What are the benefits of partnering with a social marketing agency?

Let's face it. Nobody has time to keep up with all of the changes going on in the social marketplace. Our primary tools of marketing -- TV, newspaper, even email -- have remained largely unchanged for decades. Today, not only are the platforms changing at a breath-taking speed, the rules of engagement are too.

Large companies may be able to justify a staff of social media specialists, but for most companies, the economically-efficient answer will be to out-source social media expertise to folks who are paid to study this stuff and advise many companies at one time.

While this reason is not at the forefront of most strategies today, I believe it will be a primary competency of agencies as companies realize they simply can't keep pace with the rate of change.

For your reference, I wrote a blog post exploring this topic at: http://www.businessesgrow.com/2010/09/29/this-is-why-you-will-have-a-career-i...

Thanks for the great question!

Mark Schaefer
@markwschaefer

The benefits of having a social media partner are:
Expertise - They specialize in what you need. For the same reason you outsource your accounting or IT a relationship with a social media firm can help accelerate your social media growth.
Time - How much is yours worth? Is it worth more to you than what you'll pay them? Also, do you have the time to effectively manage your social media platforms for maximum effect? They do that for you.
Perspective - They live in the social media world. They can bring best practices from other clients and their observations that will benefit you.
Perspective (take 2) - They come from outside your industry so they can see the trees in the forest. They are not bound by the internal myths and beliefs that plague every industry.
Strategy - The will help you develop one.
If you have the in-house staff to effectively manage your social media, well, what were they doing before this? Don't think that you can just dump social media management and messaging into someone's already overworked lap. They already have a full time job. A SM agency functions as your in-house social media department...at least until you're ready to assume that control on your own.

Chris:

Social Media Marketing should never be a stand along marketing solution. It needs to be based on a solid overall marketing program - one that uses social media as a Tactic not a Strategy.

The first thing you need to figure out is where your customers/prospects live and how to reach them effectively.

For instance, if you are marketing to Seniors they may not be on Twitter or watch YouTube. They may, in fact, get their buying information from blogs, discussion groups or not be online at all.

A good, solid Social Media Marketing program works in conjunction with business and marketing plans that are designed to reach target audiences.

Chuck Hester, APR
Chief Connections Officer
Chuck Hester Enterprises
We Get Your Story Told

Social media -- like any marketing initiative -- needs to have two important parts to it. They are: (1) A solid strategy and (2) Flawless/timely execution.
The right agency can help you set specific and results-oriented goals, targeting plans, communcations ideas, and measurement systems for your social media program. Social media only "works" in delivering business results if you have a tight plan behind it.
An agency can also help you execute the right plan, ensuring that your messages are compelling and well-placed. Additionally, social media can be extremely time-consuming and the right agency can provide those extra brains and fingers to ensure your posts are timely and that you're connecting with the right people/groups online 24/7.
But again, I must emphasize RIGHT in the right agency. So many companies have jumped on the bandwagon and don't necessarily have the experience/track record to ensure your precious marketing dollars are being returned through results -- so choose your partner wisely!

Adopting Social Media: Many businesses have quite simply adopted social media as a new and much less costly way to broadcast about themselves or their products. Indeed this may increase brand awareness, but it doesn’t take full advantage of the real power of social media.

The Truth about Traffic: The truth is that social media venues can bring new internet traffic to your website by getting you in front of people who may not find your site. It can also increase repeat visits to your site. However, if you want to fully leverage social media, you must go beyond just tweeting a link to your latest sale or advertising on Facebook.

Be Your Own Customer: Take time to participate in conversations and share information you would want to know as a customer with your target audience. This will transform you into an expert and a valuable resource instead of just another company trying to sell something. Plus, it can also prompt you to update your own website with blog posts, white papers, and videos. The more dynamic content you add to your site, the more the traffic will keep coming back to your site!