Four signs that it's time to call in a social media guru

The most important life and business lesson to learn: It's OK to ask for help when you need it. You hire staff and seek support from sources that do things more efficiently and effectively than you can on your own. Just like taxes, accounting, copy writing, and other specialties, it's OK to seek professional help when implementing social media for your business.

But the question is, when? The answer is dependent on what your goals are and how in-depth you want to go with your efforts. After all, time is money. Below are four situations where it pays to get some valuable and trustworthy support.

When setting up your pages: It's essential when establishing company profiles on networks such as Facebook and Twitter to do it properly. You want to make sure you build a business page and not a profile, and choose a handle that mirrors your company name, or gets as close to it as possible. Because that sentence goes over most business owners' heads, seeking help in the early stages saves you from a lot of problems down the road, such as getting your page deleted or finding out your handle uses so many characters that it's difficult to Tweet to you.

When setting up deals, specials, or offering any kind of reward to fans: Did you know consumer Facebook business pages have a function to set up a deal for your fans to receive coupons that drive traffic into your store, are controlled by the amount claimed, and the ability to offer any deal you'd like? Yes, it does, and it's not the only social network that offers those functions. Seeking help on how and when to use those offers you a way to increase your audience and give them a token of appreciation, and a reason to walk through your doors for the first time.

When planning an in-depth campaign: Whether you want to build a Facebook photo voting contest (to get user-generated content and reward participants) or use social media (to raise money, power a single message), seeking help to make it successful will dramatically increase its possibility of being effective. Hiring a social media strategist with design skills is a massive plus for this, as designers can integrate your brand style into your contests. A knowledgeable social media strategist can help you plan a campaign that covers all bases, carries a consistent message, targets the appropriate audience, and measure the results upon completion.

When crisis strikes: People talk on social media, and they talk about your business, and it's not always going to be pleasant. Hiring a professional to help you cultivate a plan of action before it happens is a wise investment. But if your business receives a surprise attack(s), seeking help from a social media expert can save you from digging a deeper hole. Case in point: In 2010, Nestle's Facebook received a swarm of angry posts from GreenPeace supporters. Nestle's chose to react with haste and sans a plan. And the result was a major backlash and millions of dollars worth of bad press. While large brands have an easier time recovering from such incidents, many small business could see their demise stem from a poorly planned social media reaction. A professional can help you decide on how best to react.

Posting: I'm a firm believer that the best content comes from within the company. You and your business' day-to-day practices, research, encounters, tips, and happenings are what your audience wants to see. But if you're unsure of what and when to post these items, asking a professional to help you build a schedule or calendar can increase the engagement and effectiveness of your social media content output.

Figuring out the world of social media marketing and conducting social media for your business doesn't have to be rocket science. If your budget is small and you want to keep it simple, the best place to start is online resources. Sites such as Social Media Examiner, Mashable, Social Media Today and Business2Community offer helpful articles that cover every network. Written by business owners and social media experts, they offer tips, examples, and step-by-step instructions on how to utilize social media.

The next step is to look for classes that can teach you. They are offered both online, through webinars and YouTube channels, and in person. The Abbi Agency regularly speaks at classes in conjunction with programs like NxLevel at the University of Nevada, Reno, and workshops offered through entrepreneurial groups. Sign up for the newsletters to various sites and blogs to participate in online classes. The Abbi Agency also offers private workshops with hands-on teaching.

Or, you can bypass it all, and hire a company or freelancer to handle your accounts. Make sure to do some research see if they have contributed to those online sites as experts, what examples of accounts and campaigns you can find, and make sure they are willing to monitor the progress and report to you regularly.

Don't be hesitant to ask for social media help. Social media gurus are constantly learning, as the networks are constantly changing, and because they are immersed in that world they know how to best apply the capabilities to your business. And the best ones have real creative touches that allow you to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Abbi Holtom Whitaker is owner and president of The Abbi Agency in Reno. Contact her at 775-323-2977 or abbi@theabbiagency.com.