Within any digital marketing campaign that a business undertakes, there are going to be several different elements to it. In addition, who that business employs to implement some or all of their digital marketing, is going to have a huge influence on its level of success.
There are two ways you might approach this which are employing a digital marketing agency that has the resources and the expertise to implant every aspect of a campaign or employ individual marketing agencies which have expertise in specific fields. For example, you might employ 4 different agencies each specialising in SEO, PPC advertising, branding and social media respectively.
If we take social media specifically, let us consider what you should be looking for in a marketing agency that is going to implant and manage your social media marketing. There are 5 steps that you should take that will give you the best picture of how likely it is any single agency will produce the results from your social media marketing that you are hoping for.
Check Out Their Own Social Media
This is one of those ‘Well, duh’ suggestions that we hope does not insult the intelligence of anyone reading, however, despite being so obvious, you will be amazed how many people overlook it. As with any field of expertise, looking at what an agency does for its own benefit will tell you a lot about what it can do for others. As such, research online to find the social media pages of any agency you are considering and assess the level of activity and content engagement.
Seek Out Recommendations And References
If you are considering a local social media management agency then it is almost certain that other businesses in your local area have used them. Speak to your business associates, suppliers, other business owners that you know to ascertain if they have used a social media management agency and what their results were. You can also post the question in your blog posts, social media and forums and see what replies you get.
Assess Their Portfolio Of Current And Previous Campaigns
A huge eye-opener concerning assessing any potential social media management agency is to request to see examples of their previous work, or better still, a campaign which they are currently managing. Just as with the checks you did on their own social media make particular note of the quality of the content, how much engagement it is receiving and the level of general activity on any social media pages and accounts they are managing.
Do They Offer Long Term Gains Or Quick Fixes
Sadly, not every social media management agency is going to have your longer-term interests in mind and instead will be keen to make the campaign as quickly as possible so they can move on to their next paying client. When asking questions, include those which refer to the long term gains they expect their social media plans to provide. The majority will talk along those lines, but the quick fix agencies will only talk short term strategies which is who you want to avoid.
Analyse Their Work Using Social Media Monitoring Software
To take your research to another level you might wish to use social media monitoring software. You will find that those professional social media management agencies which take a pride in their results will happily provide you with this software so that you can take a closer look at the data generated from the campaigns they have created. Examples of this data can include the number of leads a campaign is producing, impressions of specific posts, and engagement with content.