How to Choose the Best B2B Social Media Agency
In general, there are two key things to keep in mind when choosing a B2B social media agency for your B2B company: what kinds of services will best benefit your business and your budget.
The last thing you’ll want to do is invest heavily in a particular strategy simply because it might work for your competition. Rather, in order to best weigh the benefits and dangers, see how important a social media presence really is for your niche. Then turn to a B2B social media agency to help improve a specific element of your strategy – not necessarily take it over completely.
You’re looking for help, after all, not a new Chief Marketing Officer.
10 Points to Consider While Searching for a B2B Social Media Manager
These 10 key points are a great place to start when it comes time to hunt for a social media manager or agency that can help you create a social media marketing strategy that works:
1. Ask yourself “Is it best to find a local agency, or can I cooperate with agencies from around the world?” You’ll likely want to stay as local as possible, but this is still an important question to ask yourself, as it will help narrow down the possibilities.
If there are no local agencies available or the quality is not as per your expectations, some agencies can provide excellent support even if they are working with you remotely (especially during the pandemic).
On that front, look for an agency that is most ‘accessible’ to you either physically or virtually. You can best judge this in your meetings with them.
At Asset Digital Communications (ADC), we take client communication seriously, even more so during these trying times. Our client teams are structured in a way that makes them accessible to you whenever you need them the most.
2. Try asking around to find an agency with experience in your industry. You’ll be surprised at how many B2B social media agencies won’t make this cut.
Ideally, you want to work with an agency that understands your unique business requirements, your competitive environment, and the opportunities available in your industry.
Our team builds a thorough understanding of your business landscape by speaking with you and your teams. Rest assured, our specialist teams know exactly what will work for your business.
3. Check out some niche- or industry-specific case studies they’ve worked on. How many resonate with you? Remember, it isn’t all about the numbers anymore – content creation has become just as important for a successful B2B social media strategy!
Every engagement begins with a comprehensive content audit to identify gaps and opportunities for new content creation.
Upon completion, we at ADC follow industry best practices to build a content calendar that suits your needs and is optimized for awareness as well as lead generation.
4. Look for agencies that offer specific plans and services that you’re seeking. There’s no need to overpay for things you aren’t going to need.
Go in having a clear idea of what you need. Do your research and homework. It’ll help in having a fruitful conversation when evaluating different agencies and their pricing structures.
5. Also, don’t dismiss the human factor. Remember, human contact is at least as important (if not more so) in B2B as it is in B2C. You’ll want to have a team of people you know you can trust with your social presence connecting with your audience.
6. The best agencies will provide you with several plan options, and help you settle on the one that will be best for your business right now.
Usually, social media marketing agencies can charge anywhere from $20 per month for basic services, to several-thousand-dollar plan packages.
But remember, you get what you pay for, so make sure to choose your B2B marketing plan wisely!
7. A lot in your channel strategy changes if you are in a B2B or B2C business. For example, Pinterest works great for B2C businesses but not as much for B2B.
This is because of fundamental differences in the buyer personas and buying journeys. A B2B C-level executive might not go looking for services on a Pinterest board.
The best B2B social media agency would begin any engagement with a thorough analysis of your current social media channel strategy. At ADC, we take this a step further by –
- Analyzing whether your social media messages are brand compliant
- Ensuring there is conformity across channels from a branding perspective
- Creating workflows for follower engagement and support requests
8. Retargeting is a must-have in any digital advertising strategy today. The B2B sales process is usually long and involves multiple stakeholders. This makes dropping a lead mid-way highly likely.
Social media Experts Can Help You Turn Your Business into a Success.
Selling a complex product involving teams of people on both sides (buyer and seller) is no easy task. This is where retargeting B2B social media ads can help. Look for an agency that is an expert in B2B retargeting ads.
Retargeting ensures that a prospect is exposed to multiple messages across multiple channels. Look for an agency that specializes in retargeting across Facebook and LinkedIn.
Our team at ADC consists of retargeting specialists that can help you with superior targeting by creating custom audiences on Facebook and LinkedIn.
9. Personalization is another key criterion to consider when choosing a good B2B social media agency.
In a post-pandemic world, personalization can help you form better connections with your prospects and customers.
Personalization can be in many forms. E.g., email, ads, and social media are some great opportunities for personalization.
Especially with the myriad hyper-specific targeting options now available on social media, you can tailor your messages to specific audiences by locations, interests, hobbies, life stages, and more.
ADCs B2B social media experts strategically use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to match your buyer personas with specific audiences on social media, and then serve them with tailored content.
10. Keeping a close eye on your competitors and followers alike is another important factor when evaluating a B2B social media agency.
Agencies track competitors and followers on social media using specialized tools that allow for deep competitor analysis and social media listening.
At ADC, we closely track what’s trending in your industry, how your competitors are responding to it in their social media campaigns, and create opportunities where you can insert your social media messages.
Finding such opportunities is how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors! Similarly, analyzing the positive and negative sentiments your followers have toward your brands adds another layer of competitive advantage.
According to recent findings, 28% of small businesses trust digital marketing agencies (source) with their social media strategies. That means that potentially 28% (or more) of your competitors are also seeking professional marketing help.
It’s past time you took control of your social media performance too!
Let our team of professionals at Asset Digital Communications help you grab that control! Book your free consultation today!
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