Once an organisation has in place a communications strategy and has undertaken a social media audit it is time to decide how to manage their social media marketing going forward.
There are generally two types of companies
- The “Please do it for me” Company
- The “Help us do it ourselves” Company
While we recommend that organisations develop the skill sets to manage the majority of their social media marketing in house we also acknowledge that this is not always realistic. It takes time and effort to work out how to use the various platforms available to best represent your brand and to understand some of the intricacies around each of the different platforms. We come across many businesses who know they should be “doing social media” but are completely baffled by where to start or do not feel they have the in house capacity to put in place and implement a strong social media implementation plan.
That is where an agency that specialises in social media can help. If you decide that an agency is the way forward for you, here are some things to look out for.
Does the agency have a clear understanding of you business including:
- What your brand stands for and your brand position
- The types of messages appropriate for each of your client groups
- The most appropriate communication channel for each client group (includes but is not limited to social media)
We would argue that even if you plan to manage your online marketing in house, this is the basic information that needs to be available before you start, as it will underpin all of your online (and offline) communications and advertising. After all you don’t want to be trying to sell eggs to chickens! If you do not have a clear communication plan in place you may need to choose an agency who can help you develop this first.
The “Please do it for me” company often needs help to get them started and show them how it is done. For organisations like this you might require an agency to provide a selection of the following:
- Development of content in line with your organisation’s existing communication strategy
- Specific campaigns
- Branding of platforms for uniformity
- Scheduling of content to avoid surprises to the client
- Posting of items across agreed social media platforms
- Cross referencing of content across platforms as needed
- Social listening – collating feedback and addressing issues as they arise
- Production of monthly data analysis reports to monitor impact and garner learning for future campaigns.
- Development of blogs and mailers linked to online and offline activities
We have been working with a number of organisations that fall within this category and have recently published a case study of such an organisation.
Over time once the social media profiles are set up and active the companies may then decide to continue with the outsourced service or move all or certain aspects of the social media management in house.
Author: Sam Crosthwaite – Mboya
sam@twentytwentymarketing.com
Related Posts:
Should Companies Outsource Their Social Media Marketing
Social Media Audit – Assessing How You Are Doing
Refining Your Social Media Strategy – Assisting in House Social Media Managers
Social Media Community Management – Who’s Job Is It?
