To manage and maintain social accounts many businesses outsource their social media marketing to an external agency that can create graphics and keep accounts fresh. While this can seem like an ideal solution there are still some things to watch out for.
Check contract length
Small and medium business size owners often have fluctuating income and for this reason may need their social media company to be flexible. If you are partnering with a business that will generate graphics and keep your accounts updated, make sure you check minimum terms or the cancellation period on contracts. Being tied into a lengthy term contract may not be helpful if you need a certain amount of flexibility in your account management.
Cost of services
The range of services and associated pricing can vary quite dramatically between different social marketing companies. Cheapest is not always best, but some fees may be out of reach depending on what you can afford. Carefully check what is included in the price and compare rates to those of other companies to see how they stack up and what you get for your money. As for samples of social posts so you can see the sort of graphics and captions you can expect. While going as cheap as possible may not provide the best benefit for your business you will still want to get the most bang for your buck. Check for included services, additional fees, and any hidden extras that you may be expected to pay for.
Weigh up the pros and cons
Check each social media agency for their particular strengths and weaknesses. If your main platform is Instagram, an agency that has specialised knowledge in managing Twitter accounts will not provide the best service for you. Look for information about the platforms and the type of services offered. Some agencies will simply create posts while others can offer full management of your social accounts including monitoring and responding to user comments. Determine what kind of engagement you need for your business.
Other pros and cons to consider:
Pros:
- Save time with on-brand content generated for you.
- Having an agency manage your social campaigns can extend reach and build awareness.
- They may have extensive knowledge about what works well for your niche.
- Agencies can drive more traffic to your site from your social accounts.
- Fully optimized social media campaigns can lead to more engagement.
Cons:
- Can be a risk of using bots, fake traffic or other methods to give the appearance of higher traffic or engagement rates.
- May be high fees or long contacts that require cancellation fees
- Knowledge of your particular industry or social platforms may be limited leading to generic content.
Is there an account manager?
Once you have identified possible agencies to work with, find out exactly who will be managing your social media accounts. Can you have direct contact with the person that is creating posts or will you just be thrown into a pool with all of the other customers? Being able to directly speak with the person that generated your posts can be really helpful in tailoring your marketing efforts for the maximum impact.
Check the agency’s track record?
Experience agencies that are accustomed to managing social accounts for clients should be able to provide demonstrable results. Past clients, metrics, and case studies should be readily available to show the historic success of the agencies. Information about individual accounts that shows measurement of growth and engagement should be able to be accessed. Pay attention to things such as documented use cases that chart the progress of accounts that have been managed by the agency.
Pay attention to reviews
While metrics and case studies will show how accounts flourished under the agency’s management, reviews will provide information about the company’s method of dealing with clients and the kind of customer service you can expect to receive. Even with a record of growth success, bad customer service can make it hard to work effectively together. Companies that have a lot of bad reviews may be difficult if not impossible to communicate with so take time to read about the experience of other customers before committing.
Consider your long term strategy
While it can be tempting to work with the first agency that seems suitable, you may want to take a moment to consider your long term strategy. Your targets and growth goals for the future should be kept in mind when choosing your agency. Determine if your agency is capable of adjusting strategy and changing tactics as your company grows and your needs change. Adaptability will be needed if you want to remain working with the same social media management agency for the long term.
Final Words
While employing the services of a social media management agency is an expense, the right company should be able to spark growth, create engagement, and potentially gain more leads for your business. Money invested in social management can save time and increase awareness of your business on a larger scale. Smarcomms provides social management services from just £99 per month. Sign up in 2 minutes and see how we can grow your online business presence.