Social Media Agencies
Social Media (SM) agencies are usually hybrid companies whose strengths and capabilities range from social media strategy to online public relations. Often, social media marketing crosses paths with search, media planning, customer service and business development. With all of these cross-departmental functions, SM has clearly evolved into a necessary marketing and communications component for a modern business.
Like traditional agency models, a social media agency will work with clients on a retainer, hourly or project based fee. And, just like when you hire any other agency, you should have a clear vision of what you will need executed. So I thought I'd write a few thoughts down to help you determine what should be outsourced to a social media agency vs. your traditional agency of record.
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Strategy - This is something that should definitely reside with a social media agency. There are too many tools, tactics and new technology available for a traditional agency to stay on top of. Traditional agencies are great at providing direction with respect to brand voice and audience segmentation, etc, but when it comes to keeping a finger on the pulse of the SM heartbeat, traditional agencies tend to drop the ball. It's not always their fault either, and usually this is simply because they have so many client projects to fulfill, so they tend to be a little behind on the R&D side. Now, some agencies are great at this, but not all of them. So be sure to ask pointed questions from your traditional agency regarding skill sets and especially resources. In my experience, traditional agencies don't have a large staff dedicated to SM. In fact, lots of times, they end up hiring a freelancer or social media agency in the end anyway.