7 Questions to Ask Social Media Marketing Agency Before Hiring Them for Your Business Growth

Social media has become one of the most popular activities for online users. It only makes sense that your business targets both individuals and businesses through the various social media platforms available.

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Facebook has over two billion users making it one of the more popular platforms for businesses. There are over 80 million businesses registered on the platform. Marketing on social media presents businesses of all sizes the opportunity to build awareness about their brand and increase loyalty, both of which greatly impact sales.

However, achieving sales growth through social media isn’t as simple as creating a business page and waiting for customers to flock to it; you need a proper strategy for promoting your website and blog. For that, many rely on a social media marketing agency to take control of their social media business pages. However, how do you know if the agency provides social media management services that are right for you? The following 7 questions will help you determine which agency is perfect for all your social media marketing needs.

1.  What is your experience with social media?

Using social media for business is totally different from using it personally. While the agency may claim that they are fluent in every social media platform and can take your business to the next level, ask them for proof. Have them share campaigns they have run and activities they have conducted.

You are handing over your marketing duties to the firm, so a simple “we have over 5 years of experience handling social media campaigns for businesses,” isn’t enough to go on. You want to see exactly what social media management services they provide and the results that have yielded from them in the past.

2. How are the campaigns measured?

“What gets measured gets improved.” – Peter Drucker, Author and Management Consultant.

Measuring the impact of the marketing strategy is important in order to determine if it is meeting expectations or needs to be revamped. There is more to the success of a campaign than just looking at the number of followers gained. Paid followers are common and don’t really have an impact on your business because they aren’t interested in your solutions. There are specific social media metrics that need to be tracked, including brand awareness, reach, engagement, and conversion rate. Agencies with years of experience such as Dallas Social Media Marketing Agency make sure to employ the necessary tools to measure the right metrics. This allows them to accurately report how a campaign is fairing and when there is a need to make changes to it.

3. Which platforms would you recommend for our business?

You may think it smart to establish your business on every platform. However, agencies should be aware that some platforms work better for some industries over others. Only establishing clients on the platforms which are ideal for them can yield better results, than wasting resources on platforms that won’t add much. For example, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B companies, Facebook is ideal for B2C, while Instagram is focused on influencer-marketing. An experienced agency is aware of the benefits of each platform and pitches them accordingly.

4. How do you develop content?

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis, Author and Keynote Speaker

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Content is a vital part of any social media marketing plan as it keeps users engaged and your business alive on platforms. Understanding how the agency plans to develop your content is critical to its success. From how they research and create to the frequency of posts on each platform, you need to know what their plans are. A quality agency would never shy away from this question and will have a plan already drafted.

5. How often is progress reported?

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When it comes to outsourcing any part of your business, constant communication is important. High quality agencies are aware that communication is the key to ensuring a smooth relationship, so they will make it a top priority. They should be willing to provide a weekly progress report for their work, and they should also be open to meeting at least once a month to assess progress and discuss any necessary changes.

6. How are you different from your competitors?

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While most social media agencies are created equally, this question is important because it will give you insight into the agency’s vision and focus. Most will provide you with the same services, but you should make sure that their vision and focus is in-line with yours in order to work with them cohesively.

7. What kind of commitment, if any, is required from our end?

One of the reasons why businesses outsource social media marketing is simply because they lack the time for it. However, even after outsourcing, they find that the agency is constantly asking for their time. It is understandable that they will need some time from you once a week to discuss the campaign, but they can’t expect daily time. Be sure to ask them exactly what type of time commitment they require from you before hiring. This way you can strike off any agency that requires more time than you can give.

As social media continues to grow their user bases, more businesses have targeted these platforms to generate business. So, the need for a social media agency also continues to grow as not all business owners possess the skill set to run a successful campaign on social media platforms. If this is your company, it is vital that you pick an agency that has the experience,  knowledge, and tools to make your social media presence a success.

Source:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2018/Q2/Q218-earnings-call-transcript.pdf

https://www.digitalsuccess.us/blog/social-media-roi-social-media-metrics-marketer-hiding.html

https://www.digitalsuccess.us/blog/5-killer-tools-better-social-marketing.html