Is your business active on social media? It should be.
Last week we discussed how to reach your ideal customer and provided a list of questions that needed answered before determining where best to spend your time online. This week, we are discussing how to choose a social media marketing agency to assist in your overall marketing goals. Without an effective social media strategy, it can be difficult to make the decision on where to spend your time online and how to generate measurable results.
Not every business needs to hire someone to manage their social media. With enough tools and time, some business owners can really make an impact in the social sphere. We also recognize that time is a hot commodity – and if you can’t maintain the social presence required to achieve your business goals, it may be time to consider finding a social media marketing partner to assist you.
Where do I start?
Before connecting with a social media agency, it’s best to have clear cut goals. Are you looking to increase engagement, or generate leads? Do you need a strategy created, implemented or improved upon? Are you unsure of how to boost your brand awareness or generate leads? By deciding upon your direction early on, a social media agency can take your pain points and turn them into successes.
When working with an agency, it’s important to lay out some ground rules to have clear expectations and plans-of-action from both your business and your partner agency. From analyzing your entire digital marketing activities (and sometimes your print marketing materials), a social media agency can provide you with a comprehensive strategy that includes making content recommendations, design changes and provide you with the statistics to prove that your efforts are working. Some social media agencies can also establish brand management plans, develop content calendars and provide advertising support.
How do I choose a social media agency?
Conduct Research
When conducting research, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the number of potential businesses you could partner with.. So how can you be certain a company achieve your vision?
Word-of-mouth
Word-of-mouth is an effective marketing tool, and agencies realize this. You can take to social media and crowd source your professional network. You can read through online reviews, or be directly ask the agency for references.
Ask to see a portfolio.
Ask to see samples of their work or case studies that showcase successes they have had for other businesses. Businesses want to showcase their clients and highlight the accomplished goals, so don’t shy away from asking to see samples.
Do they understand your customer?
When you bring in an agency to assist with your social media objectives , you want to ensure they understand the nature of your business and target audience. If the agency tries to fit your company into a mold, it’s not a good fit. Your business is unique and you need a marketing partner who listens to your goals and works with you to achieve them.
Will an agency help me long term?
If an agency promises you success overnight, they do not have your company’s best interests in mind. A successful social strategy doesn’t happen over night. It takes thought, strategy, research, the gusto to make a go for it, a network of mentors and business professionals to guide you, a clear definition of who your audience is, and a whole lot of trial and error. Oh, and skill. Being personable doesn’t hurt. Being patient MIGHT hurt if it’s not in your wheelhouse (psst, it’s not in mine). Also, it takes time. Remember, social media is an extension of your personality and your relationships with your customers. You didn’t earn the trust of your customers overnight, and it’s best not to expect to have an overnight success with your social media.
At The Marketing Junkie, we take the time to listen to your needs and determine a strategy that works for your unique business. We don’t try to fit you into a content ratio, a pre-determined package or approach. We analyze your social media presence and identify areas that need to be focused on to achieve your goals. We understand how social platforms work (and constantly evolve, am I right?) and the content that works best for your audience. We research your industry and analyze your customer to best understand what platform(s) to use, what type and style of content to develop, etc. We capture your ideal audience the first time and increase engagement. By creating monthly content calendars we invite you into the process, collaborating to develop beautifully written and branded materials.
We care about the success of your business and would love the opportunity to discuss your marketing needs with you. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know how we can help you meet your social media goals.
