How to select a high quality social media management company

by Alan Horton SEO Consultant

Marketing to today’s consumers has taken on a new and exciting angle in addition to those we have traditionally associated with the promotion of brands and products. While advertising and direct marketing continue to be used along with other tried and tested methods, the growing ubiquity of social media has led many companies to take to the web to engage in more dynamic promotional strategies and engage directly with their audience.

With so many social media platforms, it makes sense to get someone to help you cover all your bases

As social media marketing has increased in popularity, a number of external consultants in managing the online message of companies and their brands have sprung up to take on the work of online promotion. Many of these companies have much to offer organisations wishing to increase their social media profile and improve their online marketing, particularly for those firms where knowledge of the social media world is limited. However, there are also many false prophets among those who genuinely have something to offer and the important thing is to cut through the dross to find the gem your business needs to get the most from social media.

Narrowing your field

By its very nature, social media is open to all comers and as a result you will find that any Tom, Dick or Harry can pitch up and call themselves an expert. A simple online search will yield thousands of hits with people professing to have the expertise to manage social media output. With this many in the running it can be hard to know how to filter out the pretenders and people with something genuine to offer but it’s vital that you do or your money could be spent very unwisely.

Previous experience

When it comes to hiring someone new to work in your organisation, their past experience is a big part of knowing whether or not they’re the right person for the role. Picking a social media management company is no different. If a company is worth your contract they will be able to demonstrate their previous successes managing the social media campaigns of other companies. It sounds like an obvious statement, but check their own social media output too. If they are not promoting themselves on all channels and doing so effectively, they’re probably not all they claim to be.

You want to pick people who know what they’re talking about

It helps to choose a consultancy that is able to show an understanding of your industry and the market with which you’re aiming to communicate. If you’re addressing a consumer audience, the type of communications that will be suitable will be very different to dealing in business to business marketing and your choice of company should reflect their ability to deal with the market that you’re aiming at. Of course, there will be agencies that can manage either so it pays to look a little deeper into what they can do.

Invite proposals

Invite your chosen companies to submit proposals for how it will tackle the challenge of increasing your social media presence. Ask them how they will measure their success. Get them to prove to you that they can bring an innovative approach that will set you apart from your competitors while understanding what makes your target market tick.

Although you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting value for money and a demonstrable return on your investment, you also need someone you feel you can work with. It’s the job of the agency to convince you that they are the firm for you. After the submission of a written proposal, invite the top contenders to meet with you and discuss ideas with them. This will help you better understand whether you can work together and what they have to offer.

Conclusion

Finding a good social media management company can be a challenge when faced with an ever-increasing number of firms that profess to offer the service. With these tips you should be able to hone in on the agency that can offer you the results you need.

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