Five years ago, using social media for internet marketing was somewhat of an accessory. Today, social media marketing makes up almost 90 percent of the overall internet marketing picture while more than 80 percent of online businesses are now into social media marketing. This isn’t surprising considering that the average person spends more than 3 hours a day on social networks, a number only matched by television.

Social media marketing has been proven to increase sales, increase brand loyalty, and increase product or brand awareness. However, while many businesses can say that they have a Facebook business page and are on Twitter, they simply have no marketing strategy. This means that many of these businesses need the help of an outsider, particularly a social media marketing agency. However, no two marketing agencies are alike, and so before you hire one, make sure to ask these five important questions. And not only that, make sure the answers make sense and are logical.

What makes you different from your competitors?

You might be surprised that if you do a Google search for a social media marketing agency, you’ll get some 230 million results. These marketing agencies may claim that they’re “social media experts” but it’s another matter if they really care for their clients. Companies should ask potential agencies what makes them different from other agencies and the answers should be rooted in solid track records, case studies, and a well-defined process, and a well-articulated marketing campaign. The answers should show that their success is rooted in making their clients successful as well, so they really care for their clients.

Does my business need to be on many social sites?

If they answer “yes” then it’s time to walk out the door. Even if the potential social media marketing agency attempts to reason out with you, no marketing campaign uses all types of social media. This is because not all social networks are suitable for all businesses. Each social site caters to a specific type of user. For example, 60 percent of Facebook users are female; 80 percent of Pinterest users are female; Instagram users are more likely to have more education; Twitter users are more likely to be from higher-income users. A professionally motivated social media marketing agency will show you that businesses should use social media based on target markets and owners to determine what is really suitable for the business and then pick two to three like social media platforms to reach those potential customers.

What content development would be best for my business?

Social media marketing falls flat on its face unless the content in BOTH the business website and its social media platforms are of high quality and posted regularly. This means proper planning for handling content research, content creation, and content posting. And not just articles and website content, but also videos, photos, events, news updates, newsletter subscriptions, etc. A good marketing agency will show you what type of content is good for your target market.

What process do you use for reporting?

Businesses hiring a marketing agency should be told that being able to monitor the results of their social marketing is a top priority. The agency is not afraid to be held accountable and they can explain to you clearly just how they monitor and report the results of their marketing campaign, both positive and negative. And they report to you on a regular basis, say once a week. These agencies should also be able to tell you that social media marketing takes time to be effective cumulatively on consumers and so they might ask the business owner to have patience. If they can communicate to you on this level, then they’re on the level.

How do you measure success?

Business owners naturally have the right to know how social media marketing firms can measure their goals when implementing social media marketing. The agency concerned should be able to explain to you the metrics of consumer engagements, click-through-rate, web traffic, organic reach, paid reach, and conversions. They know how to benefit and adjust based on real-time data collected.

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