Not everyone needs a social media consultant. Hell, not everyone needs social media; but it can be extremely useful and also give you a healthy return on your investment. So how do you know when it’s time to hire a social media consultant? Here are some tell-tale signs to stop trying yourself and to get an expert.

No Strategy

You know you want to increase your sales, get better branding, or create a community; but you have no idea how to do it.

A good consultant will be able to create a plan and explain it can help you leverage the web. The strategy might be as simple as creating a blog or as complex as building a social network.

No Tracking

Building a coherent social media strategy is no easy feat, but some do it without the help of a consultant. However, once they’ve implemented the plan, they realize they have no idea how to measure success.

Outsourcing your social media tracking and analytics might not only save your sanity but also save a lot of time.

The Campaign Has Stalled

You had a strategy and were following the right metrics, but where you saw growth you now see a plateau.

If your campaign has stalled, sometimes a social media expert can breathe new life into it.

You Just Don’t Have the Time

There’s a reason why there are consultants and outsourcing. As a business owner, if you tried to do everything you wouldn’t even have time to breathe.

In situations like this it makes sense to let an expert take over. Not only do you save time (you don’t have to learn everything) but the consultant bring his experience to the table.

You’d Make More Money Paying Someone Else

Time is money. In economics we call it opportunity cost. Let’s say that if you spent time managing employees or finding clients you’d make $200 an hour. If hiring a consultant, to explain how to use social media, costs $100 an hour; it makes sense to hire one.

If you hire the expert instead of trying to learn yourself, you effectively make $100 an hour plus whatever the social media campaign nets you. By saving time you save money.

If you’ve decided you need an online presence and are ready to explore social media, hiring either a consultant or agency is a good idea. The field is still young and a lot is changing. New creative ways to leverage the Internet are being explored almost daily and if you don’t have the time to dedicate yourself to it, you’ll not only waste your energy, but your money too.

I invite anyone offering social media advice to leave a comment here so readers interesting in hiring a consultant can find one. Did I miss anything? Let me know what you think.