If you’re running a business, you probably find that you’re low on time to manage your own social media. That’s where social media marketing agencies come in! They can professionally manage your social media accounts for you, leaving you free to run other areas of your business. Staying on top of your social media can do wonders for your marketing strategy. But how do you choose the right social media marketing agency? After all, you want what they post for you to align with your brand and really help boost your marketing efforts.

So, we’ve put together a guide of eight questions you need to ask social media marketing agencies before you work with them. Asking them should give you a better understanding of what the agencies are all about and how they can help you achieve your goals! So, read on to find out more…

How do they measure and share a campaign’s success?

Firstly, one of the most important things you should know is how they measure a campaign’s success, and how they share this information with you. They should have a comprehensive strategy for measuring success. This should include numbers, statistics and other analytics. After all, this will give them- and you- the best idea of how things are going.

Furthermore, good social media marketing agencies will be keen to share their results with you. So, you should be asking how are they doing this? They may send over a weekly, monthly, or quarterly report, or share them in a meeting. It’s up to you how often you would like to receive this feedback, but it’s definitely something you should be considering so you know what results you are paying for!

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Who will be managing your account?

The next question you should be asking is who will be managing my social media accounts? All good social media marketing agencies will be more than happy to tell you. In fact, your account manager should take the time to introduce themselves personally, and get to know you, your business, and your requirements. It may be the case that more than one person will be managing your accounts. This shouldn’t be off-putting straight away, but make sure that everyone will be taking the time to fully immerse themselves in what you need.

Most social media marketing agencies will have an ‘about us’ page where you can get to know the team. If they’re being secretive about their team and your account manager, don’t be afraid to ask more questions until you’re satisfied with the answer. Are they qualified? What campaigns have they run before? Will I be able to contact them directly to talk about my account? These are all questions that you should consider asking.

What software do the social media marketing agencies use?

The next question you should think about asking is what software does the agency use to do their work? There are so many different programmes out there that do different things when it comes to social media marketing. So, you might not recognise the one that they use. But, knowing the name of it means that you can do some research and get to know it a bit more if you wish. This means that you will have an overall better understanding of how they’re running your social media. Plus, if the software has consistently bad reviews, you might want to stay away.

The large majority of social media marketing agencies use software programmes for social media automation– so don’t be put off by this fact. They often allow agencies to do a whole lot more with your accounts that they wouldn’t be able to do with manual posting.

Can you talk to someone they’ve worked with before?

So, you think you’ve chosen a great social media marketing agency. But how can you be totally sure? One way to do this is by talking to someone they’ve worked with before. Any good agency will be more than happy to put you in touch with another client so you can discuss their experiences. And, if they’re not, you should be wary. They may not have had many satisfied clients in the past! Some social media marketing agencies will have a case study or projects page where you can view their work, too, so you can get a better idea of what they do and the results they achieve.

What are the social media marketing agency’s reviews like?

Similarly, an agency’s reviews should give you a picture of what other clients think about them and their services- good or bad. After all, the power of reviews can do wonders for any business. So, any good agency should be asking their clients to leave a positive review at any opportunity! If their reviews aren’t immediately obvious on sites like Google, Trustpilot and Facebook, simply ask them where they collect them.

If an agency doesn’t have any reviews- unless they’re brand new- this could definitely be a red flag! It may be that they’re new and nobody has left them a review yet. Or, they might simply not be asking for them. You should certainly ask them about it to clear up any confusion before they start working on your accounts. Also, look out for negative reviews and how they respond to them- this could throw up more potential red flags you want to be wary of.

Have they worked with people in your industry before?

Another question to ask is about the types of businesses any social media marketing agencies you’re considering have worked with before. Have they worked with anyone in a similar industry to you? This could be great news as they’ll already know a little bit about it. Furthermore, they may be able to put them in touch with you to discuss their experiences, as mentioned above.

If they haven’t worked with anyone similar before, there’s no need to panic. They are probably used to be working with a range of businesses from different industries, and so will be able to get up to speed in no time. But, it might help you choose the agency that is the best fit for you and your business.

How do the social media marketing agencies communicate with you?

Communication is something that’s always very important. So, you should be asking your potential social media marketing agencies how they will communicate with you! Each agency will choose to communicate slightly differently and there is no one right way to do it. It simply comes down to what you would prefer.

Is it solely by email? Are you free to call or pop in at any time, or does it have to be pre-arranged? Who will be communicating with you and answering your emails? There are plenty of things to consider- you just need to choose the agency that you’re most comfortable with. All communication should be polite, professional, and timely, so you can get the most out of their services.

Do they use their own services?

Finally, possibly the most important question to ask is do you use your own services for your social media needs? If they don’t, and outsource their social media to someone else, this is a massive red flag. It says it all- they clearly don’t think they’re good enough at what they do to do it for their own business. So, why should you entrust your own business into their hands? They need to be confident in their own abilities before you can trust them with any element of your own marketing.

So, there we have it: eight questions that you should ask social media marketing agencies before you start working with them! This isn’t a full list. If you have any more questions to ask any potential social media marketing agencies, then don’t be afraid! After all, the agencies are there to support and help you with your social media marketing needs.

Have any questions to ask us? Don’t hesitate to get in touch, as we would love to hear from you!