting with customers, prospects and partners.  So, offloading some of the technical and more mundane tasks like profile setup, design work, directory listings, blog syndication and scheduled tweets and Facebook updates is a good idea if done right.

So what’s the right way?

I’ll let you read the article yourself, but the part you want to play closet attention to is his list of 6 things to look at when considering a potential “social media assistant”:

1. Do they have satisfied clients?  What’s their track record?
2. Do they have a holistic view of your organization – the good, the bad and the ugly?
3. Are they accountable?  Do they provide tangible deliverables and metrics?
4. Are they available outside of their standard core working hours to accommodate your company’s timetable?
5. Are they media aware (outside of social media)?
6. What’s your return on this investment?

Excellent advice! Let me know what you think of the rest of the article.

Gayle
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Add another voice to your messages good idea, but know your assistant
ReTweet DOUG LACOMBE
The StarPhoenix
16 Apr 2011

Lately I’ve been running into a lot of companies that have been approached by agencies looking to “do their social media for them.” Inevitably, the conversation turns to the question of whether this is even a good idea. My answer is maybe, but I used…read more…