If you’re a business owner, you’ve no shortage of daily tasks. Those tasks will no doubt keep piling up as the months roll on making your to-do list seem never ending, whilst increasing your workload and the number of hours spent in the workplace.
Now, as social media has become more prevalent in customer service, brand awareness, content distribution and pushing sales, almost every business is putting resources into crafting the perfect social media strategy that will help them grow their business and revenue. If you’ve not tried it already, you’ve probably thought to yourself; a few posts here and there about your product can’t possibly take up too much of your day, right?
Social media has become an invaluable tool for businesses in the right hands. But if your schedule’s already crammed, it could be the last thing on your mind. That’s why hiring a social media agency is well worth your consideration.
You might have concerns that hiring a Social Media agency will mean you have to relinquish some control, in fact it should be the opposite. Hiring an agency should free up your time to focus on your core daily tasks. While a social media campaign can boost visibility and engagement, that engagement with a prospective customer can often be brief. Why not seek to combine that visibility with something of value? Something your business can offer leads to transform them into customers and promoters?
A good Social Media Agency will align your digital marketing efforts with your social presence. Here’s a brief list of the services a social media agency can offer you, to make your life easier:
- Set up email campaigns to push selected blogs, newsletters and offers. This can generate new leads and create customers.
- Write and schedule regular blog posts. This is an area of the strategy where your input is greatly appreciated. A lot of the back and forth between you and the agency will happen when talking about blog content.
- Schedule social media posts on selected channels. The social media agency will adopt your tone to the best of their ability. If you’re not overly keen on this aspect, arrange for some mock posts to be produced to ensure both parties are on the same wavelength.
- Handling paid advertising on social media
- Engagement with social media users to show them your brand is friendly and approchable
- Customer service to eloquently handle any queries or negative feedback
But these are just a few elements of what a social media agency provides. Setting up social media marketing campaigns is a long and involving process.
That is, if you want your product to reach audiences that are more accessible through the use of social platforms. It’s not just setting up a business page on Facebook, or promoting Tweets. While these activities are a part of the process, there are additional steps you need to take to give those posts the best chance possible.
Have you, for example, thought about the content of the posts? Are they being directed to the right people and correctly hashtagged?
If any of this sounds remotely alien, that’s because optimising posts for social media makes use of a specific set of skills that small businesses may not readily possess. One option to combat this could be in hiring a social media manager to keep tabs on your social accounts, including everything from post reach to engagement.
However, this may not be the most cost effective solution. According to PayScale, a social media manager’s yearly salary is on average just over £25,000 a year. Is that a salary you can afford to provide? More importantly, why is a social media manager making that much annually? It’s because they provide skills that reach beyond social media, and like an agency, will seek to align your social media with your digital strategy.
A perk of hiring a social media agency, besides the cost effectiveness, is that they’re readily available. While you won’t have direct control over your posts anymore, you still have authority in the direction you would like the agency to take the content.
A competent social media agency will also schedule frequent and transparent updates with your business. It’s here where you can identify the kind of content that’s working. You’ll be informed on which campaigns are having the best conversion rates, as well as the results of paid advertising.
Finally, consider that not all social media feedback will be positive. A social media agency also specialises in resolving any criticisms a social media user might send your way. It’s important not to contest the user with an assertive response, rather offer them a solution to their issue.
These are just a few examples of why a social media agency can boost your business’s productivity. By outsourcing your social strategy, you instantly free up more time in your busy schedule. This could mean more time to plan new campaigns and products. It could mean more time for meetings with your staff members, or it could even grant you a bit of time for your lunch!
If you're looking to grow your business using Social Media, read our blog on how to maintain your brand reputation on Social!
