Lee (not her real name) is a small business owner. Like many small business owners, she’s extremely busy to put it mildly. She’s an avid user of social media – and has seen several benefits since she’s been using it. Through social media networking she’s formed new relationships, discovered new insights and even found new business partners.
She’s on the big social networks already, and she has a blog which is doing quite well in driving traffic and getting her noticed And the boost to her visibility has been phenomenal… people she didn’t know a few months ago now regularly seek her out for advice. All in all, not bad for a medium that costs, for the most part, next to nothing.
Lee, however is grappling with a dilemma. With every social media success comes the need to be more involved, to keep the relationship dynamic.
Suddenly Lee feels as if she has to be everywhere – all the time. And she’s finding it exhausting. She still markets off-line as well and with her business growing she finds she’s struggling to find time for “meaningful” social networking – as she understands it. Being present to interact.
Lee of course uses Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. She has attracted several clients through Facebook. She’s even discovered other social networks that could connect her with other like-minded people. Problem is, it’s getting harder and harder to find the time to be “present” in her networks. Harder to find the time to check out new blogs, let alone comment on them, to post in forums, social bookmark, build her links (which come mostly from her commenting on other blogs), social media content creation… the list seems endless.
The Time Challenge
Billable hours put food on the table, so billable hours must come first – and they usually come with deadlines, such is the nature of her work. Lee feels torn.
She has a chat with a friend.
“Why don’t you outsource it? “ asks the friend. You could get someone to do all your social networking for you – from tweeting to commenting on blogs.”
The perfect solution?
Maybe. Someone would do Lee’s tweeting on Twitter, her commenting on blogs, and updating her status on Linked in and Facebook, her blog posts – in fact – it would be like being everywhere. Meanwhile Lee could focus on other things, like getting gigs, running her business – and keep all those balls in the air without feeling guilty of neglecting her networks. She might even be able have a life again.
Why, then, does she feel slightly hesitant – uncomfortable even - about outsourcing her social networking? Lee wonders if she can really outsource her social networking. What she really worries about is that it could impact her relationships.
“Can someone really be ME – the real me in my social networks?” she muses. “How will my friends, connections and followers feel? How do I feel? But where’s the time?
Social networking – is it always personal?
Lee isn’t alone. As businesses (particularly smaller ones) struggle with their social media networking goals and commitments, finding the time to do it all properly is becoming more challenging. In a recent small business social media industry report, businesses reported they were spending 8-10 hours a week on their social media activities. Some have said 15+ hours – consistently - is needed to see real results. That time commitment is unlikely to take the place of billable hours.
Enter outsourcing. I am a big fan of outsourcing. I believe that successful businesses should outsource everything they do that does not produce direct exponential value. That value is measured in financial terms. I know the greatest value task for me as a copywriter is – surprise – writing copy for clients.
The whole point about Social networking is (in my opinion) that it’s about forming relationships. It’s about a person’s authentic “presence” so to speak. Otherwise it fast crossed the line into being PR?
Now, it might be just me. But when I go to read a blog… let’s say a Mitch Joel, or a Chris Brogan or a similar blog with great personal content believe I am reading their posts – from them – unless they say otherwise. When I respond to a Tweet that appears to be from a person, I think it’s a person.
When I tweet, or update or post in a forum or social network, it’s always me.
Is this naive, though? Doesn’t it make sense to outsource social networking if you’re finding it hard to do it all?
To some extent I think you can outsource some aspects of social media networking, such as strategy, the tactics, setting up, social bookmarking, tools etc. The things that you personally don’t need to actually do yourself. You can get tweets to auto-tweet (which, as Direct Messages, I personally dislike intensely. However I believe you have to be present in it too… you can’t completely delegate it and expect to make those relationships that lead to potential business.
And in theory you could also outsource the actual “person stuff” of social networking… and get everything done on your behalf. I know that many companies have people tweeting on their behalf and “networking” for them. That brings me back to the whole point of social networking: where is the personal interaction and authentic relationship if you outsource it all?
What do you think? Can you really outsource social networking? Should you? Why? Why not? Is outsourcing social networking the answer for the small business owner’s time crunch or does it harm authentic relationship building?
Please share your thoughts – and suggestions.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nicky,
Small business owners have to prioritize like everyone else an evaluate where best to spend their time. For their social program to be effective like your example they have to be involved. Her comment about someone else becoming her just won’t work. If I write you I expect a response from you not your social secretary.If you outsource the writing how do you stay in touch with your audience to find out what’s on their mind? I do agree that some administrative things might be outsourced like setting up and monitoring a Tweetlater account, posting news stories to groups on LinkedIn.
John
John Sonnhalter’s last blog post..What’s Your Grade on Twitter?
Nicky,
Great article exploring the dilema of how to divide your time developing and nurturing your Social Media relationships and developing your business. I think for the small business owner it is necessary to maintain the personal element. Outsourcing the setup and monitoring is great, but
responding directly should still be personal. Everyone is still trying to figure the best way to strike a balance with Social Media. In the end it is all about relationships.
@ John – I agree. I believe the only way is to prioritize and that means the small business owner has to know what their goals are and what strategy they have to reach them so they can allocate the right amount of time to social networking. Several things can be outsourced but not the interaction because that’s what leads to the relationships.
@Jacqueline – Thank you I think you’re right. If we think of what’s needed to build and keep the relationship it always leads back to being involved. I think that’s the key way that social networking and marketing differs from mass marketing – people want to get to know people. And that demands time. You’re also correct in that everyone’s trying to find a balance… it is definitely not easy. This week alone I’ve had entrepreneurs ask me how on earth they can find the time for all social media demands as well as running their business. We haven’t cracked that nut yet.
Thanks both for your comments.