Let’s face it, one of the main reasons this important task doesn’t get done is simply because it takes time. In the case of social media updates, these micro messages (while short) still require time to plan, to write, to consider the overall strategy (more on that later) and time to publish.

Time management and performance studies show an interruption costs us about 15 minutes of lost time before we are able to regain our former productivity. Assuming you had to stop 3 times a day and tweet, and 2 times a day to update your Facebook page, that’s 1 ¼ hrs just there — 17% of your day.

Think about it, add a little buffer to this and you’ll easily spend 20% of your time on this task … that’s easily ONE DAY PER WEEK spent on social media!

(2) It requires skill

I understand we can all write, they teach us this basic skill from a very early age but documenting your required groceries, or penning a letter to Aunt Maggy is not the same as crafting compelling copy for business use.

And being able to perform when required and ‘get creative’ takes practice and training. You’ve likely heard about writer’s block, well it’s a real phenomenon and professional writers have techniques to combat this wasteful problem.

Then there’s the issue that all professional writing is not created equal. I’ll let you in on a secret, within the hallowed halls of writers there exists a snobbery, a class system of sorts. At the risk of having ink spilled on me at the next writers ball, some writers craft content to inform, others to compel. Persuading your prospects and clients to engage and interact with you is key.

Choose wisely.

(3) It requires technical know-how

If all you needed were points 1 and 2 then that would be good, but you don’t. You need to know about the technology too. You need to know how to leverage the various platforms properly and ensure you don’t goof or post to early or too late. You need skills to make these byzantine platforms turn chaos into a symphony of concordant content.

Simply put, you need to know how to use the tools. And to keep things interesting, the programmers behind these tools keep changing the game! Blink and you’ll miss an update or some other neat new function.

(4) It requires an overall integrated marketing strategy

Working in a vacuum sucks – literally.

Creating any marketing messages and syndicating them at random is a recipe for failure. And if you imagine social media is all hip, cool and “off the cuff” then you are dancing with disaster.

Better to think of your marketing messages as sled dogs, they all need to be pulling in the same direction to gain traction and make head way.

(5) It yields results

Shockingly this one is simple. When you outsource the work it gets done on time and as agreed. You get results – guaranteed.

And further to this, the actual efforts yield SEO lift, increased exposure and legitimate back-links to your target URL (a huge value.)

You also get additional results in the SERPS listings – and any time you can secure another top 10 slot, it’s a space your competition cannot (evil chuckle).

*NEWS* It Even Helps You Avoid Google’s Recent Penalty

Google’s mandate has always been to provide the best answer (content) to those searching. Recently Google updated its algorithms once more and began to single out and better reward unique content. So if you thought re-hashed, spun, or scraped content would work … Think again. Here’s the link to Google’s blog:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/finding-more-high-quality-sites-in.html

(6) It costs less

OK we’re biased I admit it. We want you to hire us to do this for you. But let’s look at the numbers for a second. Assuming you create 100 social media updates that will take you about 20 hours.

Then you’ve got to publish and syndicate this content – another couple of hours. Then consider the tasks spread across your month as they interfere with your other productivity – more time spent, let’s say 5 hours. It adds up quickly.

Let’s start by looking at you hiring a freelancer:

Open market rates for freelance writers vary, but $60 an hour is not unusual. 25 x 60 == $1,500. Then there’s the person who would need to upload and manage the publishing – maybe another $50/hr so that’s an extra $100 for a grand total of $1,600.

Let’s look at you hiring a full-time employee:

And if you were to hire someone to create and manage your social media and content marketing then you’d be looking at an average salary of about $55,000 per year ($4,584 per month) plus all the usual hidden costs (taxes, insurance, their desk space etc.)

Admittedly you have more time than you need with this approach, and you can use the employee in other ways, but I’m sure you get the picture. Oh yes, before I forget, you’ll need something in place for when they go on vacation, or get sick or are away on training …

Let’s look at you using us:

$399 every 4 weeks, that’s the current offer. At this price we’re even a better deal than hiring a freelancer – 75% better. And while there is a one-time setup fee to get things analyzed and configured, were still more affordable!

(7) It works … So you don’t have to

Leads generated from social media content marketing are more likely to convert into business. The science behind this is solid and speaks to millions of years of behaviour. Think crowd sourcing, social proof, ‘monkey see, monkey do’ and a myriad of other psychological precepts.

SM content gets found – the first part of a successful online marketing strategy.

SM content gets shared – necessary for your message to move through the market.

SM content works 24/7/365. You pay once for its creation and syndication and it just keeps on working. The same can be said about articles too, the ROI is amazing!

Checkout our Social Media Content Made Easy (™) for more details on how you can get your social media done for you.

Reposted from jamesburchill.com

James Burchill shows individuals and companies how to profit from the innovative use of Internet technologies, strategic content and social media marketing.  You can find out more at www.JamesBurchill.com and you can subscribe to his J-List to get over 40 articles, reports and advice on Internet Marketing today.

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