If you are looking for a marketing company to partner with to handle your online presence, you have likely reached the point where you can no longer handle your social media needs in-house. Years ago, when social media burst onto the scene as a viable marketing platform you only had to worry about engaging written content for Facebook and Twitter. Then you had to start finding cool images to post with the content.
Now you have a whole host of social channels to choose from, intricate algorithms to contend with, and targeted advertising paired with jargon-filled analytics to figure out your ROI. It’s no wonder your in-house capabilities have been maxed right out! If you have had it with trying to make social media work for your business and are shopping around for social media marketing services, don’t just pick the first agency that pops up on google, use these tips to pick the right place for you.
Know Your Needs
Just because a business claims to be a marketing company doesn’t mean they are a one-stop shop with an in-house department for every area of advertising, many creative agencies have a niche where they excel. Before choosing the right social media marketing agency to partner with, you want to know for sure which part of social media marketing you need most. Do you have a ton of pictures and just want someone to manage your presence? Do you only want someone to build content for platforms? Once you know what your needs are you can narrow down your list of advertising agencies to ones that specialize in your area.
Do Your Research
Doing a quick google search and coming up with a list of companies is a start. Perusing websites to find a style, content, and value proposition that speaks to you is a good second step but your list is probably still pretty lengthy. Now that you have matched your needs to a handful of digital marketing agencies, you may want to set aside an hour or two to really dig into their websites and social media accounts. It is online stalking on steroids (except not as crazy.)
Some agencies will feature past clients or work that they have done through their online presence, follow your nose and check out their past work. If their past work doesn’t speak to you, you can probably cross them off of your list.
Set a Meeting
When you have narrowed your top agencies down to two or three, get in touch with them, explain your needs, and ask to set a meeting. Every agency will have slightly different workflows for potential business, they may ask you questions over the phone or get you to fill out a checklist to learn more about your company because they want the meeting to get off to a good start.
Hiring a marketing agency for social media management is a long-term partnership, you want to trust the people you are going to work with. Feel free to ask questions about who they are, who they have worked with, and why they would be a good fit for your business. You wouldn’t invest your money in the stock market without doing your due diligence, do the same when hiring a marketing agency too!
Think the talonX team is right for your business? We want to chat with you! Get in touch, drop us a line, or send up the bat signal, we can meet for a coffee and explore how we can help make your social soar!