When is it Time for a Social Media Marketing Agency?
The simple answer is when your social media management begins to take too much time from managing your business or it is not experiencing growth.
Social media is an important communication tool that allows a business to get in front of customers. An active social media program allows you to introduce new products and services, build relationships with potential customers and promote trust, potentially leading to sales.
Besides being time-consuming, social media management can be a complex process. Not every business has a dedicated team with the necessary skills to grow a business’s social media “following”.
That’s where a social media marketing agency comes in.
It is important that your business consistently posts on social media. It allows your customers to know what you are promoting and what you care about. When you post about things other than sales it gains trust with your customers. Business posts let your customers know what your company cares about and that you are “human.”
Being “human” in social media is important. “Human” posts gain a sense of trust with the customer which is essential for future sales. I mean if you think about it, how many sales people really get a sale by telling a customer all about a product without establishing a rapport with the customer first. It works the same way with social media.
To increase sales you have to build the rapport through regular communication in organic social media. So, while you may think “human” posts are not gaining sales, think of them as the communication that takes place before the sale.
However, this all takes time and thought. A social media marketing agency has dedicated people to commit to this process and are trained to respond to notifications from interested customers.
Many businesses do not have the time or the staff to commit to their social media presence.
By understanding the importance of organic social media, you may want to look into paid social media. This is where you pay for ads to show on social media. Ads are designed and budgeted to fit your business’s needs and can be particularly helpful If you have a new product launch, a new service or want to revive an older product. A social media marketing agency can easily manage this for you.
However, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you post ads for your business on social media. “Who is my audience?” “Where do they hang out?” “What do they like?” “How often should I post?” “Where do I post?” There is a lot to research and that is difficult when you are trying to manage your business. By answering the above questions realistically, you will be able to invest in the proper ads that reach your intended audience.
The good news is that you can hire a social media marketing agency to help you answer those questions and develop a strategy before posting so you reach the right audience and grow your social media “following.”
Maybe you are thinking “Why should I do any of this?” Very simply, for brand awareness. Several social media case studies have shown that social media has a big influence on brand awareness not just through organic and paid social but also through influencer marketing. Managing social media goes beyond just simply crafting a post. Social media is as big today for spreading brand awareness as TV was years ago. Don’t get me wrong, TV still brings awareness, but it is good to embrace new technology and tools to promote your business in today’s world.
Influencer marketing has a huge impact on brand awareness. It allows your content to reach large audiences similar to your market with people who already trust the person reposting your content. Although a money maker, it is time-consuming to manage on your own. A social media marketing agency can help establish the right person to represent your brand, manage the content and monitor your budget.
The world of social media is a wide-open door. There are new avenues to help promote your brand every day. Keeping up with the trends can be exhausting for businesses but it is a social media marketing agency’s job to remain up-to-date on trends.
Strategic Marketing is a traditional and digital marketing agency that has been in business for 28 years. We are not just a social media marketing agency, but an agency that offers multiple marketing and advertising services that most businesses require today to remain competitive. If you would like to learn more about what we do, you can contact us at (561) 688-8155 or visit us at www.thinkstrategic.com.
- Published in Marketing Strategy, Technology
Is Your Local Business Prepared for Voice Search?
People are relying on voice search more and more these days, and it is essential that local businesses are set up so they get included voice search. It’s believed that two out of five adults use voice search daily and it is expected that half of most searches will move from the keyboard to voice. Voice speakers like Google and Alexa are most frequently used and 62% of people using these voice-activated speakers expect to buy something through them within the next month. This means that businesses that are optimized for local search have a better chance for ranking at the top of the search results page. This is why it is important for your business to be prepared for voice search. Let’s dive a little deeper.
What is Google 3-Pack and Why Does it Matter to Voice Search?
Local Pack is a section of Google’s search results that shows the local businesses related to your search query. Whenever your query has a local intent, Google will show three local businesses that might answer it. Why is it important to be among the 3-Pack? It shows in the #1 position 93% of the time. Also, the “near me” search query has increased 34x since 2011. So, it is important that your local business is on Google My Business and other local directories like Yelp. If you are not set up yet, here is how to do it. Voice search can help a small local business beat larger chains, and it makes Google happy because they want their search queries to be accurate.
How Do I Set Up and Rank for Local Pack?
First, it is important to note how essential to make sure all your business information is consistent. Small errors like “Ste” or “Suite” can make a difference to Google. Streamlining this process is easier with directory assistance. We use “Smartlist” which ensures all information on all directories is the same. Second, Google wants to make sure they answer their search queries as accurately by using the best results with results such as key factors such as proximity, category and keyword.
How Does Local Pack and Reviews Improve Voice Search?
