What to look for when hiring a social media agency

Callan // January 6, 2011 // Social Media // No Comments

I’ve seen it happen a lot. A super cool brand knows that the time has come to put some strategy behind its social media efforts. So they begin the search for an agency. But since no one tells the company what they should look for in said agency, the group often becomes impressed by a flashy presentation or name dropping and go with an agency that may rock at PR and advertising, but hasn’t mastered social media strategy just yet.

As I mentioned in my post about 2011 trends in social media, I think this year is the year that brands wise up. Once they realize they are paying a pretty penny for social media strategy, but still aren’t sure what they are getting for it, they’ll begin the search for a new social media agency.

When that happens, I want to help. I want marketing managers everywhere to  know what to look for and how to identify an agency with actual hands-on experience and expertise.

While I have plenty of thoughts of my own, I thought I’d tap some of the most influential people on the web to gather a wide variety pf perspectives. I talked to social media consultants, agency principals, authors, agency social media specialists, in-house social media managers, Twitter celebrities and more.

From these industry leaders, I received more than 40 insightful responses, all aimed towards helping companies find a real social media agency. As I sifted through all the information, I realized I’d need much more than a blog post to share their words of wisdom. So I’ve created a mini-ebook with everyone’s thoughts. If you are a marketing manager for a brand or company that is looking to hire a social media agency, I hope this guide helps you to find the best fit for you.

Download the Guide to Hiring a Social Media Agency by clicking on the image below: