Should I Hire a Social Media Agency?

The explosion of social media has driven companies to put a big focus on social media marketing over the past few years. You’ve probably heard an executive in your company at one point or another say “we need a social media presence.” All of this demand has led to a boom in new social media agencies that pledge to help your company capitalize on social media and do the heavy lifting.

At first glance, the idea of hiring a social media agency seems like a no-brainer. Why should you take on the costs of building your own marketing team when you can outsource it to experienced professionals who know what they’re doing? It’s true that hiring a social media agency can be a wise investment, but it’s not necessarily the right choice for every business.

What Do Social Media Agencies Do?

When you hear the phrase “social media agency,” you may envision young, innovative creatives sitting in a hip open office, bouncing ideas around. While that paints a pretty picture, the truth is that there is a lot of work involved. Socialcast put together this detailed infographic on what a typical social media manager’s day looks like.

Some of the typical daily tasks for a social media manager includes:

• Create content to be shared (blog posts, videos, graphics and other media)
• Check industry related news
• Reply to incoming social media posts
• Research new influencers to connect with
• Publish new social media posts
• Schedule social media posts for the week/month/important dates
• Review social media analytics
• Engage with followers
• Follow up with emails, phone calls and social media conversations

These tasks are all just pieces of the puzzle. Social media managers also have to come up with actual marketing strategies and consistently create new campaigns. As you can see, there is a lot involved.

However, social media agencies come in to take over most–if not all–of these different responsibilities for you. Keep in mind that not every agency offers all-in-one solutions. Most social media agencies will fall under one of three categories:

1. Strategy and planning: This agency will analyze your current social media presence, do competitive analysis and make suggestions on what you can do to improve. They’ll generally come up with a specific plan and show you how to execute it, as well as provide consulting services. This is an ideal model for companies that have an in-house marketing team that doesn’t necessarily have social media expertise or solopreneurs in charge of their own marketing.
2. Social media publishing: This type of agency will handle all of the social media publishing aspects of your business. Your agreement will include a set number of posts for each social network. The agency will do some analysis of popular social media content in your industry and come up with a content plan around that. These services are generally the lowest priced options because there isn’t as much work involved. This model could be ideal for companies with very small budgets who just want to get started on social media. However, you might want to consider using a tool like Sprout Social that makes it easy to publish social media content yourself.
3. Complete management: This agency essentially works as an in-house social media marketing team. They’ll create a strategy, implement it and measure the results for you. This will be the priciest option. It’s ideal for companies that are growing, but don’t want to hire a full-time social media manager. This type of social media agency also works on an as-needed basis, which makes them great for one-time campaigns to promote new products, services and initiatives.

Now that you have a clear picture of what a social media agency could do for you, the next step is trying to decide whether or not you should hire one. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before making your decision.

What Are Your Goals?

Hiring a social media agency just because it seems like the right thing to do isn’t wise. You need to figure out what you want to accomplish. Going to an agency and simply telling them you want to be more active on social media is far too vague. Do you want to generate new leads? Expand your brand? Engage more with your current customers? Are you trying to promote a new product or service?

After you’ve established your goals, decide whether or not you even need an agency to accomplish them. For instance, you may not need to hire an agency if you strictly want to use social media to engage with your customers. But if you’re trying to generate new leads and have no idea how to start, an agency could be helpful.

Can You Afford an In-House Social Media Manager?

A lot of companies hire a social media agency simply because it can be cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. If you can afford to hire a full-time social media manager, it’s something to consider. Moz looked at the average annual salaries for online marketing positions, and social media related roles averaged $49,167.

While social media agencies have the advantage of a team of people who can take on social media marketing, keep in mind that they’ll also be working on other clients as well. Having someone in-house that is passionate about your company and interacts with every aspect of the business on a daily basis is a big advantage. They’ll have a unique perspective, a better understanding of your customers and will also dedicate 40-plus hours a week strictly to your company.

Because social media marketing is something that needs to be handled in real time, having a social media manager in-house will allow your business to respond quicker and with more accurate information. For instance, if someone Tweets a question about a specific service you offer, an agency might not know the answer unless they check with you first. Your social media manager will likely know the answer and can reply immediately.

Have You Given Social Media Marketing an Honest Effort?

Someone on your team needs to have at least a basic understanding of social media marketing before you consider hiring an agency. There are plenty of cases of bootstrapping companies on a shoe-string budget that have resorted to handling their own social media marketing with zero experience, and achieved tremendous success.

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