When you’re looking to expand your brand, one of the first things you might hear is how important social media is for your business. It’s not just about posting nice pictures or announcing a new product; it’s about engagement, reputation, customer service, and brand awareness. But as a small or growing brand, deciding if you should hire a social media team can be tricky. So is it worth the investment? Will you see the results you’re looking for? And most importantly, is it something you should be trying to manage yourself?
Let’s take a look at what a social media team can do for you, when it’s best to hire one, and a few cautionary tales to avoid along the way.
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The Role of a Social Media Team
Before we get too deep into whether you should hire a social media team, it’s crucial to understand what they actually do. There’s often this misconception that managing social media is just about posting content and responding to comments. But any brand that’s serious about scaling will tell you that it goes way beyond that.
A social media team typically includes several key team members:
- Content creators who develop visual and written content that’s consistent with your brand.
- Strategists who plan campaigns and look for trends to keep your brand relevant.
- Community managers who engage with your audience and ensure your brand is responsive.
- Data analysts who track performance metrics and optimise content for future growth.
Having a dedicated team means you’re not only getting diverse expertise but also the bandwidth to consistently build and grow your online presence in a meaningful way. For brands just starting out, this might seem overwhelming. However, the difference a team makes can be night and day.
Why Your Brand Needs a Social Media Team
The world of social media marketing is dynamic as algorithms and trends like to shift almost overnight. Trying to keep up with the latest updates while also running your business can be exhausting. Here’s why a social media team is often a wise investment for brands ready to take their social media game seriously:
Consistent and Creative Content
The key to social media success is consistency and creativity. If you post infrequently or without a clear brand voice, you risk falling into obscurity. A social media team can maintain a steady flow of fresh, high-quality content that resonates with your audience. And let’s be real, when you’re running a business, there’s little time to craft Instagram-worthy shots or write engaging captions daily.
Take Gymshark, for example. They’re a UK-based fitness apparel company that has exploded over the last few years, thanks largely to their robust social media presence. Their team focuses heavily on creative storytelling and influencer partnerships, producing campaigns that not only promote products but also engage their community on a personal level. One look at their Instagram feed and you’ll see how well-thought-out and cohesive their brand image is. They didn’t achieve this by winging it either–it was planned and executed by a dedicated social media team like the one described above.
So if you’re looking to create consistent and creative content, hiring a dedicated content creator can help by ensuring your brand maintains a cohesive look and voice across all platforms. A content creator will focus on producing visually appealing images, videos, and copy that resonate with your target audience while keeping your messaging fresh and engaging. They can also help you stay consistent by developing a content calendar, ensuring regular posts, and optimising content for different platforms. With their expertise, you’ll be able to present your brand professionally and strategically, which ultimately helps build brand recognition, trust, and loyalty, giving you an edge over competitors in the crowded social media landscape.
Engaging with Your Audience
People love brands that engage with them. Whether it’s replying to comments, sharing user-generated content, or participating in conversations relevant to your industry, a social media team can help foster a sense of community. Brands like Starbucks have mastered this art, especially on X, where they consistently reply to customers and keep up with trending topics thanks to their community managers.
However, what makes engagement tricky is how quickly things can go south really fast if you’re not careful. Responding to negative comments or complaints is delicate, and it’s easy to step on a social media landmine. Take the infamous case of Justine Sacco, a PR professional who tweeted an offensive remark before getting on a flight in 2013. By the time she landed, her tweet had gone viral, her company had fired her, and her reputation was shattered. While this is an extreme example, it highlights the speed at which social media can turn against you. Having a professional team to manage these interactions can be a lifesaver, quite literally.
This is where community managers come in handy. They understand how to avoid bad engagements by handling customer interactions with professionalism and empathy. Community managers are skilled at addressing questions, complaints, and feedback in a timely manner, ensuring that your brand stays responsive and approachable when they engage with your audience. They can even defuse potential conflicts before they escalate and foster positive conversations that build trust and loyalty.
