Here’s a great new article by P.R. and online expert Chris Abraham explaining why businesses should use outside social media consultants, experts and agencies. Chris should know — he’s a pioneer in online social networks, blogging, and all things Internet, who developed expertise in these areas long before most of the public had even heard of them. I was fortunate enough to be one of Chris’ blogging students years ago, when relatively few people even knew what a blog was.

According to Chris, “social media is no longer a land of tinkerers; it’s a land of consumers” that requires real experts to navigate. Chris goes on to explain that most small businesses outsource a variety of specialties, from legal counsel to publicists, and for good reason: “Why incur internal staff bloating when you can keep your staff limited to core expertise and services in focus?” Likewise, according to Chris, “specialist vendors … have the benefit of being able to load-balance and mind-share across the experience of multiple clients.”

We agree, and would add that using the right outside experts for social media and other types of communications services (website content, newsletters, emails, etc.) gives the added comfort and security in knowing that your experts are taking the time to keep up with the latest and greatest trends and tools to maximize your business’ success. We do it not only because we have to, but because we really love it!