Oftentimes, social media is thrown onto the back-burner because it may seem tedious, overwhelming or unnecessary. However, social media has risen to a necessity because a business’s social media presence is a reflection of its brand personality. If you see any of the following signs, I highly recommend you consider outsourcing your social media needs to a public relations or social media marketing agency.

1. Social media is last or isn’t even considered one of your business priorities.
   I get it. Businesses are BUSY, and you are welcomed to work each day with a never-ending list of tasks to do. Time is essential to build a successful online presence, but you just don’t have the time.
2. Your engagement rate is 25% or less.
   
   If less than 25% of people who see your content are engaging with it, perhaps what your posting is not what the majority of your audience wants to see.
3. Your engagement rate is 5% or less compared to your number of followers.
   It is not easy to boost social media engagement. Many people think that throwing in hashtags is all they need to reach a larger audience, which can work to some extent, but you need to conduct extensive research to know what your target audience wants to see. Having a low engagement rate could mean one of three things:
   1. Your audience is not seeing your content.
   2. Your audience does not like or relate to your content.
   3. Both.
4. You post once a week or less.
   Posting irregularly or infrequently causes your content to not be seen by your audience. Why? Social media platforms naturally filter out content that their users don’t regularly engage with. In order to have a higher engagement rate and be seen organically, you need to post regularly.
5. You don’t know what to post.
   Many businesses operate their social media on an “I think I’ll post this today” basis. However, in order to maximize your reach and engagement, you need to have a plan. Find out what your audience wants to see and when they see it, and develop a plan around that.

If hiring a team of in-house social media professionals isn’t an option for you, consider working with a public relations agency who also specializes in social media marketing. Digital is not just the future; it’s the present.