Do you remember 10 years ago when people used to talk about how to get to their businesses’ website?

They would say “you need to insert http:// before the www,” right?

Fast forward to today and you can’t imagine a business without a website. And they certainly don’t even mention the http:// or the www, they just tell you the domain and you jump on the site.

Social Media Consulting

In a few years, that same concept will exist for Facebook business pages. Right now there are a fair amount of businesses that still haven’t hired a social media consultant or agency but know that they can’t be left behind. They don’t have the money in their budget to hire a full time social media manager but they recognize that they can’t wait much longer.

That’s Why Social Media Consulting Is Becoming A Popular Theme

…but there are many pitfalls associated with it. First, many of those promoting social media management aren’t truly familiar with social networking –they might be a traditional ad agency that is now using the buzz words because they are being asked by their clients. In fact, one major newspaper in Florida offers “social media management” for well over $1,000 a month but they have opted not to even have a Facebook page themselves (they don’t want to have their users go to Facebook because that could cannibalize their ad traffic on their own site). But if they aren’t on Facebook, how can they truly manage a business’ voice on it? They can hardly monitor best practices if they aren’t doing it themselves.

So where do you begin when it comes to hiring a social media management company? First you need to determine what type of social media consulting you can afford. If you’re budget is only a few hundred bucks a month you are probably better off investing that money in direct Facebook advertising and having someone at your office handle the posting for you.

But if you have determined that it makes sense to reallocate your budget away from traditional media to a social media consultant and can allocate at least $1,500 a month to the effort, you have several options available to you. Remember the old adage of “you get what you pay for” is certainly true when it comes to social media management agencies – so it is important to do your due diligence before making

Here is a top list of seven things to consider when hiring a company to handle your social media management needs:

1. Is the social media consultant well funded and staffed?

There are obviously college kids in the dorm rooms handling social media for some companies but that’s not a solution that will have long term success. There are well funded social media consulting agencies but those are typically handling the Fortune 500 brands – is the social media management agency you’re interested in going to be around a year from now? Look for a company that has staying power and solid financials.

2. Does the company work 7 days a week and have redundancy when staff are sick or on vacation?

Social media is 7 days a week not just 5. In fact statistics show that Sunday evening can be one of the peak periods for Facebook users – is your social media agency working that night? Is your social media manager typing back to interested prospects on Saturdays, or do they just work 9 to 5 on Monday through Friday? Look also for staff backup: your social media manager may get sick, and if that’s the case the company better have someone trained to speak in your business’ voice when they aren’t available.

3. Is the company experienced in handling multiple verticals?

Effective social media management means that the social media manager is speaking in your voice. And there’s clearly a difference between a car dealership and a high-end steak house. Make sure that the company is able to train a social media manger in your niche. At the same time don’t look for a “proven track record of social media success for dentistry.” Why? Social media is such a new concept that you might be missing out on a company wanting to make its mark and get a great testimonial from you for future referrals. Look instead at the ability of the social media consultant to handle multiple existing clients in multiple vertical.

4. Are the social media consulting company’s executives able to help you in setting your company’s strategy?

Make sure that the company that you’re talking to is able to have their executives talk with you about your long term strategy. Are you interested in generating demand and increasing awareness of your brand or encourage repeat business? If so that’s a perfect fit for social media…but how will you accomplish that? Having an experienced executive explain what your social media strategy is and why it matters is important –don’t get shoved off to a call center.

5. Does the company provide clients weekly reports showing engagement and ROI?

Looking for a return on your investment is critical. Perhaps you’re a business owner who is now realizing that the days of the Yellow Pages are over, and that you’re either online or your going backward. Make sure that your social media management team will provide you the weekly or monthly reports that you need – what percentage of the fan base interacted with you? If engagement rates are consistently below 1% its time for a new social media manager. Demand accountability for your money spent.

6. Can the social media management company provide verifiable testimonials from clients?

Is the company able to show success with social media, or are they simply providing a posting service that doesn’t truly engage? Ask for a list of pages that they current service and evaluate the engagement on those pages – are users posting actively? Are there consistent comments and likes? Make sure the agency is walking the walk.

7. Can the company do both ad management and engagement for maximum benefit?

With more people coming on Facebook and Facebook’s newsfeed getting crowded, relying upon organic growth to build a fan page is a losing proposition. To truly benefit from Facebook – which has amazing demographic information on each client—you need to tap into that demographic information by offering targeted advertisements. Does the social media sonsulting agency have enterprise class software that is able to manage your Facebook PPC campaign? And is the company skilled at increasing click to conversions –after all, just because you get a click doesn’t mean that prospect will join your fanpage. Look for a company that can handle both daily engagement and Facebook PPC management.

If you’re interested in a company that truly fulfills all of the above, please fill out the contact form by clicking here and we will have an experienced social media management company contact you for a consultation. As Facebook and other important social media channels continue to grow,  there will be more and more attention from the news media – it makes sense to lock in prices for social media consulting now before demand increases even more. So click here to have a free social media audit with a qualified social media consultant.