Social media is only going to grow as younger generations move into adulthood and make up a lion’s share of the workforce, become primary decision-makers, and then influence even younger generations. That’s why savvy businesses are turning to social media agencies to help them grow their online presence and fuel their sales numbers.
In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits and positive outcomes that social media agencies can provide to their clients. Beyond just financial outcomes, there is a whole lot to gain.
Table of Contents
What Is a Social Media Agency?
Before we dive into the benefits of working with a social media agency, let’s lay some groundwork. That starts by defining what a social media agency is and what they do.
A social media agency is a company that specializes in managing, creating, and executing social media strategies, services, and campaigns for businesses. These agencies can help you grow your online presence, increase engagement with your audience, and drive more leads and sales.
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Why Social Media Marketing Still Matters
From Facebook to TikTok, social media platforms continue to grow and evolve. Ten years ago that sentence wouldn’t even have made sense. Your first thought probably would have been “What’s a TikTok?” Now it’s a billion-dollar company that just keeps piling on users.
Working with social media agencies is one way to keep your brand up to speed on these changes. Beyond the value a specialized agency provides, there are many proven benefits to working with a team of experts.
Facebook Marketing Statistics
- Facebook has over 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it the largest social media platform in the world. (Statista)
- More than 200 million businesses have a presence on Facebook, and 78% of American consumers have discovered products on the platform. (Oberlo)
- Video content on Facebook generates 4 billion daily views. (Yans Media)
- Facebook ad revenue is projected to reach $116.6 billion in 2022. (Statista)
- 19% of US consumers start their online buying journey on Facebook. (InsiderIntelligence)
Instagram Marketing Statistics
- Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs) as of March 2023. (SproutSocial)
- Instagram is the #1 social media platform for people to connect with brands. (Instagram for Business)
- Instagram is the most popular social media platform for influencer marketing, with 93% of marketers using it for influencer campaigns. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- 50% of users become more interested in a brand after they see an ad for it on Instagram. (Instagram for Business)
- Instagram is the second most preferred platform for customer service. (Sprout Social)
LinkedIn Marketing Statistics
- LinkedIn has over 875 million members worldwide, with 310 million of them active every month. (Business of Apps)
- LinkedIn has 2x the conversion rates as any other social media channel. (WebFX)
- LinkedIn advertising revenue is projected to reach $5.6 billion in 2023. (Statista)
- LinkedIn is the most trusted social media platform for B2B marketers. (Gartner)
- Ads on LinkedIn garner a 33% increase in purchase intent for brands. (Sprout Social)
YouTube Marketing Statistics
- YouTube has more than 2.6 billion active users as of 2023. (Demand Sage)
- In 2022, YouTube’s global advertising revenues amounted to approximately $29.5 billion. (Statista)
- 59% of respondents agree that YouTube ads are more relevant than ads on linear TV or other streaming apps. (Google Commerce)
- YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. (Social Media Today)
- 90% of video marketers use YouTube to publish their content. (HubSpot)
TikTok Marketing Statistics
- TikTok has over 1.5 billion active users worldwide as of 2023. (Demand Sage)
- The average time spent on TikTok per day is 52 minutes. (Backlinko)
- In 2024, TikTok is projected to reach close to 18.5 billion in ad revenue on a global scale. (Statista)
- TikTok has the highest average engagement rate of (4.24%) of any social media channel. (Social Insider)
- TikTok pulls in a higher per-post engagement rate (5.69%) than Twitter and both Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. (Marketing Dive)
Twitter Marketing Statistics
- 54% of B2B businesses have incorporated Twitter into their social media marketing strategy to nurture prospects and turn them into loyal customers. (Statista)
- 89% of people use Twitter to find new products. (Hootsuite)
- Over 75% of users say they’ve bought something based on Tweets. (Twitter Shopping)
- 7.1 billion people visited Twitter.com in 2022. The global population is 7.89 billion people… (Social Pilot)
- 67% of all B2B businesses use Twitter as a digital marketing tool. (Oberlo)
Pinterest Marketing Statistics
- Pinterest has over 445 million monthly active users as of January 2023. (Social Pilot)
- More than 2 billion searches happen on Pinterest each month. (Social Pilot)
- Pinterest has the third most visits of any social media platform in the US. (Statista)
- Pinterest ranks 14th among domains with the most linked to websites. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- People who use Pinterest weekly are 7x more likely to say it’s the most influential platform in their purchase journey. (Pinterest for Business)
Benefits of Working with a Social Media Agency
Social media agencies offer access to social media experts who can create an effective marketing strategy, develop quality content, and analyze campaign data. They can also help with targeted advertising, community management, and data analytic tracking to improve social media performance.
In this section, we’ll explore each of these benefits in more detail.
TL;DR Version
For skimmers and scanners, here’s how a social media agency makes your life easier:
- Developing and implementing social media marketing strategies
- Conducting market research to identify target audiences and trends
- Creating and managing content calendars
- Developing on-brand content (including visuals, videos, and graphics)
- Creating and managing paid advertising campaigns
- Analyzing social media metrics and data to optimize campaigns
- Setting and reporting campaign KPIs (key performance indicators)
- Building relationships with social media influencers
- Managing influencer partnerships
- Providing social media training and consulting services
- Keeping up with the latest social media trends, algorithms, and best practices
- Monitoring and engaging with your social media communities (e.g. responding to comments, messages, and reviews)
Benefits Deep Dive Part I: A Focus on Financials
There are certainly non-financial benefits to working with social media agencies. This section is not that. Here are some of the financial perks of working with a specialized company.
Access to Social Media Experts
One of the primary benefits of working with a social media agency is access to a team of experts in social media marketing. These professionals have the knowledge and experience to create effective social media strategy, develop engaging content, and analyze campaign data to make data-driven decisions. By working with a social media agency, you tap into the expertise of these professionals and leverage their skills to grow your online presence.
