12 Questions to Ask Your Social Media Agency
LOOKING TO HIRE A SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY?
Ask These Questions First
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Between customer service, fulfilling orders, and managing staff, likely the last thing you want to think about is creating content, posting, and analyzing social media. Though social is such an integral marketing tool, it’s challenging to do on the side with much success, especially if you know more about tinting recipes than Twitter.
Why do I need a social media agency?
Social media can be overwhelming and requires a specific skill set. To make sure it’s doing its job (i.e., increasing your brand awareness, driving engagement, and traffic), it’s best to have someone that is 100% dedicated to the task. There is value in outsourcing to experts that spend all day staying on top of digital trends, algorithms, and analytics.
How do I know what agency is best for me?
Like any business alliance, it’s important to vet them first. Make sure you have a list of questions to help you make your decision:
What services do they offer? Make sure their services and size align with your specific needs.
Do they specialize in local businesses? Ask friends and business associates for references or Google social media agencies in your specific city. (Add the word local to your search).
Do they have retail experience? Make sure they have worked with clients successfully in this niche so they know the challenges and opportunities.
Do you cater to small businesses? Many companies focus solely on small business, which is essential – and often reflected in their approach and pricing.
Do they give a free consultation? It’s important to understand their strategies, feel comfortable with their approach.
What are the best platforms for your business? They should guide you on what platforms will provide the most significant return. Not every platform is appropriate for every business. Unless you have endless budgets, it’s best to concentrate on one or two platforms and do them well.
What is the pricing structure? See if they have different pricing packages and decide which one is right for you and your budget. (Just remember: the cheapest isn’t always the best!)
What is included in the fee? – Have them provide a proposal or scope of work based on your initial conversation. Talk to a few agencies so you can have see different options.
What is the cancellation policy? Hold them to the task. If they are not performing the duties stated in the scope of work, it’s a red flag. Make sure there is an exit strategy. It's imperative to know this upfront since they will have access to your social accounts. If/when the relationship ends, how will they transfer that information (logins, etc.) back to you?
What is the reporting process? Your social agency should report to you weekly or monthly, at the very least. That way, you can check on their progress, and together you can make any changes.
Who will be handling your account? Make sure you have a specific contact that is dedicated to your account and can be your main point of contact.
What is the creative process? This is a big one: how are they going to capture and portray your brand authentically? Are they creating original content or using all stock images? This is where using a local agency can be a significant differentiator. Ideally, they will be able to visit your store and take photography or at least ask you for specific images that reflect you, your employees and your brand. They should provide a monthly content calendar that you can approve (text, promotional offers, images, etc.)
In general, a solid social media agency will be able to:
Provide strategic content and digital strategy
Know how to manage ads – organic and paid
Offer insights on when and where to post
Provide creative direction
Create content for you (the amount of content created will affect the price. For instance, if you want 5 videos a month, that might raise the price!)
React to customer inquiries on your behalf – it's best to have them forwarded to someone in your organization for feedback.
Provide analytics for every social platform
Have access to software that can help automate and analyze many of the tasks
Provide a social media calendar that you can review and approve – Ideally, they will have a customer area or dashboard where you can log in and make changes or provide feedback.
Be reachable and responsive
Cater to the needs of small businesses
Whatever social media agency you choose, make sure they are meeting your needs, understand your brand and business, and measure and track their performance.