Since Social Media and Social Marketing are so relatively new, and constantly in a state of growth (think mobile, for example), it’s hard to distinguish the players from the pros.

Every week, I observe television ads, online advertisements, and even personal sentiment claiming that if a company creates your Facebook profile for one flat fee, or if your 20-something daughter manages your social accounts, you are in good hands from a digital marketing standpoint.

That can’t be further from the truth (sorry 20-something-year-old daughters!).

In my work both as the leader of Social Marketing and Social Media at Vial Momentum and as a freelance consultant, writer, and online marketing pro, I’ve learned that it’s never, ever as easy as it looks as a business or brand owner to create a compelling piece of content, to write what you want to say effectively on your own, or to manage a comprehensive, cohesive, synergistic marketing plan that will create results.

Besides, you have better things to do – like focus on running your business – your area of expertise.

Spending $25-$50 a month on analytics and scheduling tools are a step in the right direction – but what is your strategy? How are you using your social media profiles and content in a way that aligns with your overall business goals and pushes them forward?

It’s More Than Just Posting Photos and Telling Us What You’re Doing 

What most people don’t understand at the current state of social marketing is that marketing a brand, growing a brand, and creating brand affinity is done much more differently, in a much more calculated fashion than personal social media interactions could ever lend themselves to.

And no, you are not inherently going to know how to take your social marketing to the next level.

The same goes with your website content, advertising copy, company or brand blogs and articles; the list goes on.

A Great Writer and Communicator is the Greatest Asset to Your Online Marketing Plan 

If you don’t have a professional on your side who knows how to write compelling content for all sides of your marketing plan, someone who takes the time to know your story alongside you, your branding won’t be as effective. In every industry, piece by piece, moment by moment, marketing leaders and business owners are coming to realize that in this digital, social space, it’s more about the story you spin than the product you sell.

If you don’t have the tools and the expert to provide you with that ability to tap into your brand at its most subconscious level, your digital (and print) marketing plan will never bloom to its full, beautiful, vibrant potential.

Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.

-Jess