Voice Search is increasing every year. 20% of the online population already uses voice search and 58% of mobile users use it for a local business search. Many of these users consider it as their first choice. Making sure your business information is online is crucial, but so are reviews. Reviews are extremely important to ranking in the Local Pack and essentially voice search. By having many reviews from Google and Yelp, especially five-star ones, it is likely Google will rank your business. Reviews can also determine if you get into the 3-Pack or not. This is why it is important to have a reputation management program. We use “SmartRep” to manage our reviews and reputation. Ask your satisfied customers for a Google review because it has a positive impact not only for voice search, but also for web traffic and search engine optimization (SEO).
Where Do Voice Devices Get Their Data?
Not all voice search devices are alike. Each one obtains data from different sources. Siri and Google Assistant obtain information from the 3-Pack Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and from Yelp. Alexa obtains data from Bing, Yelp and Yext data. To get the most out of voice search, you want to optimize your business for all devices.
We’re Here to Help
Strategic Marketing is a full-service advertising agency that can assist you with local SEO, reputation management and many additional services. Please contact us with any questions or let us know how we can assist you with voice search.
- Published in Marketing Strategy, Strategic Marketing, Web Design
The Pros and Cons of In-House Marketing vs. Agency
The age-old debate of using in-house marketing vs. an agency is still being discussed because marketing is ever evolving. Take a look at how COVID-19 has changed the way businesses are marketing now. Brick and mortar businesses are finding the value of online marketing and are ramping up their marketing efforts to improve traffic to their business. There are many pros and cons to both that may be helpful in scaling or growing your business. Listed below are just a few things to think about before making that difficult decision.
#1 – Resources
Your customers need to know that you are available and are still providing the services or products they need to maintain their business. While businesses may not be functioning as usual, many are working remotely and are focusing more on their online communications. Let your customers know how to reach you and advise them of the services or products that may have changed due to the complications of the pandemic.
#2 – Mastered Skillset
It is possible to find well-rounded marketing employees when developing an in-house marketing team, but it does indeed take a team to have mastered skillsets. Not all start-up businesses have a marketing budget or enough revenue to hire a full-service team so it makes sense to outsource certain pieces, or all of their marketing to an agency. An in-house marketing team in a large-scale business may have the resources for a mastered team but it must be determined if the ROI outweighs the costs.
#3 – Maintaining A Competitive Edge
Marketing is ever evolving and it is important to keep abreast of the trends and technology that keep you ahead of your competition. It is possible to do this with in-house marketing if the company invests in marketing education, new technology and resources. However, most of the time, unless you have a large enough marketing team, this investment outweighs the Return on Investment (ROI) and it is more cost-effective to outsource the marketing to an agency.
#4 – Growing or Scaling Your Business
When you have an in-house marketing team, if you want to grow or scale your business you will need to either hire or let go of employees. The hiring of new employees is a rather lengthy process, between interviewing and training. For example, say your competitor decides to launch a new product or a new feature to enhance their existing product. How quickly would you need to ramp up your marketing efforts? Rather quickly. With an in-house marketing team, it may not be quick enough to get you to where you need to be in time to beat your competition. However, an agency already has the staff in place to take on new work or scale it without you losing an employee. In-house marketing may make more sense when your business is in a place to maintain a dedicated marketing team. There are many pros and cons to in-house marketing vs. agency.
#5 – Communication and Networking
Communication and networking are extremely important in marketing, whether you have an in-house marketing team or if your company confers with an agency. An in-house marketing team, depending on the size, may have some limitations brainstorming with other peers in their field. However, when a business has partnered with an agency, that business would have both employees who are knowledgeable about business operations and an outsourced marketing team that has the ability to brainstorm marketing ideas. Communication with an agency is essential to understanding the company mission, branding and goals.
#6 – Cost
Cost is a major factor when hiring an in-house marketing team or outsourcing it. The pro for a small start-up is that they can manage and closely monitor their own marketing content and brand. However, as that small business grows, it will need to hire more employees or think about outsourcing. When considering an in-house team, a business needs to think about employee turnover, factor in the costs of replacing that employee, the additional training and the effect it has on other staff members, all which can cost thousands of dollars. When everything is outsourced, that cost goes away and you just pay your retainer or monthly fee.
There are several situations to consider when planning an in-house team or choosing an agency. Both can work well depending on your business’s challenges and goals. Some businesses choose both so that they have control over content, branding and other marketing deliverables while others choose to outsource everything and keep a very open communication flow with an agency. Strategic Marketing is a full-service agency that will help you with your marketing planning or what will work best for your budget and your overall company mission. Let us help you decide. Contact us at https://thinkstrategic.com/contact/ or at 561-688-8155.
- Published in Marketing Strategy, Strategic Marketing, Web Design
