What to Look for in a Social Media Agency

Choosing a social media agency is about finding the right fit. Your social media agency should serve as an extension of your organization and brand, seamlessly integrating into workflows, strategy and growth. Finding the best social media marketing agency for your business requires research and careful vetting during the interview process.

Here are some things to look for when searching for an agency to handle your social channels.

How to Choose a Social Media Marketing Agency

Finding a social media agency that delivers results and guides strategy isn’t easy. The selection process should focus on evaluating what they do well and how their work fills gaps within your internal skill sets. Learn more about their philosophies and expertise on certain platforms and make sure they understand your brand priorities.

When choosing a social media agency to work with, look for a partner that:

1. Knows your industry and shows they’ve done their homework.
2. Offers services that fill all the gaps in your team, from design to content to daily management.
3. Applies your personas and customer demographic data to create content.
4. Establishes clear KPIs with you and can demonstrate success.

How to Find the Right Marketing Agency for Social Media

If you’re ready to get more out of your social media efforts, follow these tips for finding a social media agency that gets stuff done.

1. Know Your Business Goals & Budget

Start your search with a general idea of what you want to achieve on social media and how much of your digital marketing budget you plan to allocate to make it happen.

Ask yourself these questions as you get rolling:

• Am I hoping an agency will take over 100% of my social media marketing?
• Do I want the agency to provide design and content for my team to mix into our calendar?
• Do I need a social media audit to evaluate which platforms need more work – or is it time to move away from ineffective and time-consuming channels?
• Does my team need help creating monthly, quarterly or annual social media reports?
• What are your specific KPIs that indicate social media success?
• How do paid media or paid campaigns fit into our organic strategy?
• Who will handle social ads or boosting posts?

The perfect social media agency fit will listen to your goals and tell you how they plan to achieve them.

2. Do Your Homework

Once you know what you want from an agency, begin your research. Start by asking your business network for referrals, as someone may be inclined to give you a great recommendation. If you’re overwhelmed, this is a good way to narrow the field quickly.

If you can’t crowdsource a few quality candidates, you can Google your way there. Try varied searches rather than only a “social media marketing agency.” For example, search for social media management services, YouTube services, social media advertising, etc.

Build a list of your favorite options, and then research each company individually.

Here’s what to look for in a social media agency’s website and other digital properties:

• Reviews and testimonials.
• Industry-specific experience.
• Social media service descriptions.
• Social media case studies.
• Design service descriptions and/or portfolio.
• Reporting capabilities.
• Content that demonstrates expertise in social media marketing (e.g., great social presence, great blogs).

As you compare and contrast your candidates, you should be able to narrow your list down to two or three options. Schedule one- to two-hour discovery meetings with the final contestants.

3. Ask Good Questions Before Signing on the Dotted Line

Choose a social media agency that adapts its processes and working methods to support your team. Aside from developing exceptional social content and showing consistent, positive results, their goal should make life easier for you or your internal team.

Explain your goals and expectations to each potential partner, then see where they fit in. Consider asking these questions:

1. Do you have initial ideas for achieving the goals you outlined?
2. What level of support are you able to provide?
3. What workflows can I expect for submitting feedback on your work?
4. Do you know our social media management platform? (if applicable)
5. Do you have experience with our industry? (Choosing a social media agency that knows your industry or a similar audience often makes sense.)
6. Do you have enough time to dedicate many hours in the beginning? (Their answer will indicate whether they can accomplish critical tasks first before slowing to a more measured pace.)
7. Do you provide reporting that shows ROI? (If you don’t have specific metrics tied to your goals yet, now is also a good time to ask them which KPIs may be best to track progress.)
8. Do you recommend any additional technologies for managing social or tracking performance?
9. How do you stay on top of trends in social media marketing?

Throughout the interviews, one team is bound to stand out as the best social media marketing partner for your organization – even if they don’t have all the pieces other agencies might offer. They will be able to confidently answer your questions and ask a few things about your philosophies, too.

They should also have a comfortable rapport with your team members – your social marketing meeting should be the highlight of your week!

Keep the Discovery Process Fun

Social media agencies may focus on social content and strategy. Still, it takes a wide range of copywriting, photography, videography and good old-fashioned creativity to make an impact on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Get into the nitty-gritty and find out what marketing resources your prospective social media partner can mobilize on your behalf. Of course, you’ll also want to know who your account manager or day-to-day contact will be!

See If You “Like” Oneupweb; Schedule a Meeting!

Whatever your social media marketing needs are, Oneupweb’s experts are ready to help. Because we’re a full-service agency, our clients can easily align their social strategies with other marketing channels, including SEO and paid advertising. Make an impact across all your social channels with a dedicated team of marketing professionals.

See what we have to offer. Reach out online or call (231) 922-9977 today to get started.