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One of the strategies that many businesses are employing to cut fixed costs is outsourcing. An article in the Small Business section of The New York Times last week said businesses are outsourcing just about everything, including data entry, writing, Web design, accounting, human resources and payroll. The article said, “Some businesses even are hiring freelancers to set up and manage their corporate profiles on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.”

Now that’s where it has gone too far. If you’re considering farming out your social media presence, I hope you will think again.

Entrusting your brand’s voice to a bunch of strangers – or anyone not directly integrated with and passionate about your brand – is dangerous business. The whole premise behind social media is about being authentic, for it to really be you. Your own voice is what earns you credibility.

No doubt about it, social media can be a huge time drain. But you have to decide if the bang is worth the buck. If it is, give it the time it deserves.

I’m not suggesting you can’t or shouldn’t let someone teach you the ins and outs of social media and how to create a presence there. We’ve helped many clients launch a blog, Facebook or Twitter presence. But we teach, we don’t do.

Keeping your social media activities in-house is worth the investment. When you speak from the brand’s heart, your customers feel that they are part of your inner circle. They begin to actually form a relationship with you.

But the relationship is built on trust. Don’t jeopardize that by using a ghostwriter. If you can’t be real, don’t be there at all.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan