What is a Social Media Marketing Agency?

Facebook launched in 2004 as an “online directory that connects people through social networks at college”. If we had told a Fortune 500 like Walmart that one day the social network would not only be worth more than it but that they would be investing thousands and thousands of dollars in ads on the platform, they would have laughed.

But here we are: social media has taken over the internet.

Both small and big businesses have begun to invest time and money into social media marketing, creating the need for social media agencies. Social media agencies essentially do the “heavy lifting” on behalf of a business or brand.

But what exactly does a social media agency do? Why does it benefit you?

Here are 10 reasons why you should hire a social media marketing agency to amplify your brand or businesses’ social media presence.

1) Sales and Leads

No doubt about it, the end goal of any marketing strategy is to make more money. Social media agencies don’t just create followers — they generate customers and consumers. 75% of companies that marketing their products on social media reported an increase in sales within 12 months.

2) Constant Contact

Any unanswered tweet, comment or question is a missed opportunity to connect with customers or a fan base. A social media agency ensures all comments and questions are answered in real time. It lets your audience know there’s always a person on the other side. As an added bonus, they’ll remove spam or unwelcomed comments.

3) Complicated terms, Conditions, and Changes

Do you know Facebook doesn’t allow ads with images that contain over 20% text?

Social media marketing experts are aware of the rules and make sure your business’s page isn’t blocked for violating them. Social media platforms also love to keep users on their toes by implementing changes every few weeks. It quite simply is a full-time job just keeping up with Facebook’s algorithm changes alone. What works today won’t work in a few months for engagement. Social media experts are used to this lifelong learning process and constantly educate themselves with the ever-evolving field.

4) Advertisements

Social media ads aren’t cheap. Don’t waste your money by throwing an ad out there into a newsfeed and hoping it sticks. By pinpointing customer demographics, interests and motivators, we can strategically place relevant and engaging ads to catch the eye of the right prospects. This is done through A/B testing headlines, body copy, photos, time of day and interests to see which ad resonates best with the audience. This approach keeps ads at a lower cost per click (CPC). In other words, a social media advertising expert gives you the biggest bang for your buck.

Learn more about what is a social media marketing agency

5) Save Time

Is your head spinning after reading what goes into a successful social media ad campaign? Learning how to do so is extremely time-consuming. Leaving it to an expert allows you to focus on your job — not waste hours blankly staring at Facebook.

6) Tracking and Measure

Every aspect of a social media campaign can be measured. Are there trends? What’s working and what’s not? How can we improve performance? We can answer these questions through analytics reporting and analysis. In addition, a social media expert can set up conversion tracking codes, remarket audiences and more to track a platform’s sales and success.

7) Content Creation

Posting on social media doesn’t simply consist of a 140-character tweet anymore. Content brings your brand to live. Social media experts utilize photography, video production, and 2D and 3D graphics animation to engage and entertain your audience. Each piece is designed specifically for the platform it will be shared to, ensuring maximum exposure and engagement.

8) Brand Reputation Management

Besides sales, another main goal of social media marketing is building and maintaining a positive brand image through Digital Brand Reputation and Monitoring. From crisis management and company statements to monitoring keywords and interactions across blogs, forums, articles and social media channels, a social media marketing agency guides how your audience sees you. A social media expert always has an eye on your brand and acts accordingly to continue to leave customers and prospects elated.

You can’t buy a good reputation — you must earn it. Most potential customers do not trust a company without a social media presence now. You need an attractive social media presence — and an agency can help you create and maintain one.

9) Choosing the Right Network

Targeting every single social network with rhyme or reason is a waste of your budget — and set up a lot of confusion you need to know how to create a social media marketing strategy. A social media marketing agency can help you consider facts of each platform and chose which are best for your business as discussed in one of our previous posts titled

– Facebook: The most obvious option for social research. 76% of adults online use Facebook, and there has recently been a 700% increase in the growth of video views.
– Pinterest: 1/3 of adult internet users use Pinterest and the platform appeals to more women than men.
– Twitter: Twitter has a staggering 300 million active users per month. 80% of Twitter usage is mobile, making it great for local companies who want to engage with customers on-the-go.
– LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the leading B2B social media platform with members across 200 countries. Learn more about what social media channels are best for B2B.
– Instagram: Instagram is a spectacular way to engage with young, visual audiences, particularly those that fall in the millennial demographic.

10) Identifying Competition

Identifying who your competition on social media is and recognizing their strategy is key to a successful social media presence.

It allows you to learn what is working for them and what isn’t — and you can implement similar tactics in your plan. Please note it’s vital to never copy and paste someone else’s strategy but to learn from it.

A social media marketing agency has the listening tools and programs needed to digest these analytics and help determine how to create an effective social media strategy that competition will envy.

To be successful on social media you must have a clear strategy and the time to implement it. A social marketing agency has the time and tools necessary to complete all ten tasks above and to generate customers and a devoted audience.