Strategic Campaigns That Drive Growth
Not all social media posts are created equal. There’s a significant difference between aimlessly posting content and crafting a strategic campaign designed to increase visibility, sales, or engagement. One memorable example is the #ShareACoke campaign by Coca-Cola. They personalised Coke bottles with people’s names and encouraged customers to share photos of their bottles online. It was a simple idea that resonated on a global scale, driving social shares and quickly increasing brand affinity.
Coca-Cola is obviously a massive brand with a lot of resources, but small to mid-sized brands can also create viral moments too. There are plenty of messages on X, YouTube shorts, and even TikTok videos that have gone viral–and they all started from small companies with lofty ambitions. Sometimes going viral happens suddenly, but other times, the content can be engineered in a way to tick all of the right boxes, leading to special moments that can give you a surge of popularity.
How Social Media Can Go Wrong
While the right campaign can elevate your brand, it’s worth noting that social media has a darker side. Sometimes, brands try to be too edgy or trendy, only to face public backlash. Remember when Pepsi released its tone-deaf ad featuring Kendall Jenner “solving” a protest with a can of Pepsi? It was a PR disaster. Even though they pulled the ad quickly, the damage was already done.
For smaller brands, this kind of backlash can be devastating and you may not have the safety net that bigger brands do. Brands like Wendy’s are famous for their sarcastic, ‘clap-back’ responses to complaints on X. While this works for them because it’s part of their established brand voice, smaller businesses should tread carefully. Sarcasm or humour that comes off wrong could end up alienating customers rather than engaging them.
That’s why having a professional social media team is critical. They’re not just posting for the sake of posting–they understand tone, audience, and the nuances of platform culture. A good team will know when to engage when to step back, and when to apologise if something goes wrong.
The Cost of Social Media Missteps
One of the more serious dangers of poorly managed social media is the legal and reputational damage it can cause. Take H&M’s 2018 scandal, where the brand used a black child to model a hoodie with the slogan “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.” The backlash was immediate, with many accusing the brand of racism. H&M issued a swift apology, but not before major celebrities like The Weeknd and G-Eazy cut ties with the brand.
Smaller brands may not have the resources to recover from such incidents. A poorly handled social media post or campaign can lead to lost customers, negative media coverage, and even legal issues. Again, a social media team is trained to avoid these pitfalls, ensuring that your brand’s online presence is polished, professional, and free from controversy.
The cost of social media going wrong can be immeasurable, often leading to significant damage to a brand’s reputation, loss of customer trust, and in some cases, financial repercussions. One ill-judged tweet or a tone-deaf campaign can quickly spiral into a PR nightmare, with negative press, public backlash, and even boycotts.
Recovering from such missteps is not only time-consuming but can also require substantial resources to repair the damage. Smaller brands, in particular, may find it harder to bounce back compared to larger, established companies. This is why investing in a skilled social media team is crucial to ensure the brand’s message is always appropriate and aligned.
Things to Avoid Posting on Social Media
When posting on social media, there are several critical pitfalls to avoid to protect your brand’s reputation and credibility. First and foremost, avoid being overly reactive. Engaging in heated or sarcastic exchanges with customers may seem clever, but it can quickly backfire if not handled delicately. Only large brands, like Wendy’s, with an established tone, can often get away with this kind of banter. For smaller brands, responding in a combative or dismissive tone can alienate customers and lead to negative publicity.
Secondly, avoid jumping on trends without fully understanding them. Brands often try to capitalise on viral moments, but participating in a trend that doesn’t align with your values or audience can come across as disingenuous or even offensive. It’s important to ensure that any trend you engage with is relevant and appropriate for your brand.
Another major mistake is neglecting to proofread posts for errors. Simple grammar mistakes or misinformation can undermine your professionalism and lead to confusion. Lastly, don’t overlook the importance of timely responses to customer queries and complaints. Silence can be interpreted as indifference, so it’s essential to engage thoughtfully and promptly, addressing concerns with empathy and solutions.
