If you’re looking for an affordable social media company to look after your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, then there are lots of things you need to bear in mind.
Indeed, as a small business owner, every penny you spend needs to be accountable and needs to deliver a return on investment, so if you’re not getting anything back from outsourcing your social media, then there’s little point in doing it in the first place.
To save you time and ensure you’re getting the very best value for money, we’ve rounded up five things to look for when selecting an affordable social media company for your firm.
Experience
The most obvious thing to look for is experience, and knowing that you’re choosing a firm who can handle your accounts with ease.
Whilst it might be tempting to give your staff the passwords to your accounts or ask your children to take over your Instagram, the truth is that they will not have social media management and marketing experience, and therefore won’t be able to generate the necessary leads and brand awareness that you need for your firm.
Make sure that you speak with your company over the phone to determine whether they really know what they’re talking about, or whether they’re simply in the business of selling you services that won’t offer a return on investment or take your business to new heights.
Good reviews
In today’s digital times, reviews have never been more important.
Make sure you check out the social media management company on reputable review sites like FreeIndex and Google to see what their customers have to say.
If they’ve got no reviews, then they’re probably just starting out – if their reviews are mixed, then you might want to steer clear of using them.
As well as that, you should check out reviews and testimonials on their website.
Although these reviews are likely to be cherrypicked to show off their greatest successes, they can give you an idea of their experience level and help you to make the right final decision.
Reviews are a good way to determine whether the social media management company knows their stuff and whether they’re delivering a good service to their clients.
A reasonable price
Price is, of course, something you’ll want to think about when selecting the right social media management company, but the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ isn’t always true.
Some firms will charge thousands of pounds per month and do a mediocre job, whereas new and growing companies can offer better value for money and a great level of service.
Shop around and find someone who can manage your accounts at a price that you can afford.
Their social media
This is a controversial one, as a good social media management company will likely be busy and not have a great deal of time for their own channels, but you should still check out their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account to see how they’re getting on.
If you can see that they haven’t updated their Twitter page for three months, for example, then the company is probably not very organized or doesn’t actually care about delivering results on social media.
On the other hand, if they update their social media too often or their content is littered with spelling and grammatical errors, or they’re using spammy techniques like adding tonnes of hashtags to their Twitter and Facebook posts, then the chances are that they’re not for you.
Check out the company’s social media page to see whether they do a good job.
Transparency
The truth is that there are so many social media management companies on the market now, and all are offering the very best service for the lowest possible price.
It’s important that you understand what you’re going to get for your money, and what you’re going to need to do yourself.
For example, if you were to sign up for a £99 per month package with 99social, we can promise to post lots of quality content and help to grow your audience, but we cannot guarantee leads or promise to grow your Instagram to 10,000 followers in three months’ time.
Find a firm that is accountable, knows what they’re talking about and most importantly, a company that doesn’t promise the world.
If you set your expectations too high or demand too much on a low-cost plan, then you’re either going to be disappointed or scammed out of your money.
Be sensible, be realistic, and use your gut instinct when choosing the right firm.
Can we help?
At 99social, we believe that we are the best low-cost social media management company on the market, and we’d love to prove it to you and have you join our growing client base.
If you’re on the fence about who to choose, then get in touch with the team today and we’ll answer any questions you may have before signing up for an account.
Whether you’re looking for a specific service, you need ongoing support and catch-ups, or you simply want to hand over the reins to another company and sit back and relax, we’re the team for you.