Brands looking to forge a presence in social media have two basic options: do it themselves, or hire a third party.

Social media professionals can give your business a nice boost, particularly if employee resources are thin on the ground, but it certainly isn’t the ideal, and it comes at a price. And  it’s a literal one at that: outsourcing the management of your social media presence can be expensive.

Moreover, empowering others to update your Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest channels on your behalf doesn’t mean that your organisation can function without a solid social media plan. Indeed, any third party management should always be a temporary arrangement, because the best people to run your social outposts are always going to be found within your existing workforce.

But who amongst your staff roster is best qualified to do the work, and how do you train them up?

This infographic from Mindflash provides tips and advice on identifying and educating employees to manage your social media outposts. The money stat? Despite the obvious risks, 76 percent of companies do not have a clearly defined social media policy in place.

So if you’re fortunate enough to be picked to manage your firm’s social presence (perhaps by showing this visual to your boss), that’s something you’ll need to address right away.

(Source: Mindflash. Job education image via Shutterstock.)