This is part two of a three part series:
Part 1: Should Your Business Hire A Social Media Agency?
Part 2: What Type of Social Media Agency Is Best For Your Business?
Part 3: Questions Every Business Should Ask Before Hiring A Social Media Agency
In part 1 of this series we discussed the basics of what a social media marketing agency does, as well as the pros and cons of hiring a social media agency or an in-house social media manager. If you are still unsure which option is better for your business, check out part 1 before moving forward with this post.
Now that you know a social media agency is the right fit for your business, it is time to discuss the different types of social media agencies. By the end of this post, you should know exactly what type of social media agency you need and be ready to start interviewing potential agencies.
Why Are There Different Types of Social Media Agencies?
Each social media agency has an area of expertise. This could be limited to one area or encompass all areas of digital marketing.
It makes sense that you may assume the more the better. Afterall, too many skills have never been a problem, right?
Wrong. When it comes to social media marketing, you want to find specialists instead of generalists.
If you need help designing visual content, you want to find an agency with a dedicated designer.
If growing your number of followers or likes is your main goal, you will want to find an agency that specializes in doing so.
In part 1 you made a list of your current social media needs. Make sure you have that list handy from here on out, because it will help to guide you to the right type of social media agency.
What Are The Different Types of Social Media Agencies?
Keep in mind that some agencies will encompass more than one of these areas of expertise. If your needs fall into only one type, then we highly recommend that you find an agency that specializes in that area.
1. Strategic Planning:
There is a lot of planning and strategizing that goes into a successful social media presence. Unless you have past experience with marketing, specifically online marketing, you may struggle to create an effective social media marketing plan.
That is where a strategic planning agency will come in handy. If you read part 1 and thought that you could handle the majority of the day to day social media activities, this might be a perfect fit for you. They will help you create an actionable plan of attack that you can then execute on your own.
2. Publishing:
Publishing engaging content consistently on social media is the foundation of a successful social media presence. What your business shares will define your brand, attract a specific audience and hopefully convert followers into customers.
If you decide to go with this type of agency, you will sign an agreement that states how many times they will post per week or month, as well as which networks they will post to. Typically priced towards the lower end of the spectrum, this type of agency is perfect for companies that are just getting started on social media and need to begin growing their communities.
Also consider experimenting with a tool like eClincher, which will allow you to schedule all of your social media posts ahead of time. You may be surprised how little time it takes to schedule posts on your own. If you choose to go this route, you may still want to consult with a strategic planning agency to make sure you know what you should be sharing and when.
3. Content Creation:
Did you know it is proven that content marketing drastically reduces the cost per lead? Well, let’s rephrase that. Quality content will drastically reduce your cost per lead by attracting highly targeted individuals.
The key word is quality.
At this point, most businesses understand the importance of creating original content. It helps your business show off its expertise, drives traffic to your website and gives people a reason to come back in the future.
What many business don’t understand is how to create content that converts. This is where an agency that specialises in content creation can help. These agencies typically have excellent writers, designers and editors. With their help, your business will start attracting highly targeted leads that have interest in what you offer. Not bad, huh?
4. Community Management:
Building a loyal community is arguably the most important part of social media marketing. Without a loyal community you will struggle to have a presence at all.
More importantly, building a loyal community will help you improve and sell your product.
There are many ways to build a community, but one thing is certain: it takes time. Your business will have to engage with people, help solve their problems and answer their questions. It is very hard, and not recommended, to automate this process.
An agency that specializes in community management will understand what tactics help build loyalty and will have the time to pull them off. If you are already very busy, you may want to outsource engagement and community management.
5. Complete Social Media Management:
If you read the first four types of social media agencies and thought, “hmmm…I think we need all of those”, then a complete social media management agency will be what you need.
Think of this type of social media agency as a complete social media marketing team. They understand how to strategize, have tools in place to handle your publishing needs, can create engaging content for your social media posts and/or blog and will build you a loyal community of advocates in no time.
As you can probably guess, this is the priciest route. Despite the cost, this is a perfect option for a fast growing company that has the money, but lacks time to hire an in-house social media marketing team.
If you choose to go this route, it is very important that you do plenty of research and vetting before signing on the dotted line. Since you will be giving them full control of your social media presence, it is critical that they not only possess the skill you need but also fit with your culture/brand.
Final Thoughts
In part one of this series, you decided definitively that you needed a social media agency. Now, you know which type of social media agency you need based on your business’s specific needs.
It is now time to find and hire the perfect social media agency. In part three we will discuss questions that every business should ask before hiring a social media agency. These questions will mitigate your risk, while increasing the chances of finding a perfect fit.
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