5 things to consider when choosing an agency for social media

There’s no shortage of agencies who can manage your social media. From specialist social agencies to fully integrated enterprises offering everything as a full service. Here’s a few things to take into account when choosing who to represent you…

1 . Do they have experience with clients like you?

One size does not fit all when it comes to marketing, and this refers to who manages your social media as well. Just because one agency is doing an excellent job for one business, it doesn’t mean it will be the same for you too.

Your audience, tone of voice and your objectives all matter when you decide on an agency. Ask the agency if they have any experience in your industry or if they ever worked with a similar business type. Do they have experience with companies selling primarily to businesses or consumers? Do they understand your tone of voice? Do they understand and provide solutions to measure against your objectives? Are they focused on delivering high-quality engagement or just building your following?

Consider all of these before you hand over your social account to somebody else.

2 . Can they provide proof through case studies?

Review the case studies of the agencies you are considering to hire. Agencies managing social media will be able to direct you to campaigns or content they’re currently running, if they can’t provide you with this, then it’s a big red flag.

Failing that, take a look at the agency’s social media accounts, how are they performing?

3 . Is social media in-house or do they outsource the job?

Dig deeper to find out how the companies you’re considering operate. The best agencies have in-house teams the content, but many agencies now outsource work to third-party suppliers. In-house agencies have the benefits of being faster to market, operating at a higher quality.

Along with these benefits, it’s vital you can spend time with those who will be working on your account, not just the account manager. Social media lives and breathes your brand’s personality, so it’s vital that those working on your account understand that, not just the salesman.

4 . Where’s their blog?

When choosing your agency a vital component is to read some of the content on their blog. Any agency that’s worth considering will have a comprehensive blog consisting of material that’s both factually correct and up to date.

5 . How will you measure success?

Social media isn’t a channel that sits nicely in the background, just like any other marketing activity it needs to be constantly measured, evaluated and improved.

Please don’t believe what the bad social media people tell you, return on investment (ROI) CAN, and SHOULD be measured on social media.

A great agency will do precisely that. You need to be able to measure how much traffic you’re generating, where from, and how much of this converts to actual business.

There are many other things you need to consider, but this is a good starting point. However, having the above points in mind when you’re hiring a social media agency, will save you a headache further down the line!