How to work with a Social Media Marketing Agency and get the best results
Have you always wanted to work with a social media marketing agency, but you aren’t sure how it works or how to get the best results?
We are here to help! Read on as we explain exactly how you can get the best out of your relationship with your agency.
1. Do or do not – there is no try! (Yoda)
Make a firm decision to embrace social media as one of your marketing channels before starting and get serious about it – a half-hearted approach is unlikely to work for your business and can even harm your brand reputation.
Your social media marketing efforts build results cumulatively over the years. Long-term approach will also allow you to test and measure what works and get to know your audience better. You can do more marketing or less marketing at times, but stay consistent – starting and stopping will cost you and a short campaign is not only not likely to bring the best results for your business, but will also make your business look unreliable.
2. Find the right agency for you
Talk to other business owners in your industry and networks about their experiences and who they would recommend, but keep in mind that different businesses have different needs and it is best to meet with your agency candidates to see if they feel right for you. We find that having shared values go a long way in a successful long-term business partnership.
3. The campaign goal matters!
Be clear on what you want to see as an outcome of your campaign.
If you asked for brand awareness campaign, it will deliver you exactly that, brand awareness ie. it gets your brand in front of as many people in your target audience and often as possible. But it may not grow your following, or generate sales leads as much unless these are specifically the focus of your campaign.
4. Be clear on your expectations and ask, if not sure about what to expect
Take time to communicate your expectations well to your agency in the beginning of your project so they can design a campaign to deliver exactly what you are after. If you asked for a small campaign on a lower budget, understand it will have its limitations on what can be delivered as results.
If you have seen profiles you like, bring them into the meeting with your agency, so they can assess which parts could be suitable for implementation in your campaign and what the investment would look like. Your agency CAN deliver an amazing looking designed multimedia video every week, but it will come with a cost which your agency can quote for you based on an example that either you or they can provide.
5. Not all quotes are equal
Meet with your agency candidates to understand the services they provide, their process and approach, quality of their services, past clients and the extent of their professional experience. Nobody wants cheap, but you want to understand the value of the services and how they align with what your business needs right now.
The most expensive may not be the best or right for you right now, but you will need value for money in any case.
6. Your marketing needs change as your business grows
Is your current agency still the right one for you? As your business grows your marketing needs will change and you may need to evaluate the services you need from time to time. You may be happy to begin with a sole-trader VA but need a full service social media marketing agency to benefit from a team of specialists to level up your social media content to a new level of professionalism later on.
7. Work WITH your agency
They need you to be an engaged client to be an engaged agency for you! Return their calls and emails as soon as possible to help them succeed in their service delivery. Your agency cannot give you the best campaign if they are constantly having to chase you for content or approvals.
8. Let them know your feedback in a timely manner
The success of your campaign depends on your honest and accurate feedback. They need to know if something doesn’t feel right for you, to make it better. They are experts at finding solutions to problems, so give them the chance to help you get the best out of your campaign.
Your agency WANTS to know and NEEDS to know if there is a problem, otherwise they can’t even try to fix it! The first round of content may not be spot on but with your honest, accurate and specific feedback, your agency will learn how to deliver exactly what you are after.
9. Trust your agency’s experience and expertise
This is what you essentially pay for! Your social media agency would have worked with many if not hundreds of businesses like yours and gained experience on the best way to run a campaign.
They are the experts on marketing and you’re the expert on your own business. Combining these two areas of expertise, you will get the best out of your campaign. So trust their recommendations! Trust that they have your best interests at heart. By all means ask questions if you don’t understand something, but questioning everything ALL THE TIME is not the best use of your campaign budget if it’s not absolutely necessary. You don’t have to fully understand how they do it, just that they KNOW what they are doing to get you the results you are after! The time answering your questions is still time you will pay for. And if you can’t trust them, find another agency you CAN trust!
10. Understand you are entering a partnership
The better you work with your agency, the better they work with you. At its best your relationship with your social media marketing agency is a thriving partnership built around common values, good communication, and mutual respect.
Many agencies will do anything and everything for you to make sure your campaign succeeds as long as they feel valued and respected. So, be nice to them! It’s not hard and it will most definitely pay dividends for your campaign’s success!
If you liked what you just read and are looking for a social media marketing agency to support your business’s marketing, book a 15-minute strategy session to find out how we might be able to help you!