The Importance of Analytics
Let’s not forget the importance of data in your social media efforts. It’s not enough to just post content–you need to know what’s working and what’s not. A social media team will be able to analyse key metrics like engagement rates, reach, click-through rates, and conversions.
Take Innocent Drinks, a UK-based smoothie brand. They’re known for their quirky, tongue-in-cheek social media presence. But behind the fun and games, they’re carefully monitoring how each post performs. They know exactly which types of posts resonate with their audience and adjust their strategy accordingly. This type of data-driven approach is essential for growth.
Without a team that understands how to interpret these metrics, you could be wasting time and money on content that doesn’t deliver results. Worse, you might not even realise that the money and effort you’re spending on these campaigns are failing to produce any results.
When Should You Hire a Social Media Team?
By now, you’re probably wondering: Do I really need a social media team?
It’s not impossible to do things on your own, especially if you’ve got experience with social media campaigns or marketing in general. However, here are a few signs that it might be time to invest in a real team of experts to do social media for you:
- Your social media presence is inconsistent: If you’re only posting when you remember to or when you’ve got a new product to push, that’s a red flag. A dedicated team will keep your content calendar full and your audience engaged.
- You don’t have a clear strategy: If you’re unsure of why you’re posting certain content or what your goals are, it’s time to bring in the professionals. A social media team will help you set goals, create strategies, and achieve measurable results.
- You’re too busy to engage with your audience: Social media isn’t just a broadcasting tool. It’s about building relationships with your customers. If you’re finding it hard to respond to comments or answer questions, a community manager could be a game-changer.
- You’re ready to launch a campaign: Whether it’s a product launch, a new service, or a rebrand, a social media team will make sure your campaign reaches the right audience and makes the impact you’re hoping for.
- You want to stay ahead of trends: Social media moves fast, and trends come and go in a flash. A team that’s in tune with the latest platform updates and cultural moments can keep your brand relevant.
- You’re experiencing slow growth or declining engagement: If you’ve noticed a plateau in follower growth or a drop in engagement rates, it could indicate that your content is no longer resonating with your audience. A social media team can audit your existing content, identify gaps, and implement new tactics to re-energise your audience.
- You’re expanding into new markets: As your brand grows, you may be looking to reach new audiences or expand into international markets. This requires more than just translating your content; it demands a deep understanding of different cultures, preferences, and social media platforms that may dominate in those regions.
- You’re struggling with crisis management: In today’s fast-paced social media landscape, one negative comment or misunderstanding can snowball into a full-blown crisis if you’re not careful. Having the resources to handle a situation like this can help maintain your brand’s credibility.
As you can see, there are lots of different reasons to hire a social media team. You might not need to hire the full team from the beginning, or you might have a large enough company that requires a team of over a dozen people to manage your social media presence. The key is to assess your brand’s specific needs and determine the level of support required. You could start with just a social media manager or strategist to build a foundation and gradually scale up as your business grows.
Alternatively, if your brand operates on multiple platforms with a large audience, a full team might be necessary to handle the volume of content creation, community management, and analytics. The important thing is to ensure that your social media efforts are cohesive, consistent, and professional, no matter the size of your team. This investment can drive growth and increase brand visibility significantly.
Avoid DIY Pitfalls
Trying to manage your brand’s social media on your own might seem like a cost-saving option, but it’s often a false economy. Social media isn’t just about being present; it’s about showing up with purpose, creativity, and professionalism. Missteps can cost you far more than you’d save by cutting corners.
Brands that excel on social media are the ones that invest in it. Whether it’s through hiring an in-house team or working with a social media agency, having the right people behind your social media accounts can mean the difference between success and failure. If you’re serious about growing your brand, the question isn’t whether you can afford to hire a social media team–it’s whether you can afford not to.
