Depending on how big you want your social media business to grow, at some point you are going to need to consider hiring a team. You’ll also need to manage that team. It takes time and energy to manage people, so it’s important to know your options and choose the one that best fits your needs.

Here are three hiring options to consider when building your social media marketing team:

• Outsource to freelancers. This can be a great first step in building a team. If you’ve never managed people, you will need to learn how to direct them, hold them accountable, and be a productive and positive authority figure. Managing freelancers will allow you to hone those skills on a smaller scale because you won’t have the added stress of managing benefits, hours etc.
  
• Hire part-time contractors to “try before you buy.” While business is growing, you’ll need to delegate tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed or over capacity, but you don’t need the extra overhead, plus cash flow may not be steady enough yet to justify a full-time position. Part-time contractors can be a great solution as they can get a job done, and if it works out you can hire them full-time. If they aren’t a good fit, you can save a lot of hurt feelings and awkward moments by simply thanking them and telling them you’ll call if another project comes up that is a good fit for them.
  
  
• Hire full-time employees when cash flow is consistent, and the workload justifies it. Don’t hire your best friend because you think it would be fun to work together. That almost never works out. Hiring quality people is critical to success, and also often comes with a higher cost. Only hire when the workload is there to support it, and they are an asset to your business vs. a liability.
  
  

No matter what the size of your team, you will need to account for time spent managing them individually, as well as conducting team meetings.

Once you consider all of the costs and benefits of each option, you’ll be able to make a smarter decision about the direction that’s right for your company.

Have you tried one or more of these options and have an experience you’d like to share?