3 (Big) Ways Your Social Media Agency is Dropping the Ball

Today’s digital landscape is complex. Consider your websites, your blog, your mobile apps, your handfuls of branded social communities, then layer on the need to stay ahead of the game with technologies like dynamic content, augmented reality, beacons – and the complexity is clear.

In an area where the latest ‘best practices’ shift by the minute, coupled with the increasing pressure to provide a one-to-one, omni-channel experience, many companies value and lean on digital experts for support.

Yet, what if those experts – the ones you turn to for advice, the ones you see as part of your team – aren’t as transparent with you as you’d like?

The Social Game

Often referred to as a tactic ‘anyone can do,’ social media is all too often considered a secondary marketing effort with little to no tie in to business growth. This notion is fueled by agencies that tout social media expertise, yet fail to practice hyper-targeting to reach the right people, throw money at unoptimized content and consider a couple likes or a few shares adequate engagement.

There’s a clear line that separates the experts driving sales via social and the ones who think social media is just for sharing cat memes. Here’s what the latter aren’t telling you.

1. Numbers don’t lie, but they often don’t tell the whole story. Marketers are dying of thirst in the big data ocean, surrounding by data they can’t use. The same is happening at social media agencies. All too often, reports boast metrics including ‘Likes,’ ‘Shares,’ and ‘Impressions.’ These vanity metrics cloud the analysis of those that really speak to business impact. Look at social conversions, time on site, downloads or influenced sales. Then translate that raw data into an asset that can be acted upon and monetized.
2. Social media interactions CAN tie into direct sales and business impact. We said it once, but we’ll say it again. Social media CAN tie to direct sales and business growth. The key in any situation is to set your goals before hand. Reach, site traffic, leads generated, sign ups and conversions or revenue generated are all very different goals, achieved through varying social strategies and vastly different ROI measures. Here are a few tricks.
3. Using money to boost every single post is a waste of your investment. Despite popular belief, you don’t need to put money behind every single post. In fact, by doing so immediately after the content goes live – you’re wasting money. Instead, wait to see which posts get traction organically before boosting. This ensures the content is relevant and compelling to your audience and also confirms that Facebook is more likely to show that content via the algorithm. Simply put, move from creating interruptions to managing interactions – then boost selectively.

Transparency is key in any successful agency-client relationship. Industry leading social media strategists, community managers, and advertisers effectively reach a target audience and boost sales, while cutting down on wasted advertising dollars. Want to learn more? Fill out our contact form and let’s chat!