SHOULD I HIRE AN OUTSIDE COMPANY TO MANAGE MY SOCIAL MEDIA?

Think Tankers recommend a do-it-yourself approach to maintaining your pizzeria’s Facebook and Instagram presence.

mrschleg: Does anyone here use an outside company to manage their social media? We have been kicking the idea around a bit lately. While that’s probably expensive and it could be handled by a kid in the store, there just never seems to be enough time to get it done. If you work with an outside company, is it worth it?

December: I used an outside company a few years back for three months. It was a waste of money, with canned responses and posts that didn’t match our style of pizza. Considering the time I spent calling them to modify corny posts and edit responses, I could have done it myself.

Jimmy D: I do it myself, and we do very well on Facebook. Find a kid that’s interested if you don’t want to do it yourself and work with them. Just make sure you approve posts if you give them control over your page.

Rico: The problem with outside parties is that they are too generic. They don’t know your personality. You want to create a bond with your followers and show your character. Yes, it does get overwhelming to come up with content. I used an outside company a couple of years ago and dropped them. They were expensive, and I still had to come up with content and offers for them, so it still took up my time. I recommend focusing on Facebook and Instagram. Just get into the habit of taking pictures throughout the day. Ask your employees to send you a picture if they think something they just made looks delicious enough to be posted. Start by posting every three or four days just to keep your followers engaged. Be yourself when posting—show your personality. With Facebook, you can schedule your posts, so you can do it anytime you like. For Instagram, if you already have the pictures, it takes a maximum of five minutes to post one. I’m sure you can find five minutes. The problem is remembering to do it. It doesn’t take as long as you think to manage social media. Go into work a half-hour early if you need to. Social media isn’t meant to drive your business—use it to get the word out so that you stay on top of everyone’s mind and, when they’re thinking of ordering pizza, they’ll think of you.