The problem?
Small businesses have no idea how to pick a marketing agency, social media suite or hire a social media marketer.
The result
Hundreds of companies are moving into the digital world and are getting a bad service.
Why is this happening?
The economy is in flux due to coronavirus.
Small businesses need help moving online and establishing their social media presence.
Marketing agencies and software companies are growing to meet this need.
This is supply and demand. It should be a smooth process.
Businesses who have been hesitant to move online are finally heading into the digital age. They are looking for people to help them manage their social media presence. At the same time thousands of persons are being made redundant. They are looking for employment in a shrinking economy. Many of them are seeking to cash in on the trends of working from home and are looking to pivot into new sectors.
I applaud everyone trying to move into the world of SEO, copywriting and social media marketing. Yet, many are making this transition because they need to make cash from their sofa. Not because they have a set of skills that can benefit the business community.
So we have naive companies desperate for support and wannabe entrepreneurs pretending they can help.
The position of these small businesses is not enviable. They have two options:
Approach large agencies that will take their money and give them the least possible.
Take a risk on a recent graduate or freelancer they have found online.
Both of the above options have their value.
Tools like Ubersuggest, Yelp, Buffer and Hootsuite are great for established companies looking to manage their social media presence. Wehi uses Hootsuite. It is a great tool for organising our posting schedule and monitoring our clients’ web presences. I love Hootsuite but it is not right for every business.
As a business and personally we advertise our service on Fiverr, Upwork, and LinkedIn. They are great for companies who know what they are looking for to connect with freelancers who know what they are doing.
How then do you know what to look for when you are searching for a freelance social media marketer? Or agency? Or even software?
The solution
Wehi has collected the four key questions to ask any agency or freelancer before you hire them.
Results>Noise
You need to ask them how they have changed the companies they have worked with.
Don’t let them use vague but dynamic sounding terms like ‘spread your voice’ and ‘market awareness’. These are academic terms that may not apply to your specific business needs. You need to ask them how their services have altered the bottom line of other companies.
Some key questions to ask are:
How much new business have they attracted?
Did they expand the company's reach into new market sectors?
Was there a difference in cash flow?
With each claim they make ask them to provide an example from their portfolio and the data that evidences this.
Ask them to prove that their services are value for money and that they can offer a ROI. Do not be afraid to drill down on specifics. Social media marketing agencies will not hesitant to ask for their fee. So you should not be afraid to ask for specific answers to your questions.
The key question you need to ask:
What have they actually achieved for other clients?
Avoid vanity metrics
Wehi has helped clients who have been burnt by the promises of larger impersonal services.
One of our clients turned to Yelp for support. They wanted help drawing more attention to their Facebook Page and online store. For a set price Yelp agreed to promote their Facebook page. This is exactly what Yelp did.
Yelp paid to promote a couple of ads on Facebook that highlighted my client’s goods and services.
These two posts have amazing metrics.
Thousands of people from across the globe have seen them. They have hundreds of likes. These are statistics that most Instagram Influencers would be jealous of.
But they aren’t real metrics.
They have had no material effect on my client’s business. How does a few people in Singapore liking a post help a small lighting firm based in South Wales? It doesn’t. It is a vanity metric.
The numbers look good but achieve nothing.
Having hundreds of likes does not increase your SEO or reflect an engaged social media community.
When you hire a manager or agency, ask to see real metrics. The metrics that reflect engagement with your brand are:
Click-Throughs - How many people saw your content then visited your page or your website? Were they wasting time window shopping or was this post an effective CTA (Call To Action).
Follows - A follow shows that a person wants to hear more from you. That your social media profile has entertained them or given them enough value to anticipate more.
Comments - The number one reason people comment on social media posts is that they are happy with your service. They want to thank you or show support for your products and services.
Shares - The customer has enjoyed your content or services so much they feel that others in their social circle will love it too. Word of mouth is the greatest advertisement in real life and online.
It doesn’t matter if a million pairs of eyes have seen your boosted posts if they are the wrong eyes. It is better for a dozen of the right people to see your post comment on it and share it with their network than a thousand who hit the heart button and move on.
These are the metrics that will affect your business’ bottom line. Make sure the company or person you hire can prove they are going to build customer engagement and provide the results.
The key question you need to ask:
How will they grow customer engagement?
Customer service
Social media management is as much about customer service as it is about creating engaging and beautiful posts.
As stated above the top reason for people engaging with your social media platforms is that they love your products.
The second?
They have a problem.
37% of people surveyed stated that this is the main reason they comment on a businesses social media accounts. This means that they have an issue with your service or the way you present them.
There is a phrase I try to uphold:
‘How you do anything is how you do everything.’
This phrase is attributed to everyone from Simon Sinek to Buddhist philosophers.
This is not an article about mindset.
The takeaway here is that the way a social marketing agency or manager deals with your concerns is the way that they will deal with your audience’s concerns.
Picture this:
You raise an issue you have with a recent post. The agency responds with a formulaic answer that fails to take responsibility for the issue. There is a high chance that they will be treating your audience the same way. They will reply to customer comments with unsympathetic copy and paste replies rather than getting to the heart of the issue.
Think of it like franchising your company's brand to another entity. They are taking ownership of the public perception of your company. They are responsible for the way your customers feel about your brand. Would you hire a salesperson with no patience or listening skills? Well then why would hire a marketing agency that did the same?
The key question you need to ask:
How do you deal with client and customer complaints?
Curiosity
Every job listing or info-blog that I researched for this article cited that they were looking for a curious person. Curiosity is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around in job interviews so often it has lost its true meaning.
Why were they looking for curiosity?
Because social media management takes real curiosity.
Curiosity about your clients and curiosity about social media itself.
If the agency or marketer shows little curiosity about your product or brand they are not going to be able to find your USP. If they can’t appreciate what it is that puts you ahead of your competitors their posts will be stale, repetitive or formulaic.
Equally, they need to show curiosity about the tools they use. Their eagerness to experiment with emerging platforms or trends will lead to unique posts and engaging content.
Hiring a marketing agency or social media manager isn’t a one time job. It is a long lasting and evolving relationship. You need to know that they will be able to evolve and grow with your business.
Curiosity will be the key indicator of their ability to continual bring value to your operation.
The key question you need to ask:
How are they developing their skills or services?
Conclusion
Here are the fours questions again:
What have they actually achieved for other clients?
How will they grow customer engagement?
How do you deal with client and customer complaints?
How are they developing their skills or services?
These aren’t the only questions you should be asking. But they will give you an insight into if this service is the best one for your business.
The most efficient way to avoid getting burnt is to ask for a trial. You should ask them for a free or discounted trial. A month will give you a feel for the content they will create and services they provide.
Don’t let a given suite or marketer embitter you from the world of social media marketing. It is a much needed speciality and is a tool in every business's arsenal. You wouldn’t avoid hiring a plumber because you hired a bad one. You find a new plumber. Social media marketing is as essential as plumbing.
Still hesitant about the world of social media?
Just follow these questions until you find your perfect social media partner.
Good Luck.
Thanks for reading.
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