Finding the right social media marketing partner for you
Whether you’re selling a product or a service, you can’t afford not to have a strong presence on social media if you want to get noticed and stand out from your competitors. Social media marketing has come a long way from its infancy, when brands could easily use various platforms to market to their audiences for free. Now, if you want to be seen, you’ll need to have an intelligent, well-thought-through strategy, and you’ll need to invest in it, too.
According to Hubspot’s 2023 Global Social Media Trends Report, more than 90% of marketers are confident that their social media marketing activities in 2023 will deliver a positive ROI. Social media management is a growing profession in an evolving industry where things change very quickly. If you’re looking for strong results you need to find a social media expert to work with, and not just delegate the job to your most junior member of staff (as can often be the case!).
So why invest in your social media marketing, beyond the obvious reason that you want to achieve more profit/growth? There could be a number of reasons:
- You’re too busy to do it in-house
- You or your team simply don’t have the up-to-date skills and knowledge
- You want to reach new audiences
- You want to grow your community
- You’re looking to build brand awareness
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What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is the practice of promoting and selling products and services using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc. and it extends far beyond simply posting, liking and commenting. A good quality social media strategy can include some or all of the following considerations:
- Platform/s: Which is/are best for our brand to be on? (Hint… it’s probably not all of them!).
- Strategy: Should we focus on social commerce strategy to generate sales, or a social selling strategy to build relationships with potential customers?
- Budget: Should we use paid social or can we achieve what we want to with organic social?
- Topics: What sort of content/topics might our target audience engage with?
- Medium: Do we post videos, images, blogs or a combination?
- Other tactics to drive engagement, e.g. polls, competitions, etc.?
- Metrics: How will we measure success, i.e. likes, follows, shares, other engagement?
- Tailoring: How will we make our content native on each platform?
- Scheduling: What time should we post? How often should we post? And which scheduling platform should we use?
What should a social media marketing expert do for you?
If you’re employing the services of a social media marketing supplier, you’ll need to know what results you’re looking for first. If you can explain to them where you are currently, and what you want to achieve, they’ll start to get an understanding of what good looks like to you.
But they should also want to do their own research, too, by looking at the industry you’re operating in, and seeing what tactics your competitors might be using in order to gain ground. And, they should ask to see your current metrics to get a sense of what works for you, and what doesn’t.
Once your social media strategy is agreed and up and running, and depending on the deal you strike with them, your social media expert will create and post regular content for you, answer customer comments and messages, and monitor metrics to see how things are performing. You should expect them to report back to you at least once a month to demonstrate where they are adding value.
What makes a good social media marketing company?
A great social media marketing company invests in the knowledge of its staff. Because things change so rapidly, they will keep their finger on the pulse of every new development in social media and across all platforms so that they’re always operating using best practice and latest thinking for optimum results.
They should have an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of all the major social media channels, and they should also have the capability to develop good-looking, attention-grabbing content – whether that’s video, imagery, graphic design or written content.
They’ll also keep a keen eye on metrics at all times, testing, tweaking and refining to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
How do social media marketing professionals price, and what factors affect this
As with many other digital marketing services, social media marketing is a long game, so you’ll need to be prepared to commit for a period of time (a few months at the very least) with the supplier of your choice. Social media experts tend to work on a retainer model where they bill you an agreed amount every month to manage your social media profiles. If you are looking for content creation alongside the management of your channels, then you should expect to pay more.
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What’s the difference between using a freelance social media expert and a social media marketing agency?
A freelance social media expert will usually be the cheaper option, while a social media management agency will be able to offer more in-house skills such as design, copywriting and content writing and social media video production. Depending on the size of the agency, they may also be able to offer complementary services such as SEO, Conversion Rate Optimisation and email marketing.
Marketing Supermarket’s top tips for finding the perfect social media marketer for you
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Are they good with people?
Perhaps most importantly, bear in mind that the social media expert you choose will be speaking directly to your customers and potential customers, so how are their levels of customer service? Are they friendly and approachable – perhaps even unflappable? They’re an ambassador for your brand, so you’ll need to be confident in their people management skills.
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Ask them about their crisis management policy
Every social media manager knows that, even with the most carefully planned social media strategy, things can go awry. A social media post that goes viral for all the wrong reasons can bring a brand to its knees in an instant, so your expert must have a robust and comprehensive crisis management policy which details, step-by-step, how to quickly manage and mitigate a social media disaster.
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Have a clear budget in mind
The cost of social media marketing can easily spiral, so it helps to have a clear idea of roughly what you are prepared to pay each month before you start speaking to potential suppliers.
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Seek social proof
A good social media marketer will know the value of social proof, so have a look at reviews, testimonials and case studies. Follow a few of their clients on social media so you can keep an eye on their activity and engagement rates.
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Ask about their specialist skills
With in-depth social media knowledge a given, ask them about any other specialist skills they can offer, such as content writing or video production.
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Ask them how they stay up to date
How do they keep their finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest social media trends? How do they keep their knowledge up to date?
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How do they report?
Which metrics do they tend to report on, and how do they conduct their statistical analysis?
Why use Marketing Supermarket to help you choose your social media consultant?
Marketing Supermarket was developed by a team of marketing experts who know the pinch points of digital marketing in detail. It’s free, quick and easy and in just a few clicks you’ll gain access to multiple quotes and a directory of social media management experts who can work to your budget.
With Marketing Supermarket, you can find and compare social media marketing experts, and check out our guide on how to compare social media marketing suppliers to help you with your decision.