Consistent and Quality Content Creation
Social media agencies help you create consistent, high-quality, on-brand content. They also help develop a content strategy that aligns with your brand values and goals. Social media agencies have the skills and resources to create high-quality visuals, graphics, and videos that engage audiences and encourage them to interact with the content that you offer.
Targeted Advertising
Social media agencies help reach target audiences through highly specific advertising campaigns. These campaigns are designed to reach people by specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. By using advanced targeting options, these companies can help you reach your ideal customers and drive more leads and sales — ultimately helping save on social media advertising costs.
Community Management
Social media management is another key lift that your agency can handle. Your online community is only as active and engaged as you are. By responding to comments, messages, reviews, and other interaction types, you are cultivating a responsive reputation with your audience across social media networks. By engaging with your audience on social media, you enhance trust and loyalty with your customers. In short, social media agencies help you create a positive online presence by acting as your social media shepherd across channels.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Social media agencies can help track and analyze your social media performance. They monitor metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversion rates. In turn, they can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize future social media campaigns. They also provide detailed reports that highlight KPIs and provide insights into the effectiveness of their social media strategy and services.
Influencer Partnerships
Working with social media influencers—it’s not for everyone, but it can surely work wonders. Specialized agencies engage with influencers to help reach new audiences and drive sales. They identify and partner with influencers who align with your brand values and target audience. By leveraging the reach and trust these influencers hold, you can increase brand awareness and credibility with your target market.
Benefits Deep Dive Part II: Beyond Financial Gains
Businesses need to consider more than just cost when choosing a social media agency. They should look for an agency with a track record of success, a team of experienced professionals, and a strong understanding of their business goals and values.
Brand Awareness
Social media agencies help increase brand awareness by reaching a wider audience. They do this by creating engaging content that resonates with your specific audience and encourages them to share it with their own network. What you get is an increased reach and more brand awareness without spending a significant amount of money on advertising.
Reputation Management
Social media agencies can help businesses manage their online reputation by monitoring and responding to online reviews and comments. By addressing customer concerns and responding to negative reviews, businesses can build a real relationship with their customers. This leads to positive word-of-mouth advertising and increased brand reputation.
Increased Customer Engagement
Social media agencies can help businesses increase customer engagement by creating content that encourages interaction with their audience. This can include hosting giveaways, asking questions, and creating polls. By engaging with their audiences on social media, businesses can build relationships with their customers and increase brand loyalty.
Improved Customer Service
This is a must-have in today’s digital world. Social media platforms provide a quick and easy way for customers to reach out to businesses with questions or concerns. Social media agencies can improve customer service by responding to customer inquiries and concerns in a timely and professional manner. With a devoted team at the helm, you ensure that customers receive prompt and helpful responses to their inquiries thereby building more trust and loyalty.
Staying Up-to-Date with Social Media Trends
Social media trends are constantly changing, and it can be challenging for businesses to keep up with the latest innovations. Social media agencies are always on top of the latest do’s and dont’s, and they can help you adapt to these changes and stay ahead of the competition. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends, algorithms, and best practices, your brand offers more better content that meets an audience’s appetite.
Social Media Marketing Cost
While there are many benefits to working with an agency, it’s important to understand the pricing that goes with it. Social media agency pricing can vary widely depending on the services provided, the size of the agency, and the experience of the team members.
Typical Pricing Structures for Social Media Agencies
Some agencies may charge a flat monthly fee, while others may charge a percentage of the advertising spend or a commission based on the results achieved. Still, others may blend their fee structures. No one agency is the same and it helps to know what to expect. However, the best advice is to have clear questions to ask surrounding pricing during the vetting stage.
Flat Monthly Fee
This pricing structure charges a fixed amount of money every month, regardless of the amount of work done or results achieved. For example, a social media agency may charge a flat monthly fee of $1,000 to manage a client’s social media accounts, regardless of the number of posts, ads, or campaigns executed.
Percentage of Advertising Spend
This pricing structure charges a percentage of the client’s advertising budget, typically ranging from 10% to 20%. For example, if a client has a monthly advertising budget of $10,000, an agency may charge 15% of the budget ($1,500) as their fee.
Commission-Based
The agency charges a percentage of the revenue generated by the advertising campaigns they manage. For example, if a client’s ad campaign generates $100,000 in revenue and the agency charges a 10% commission, the agency would receive a fee of $10,000.
Blended Fee Structure
This pricing structure combines different pricing models to create a customized pricing plan for each client. For example, an agency may charge a flat monthly fee for managing social media accounts and a commission based on the revenue generated by advertising campaigns.
It’s important to carefully evaluate the pricing structure and services offered by different social media agencies to determine which one is the best fit for your business. And don’t shy away from negotiating with the agency. Negotiation is not uncommon and is likely a good idea.
Keep in mind that while cost is certainly a consideration, it’s not the only factor to consider when choosing a social media agency. Instead, look for an agency with a track record of success, a team of experienced professionals, and a manageable price point for your business.
Social Media Agencies in a Nutshell
Long story short, social media agencies can provide businesses of any size with a wide range of benefits in today’s digital environment. The understanding of organic social and paid social media ads is a lot to stay on top of — let alone master. From increasing brand awareness to improving customer engagement, social media agencies streamline the process of building a strong online presence and connecting with target audiences.
While the costs of working with a social media agency should be carefully considered, the benefits of working with an expert team can certainly pay off. Today, to see business growth, so form of quality social media marketing needs to be done, and worked into your marketing budget. While you can put a price on social media marketing services, putting a price tag on an engaged and responsive target audience is close to priceless.
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