So, you want to take your communications strategy to the next level, and you’re considering – or have already decided to – bring on a digital and social media marketing agency to make that happen.
Now what?!
We know that the onboarding process can be a little overwhelming, with meetings and emails nagging you for answers and info that might be outside the scope of your daily work. Ultimately, your new marketing team just wants to learn about your organization, so we can get to work sharing great content with the right audiences.
While each client is unique, we’ve noticed some common threads. So to help you get the ball rolling, we’ve compiled a list of questions for you to consider at the start of a new marketing partnership or campaign.
Read on for the info you’ll need to to help kickstart your new strategy, and set your marketing partner – and your business – up for success!
What are your goals for digital and social media marketing?
What do you want your digital marketing and social media strategy to accomplish? It may sound like a straightforward question, but by identifying your objectives – and communicating them to your marketing partner – you’ll get better results, faster.
Some examples might include:
Lending credibility: At the most basic level, having a social media presence helps confer legitimacy, and can make potential customers feel more confident about purchasing your products or services. Posts and articles focused on thought leadership also fall into this category, reinforcing your position as an expert in your field.
Engage with audiences: Maybe you have a lot of followers/clients, but you want more opportunities to connect with them. You can use social media to get their feedback on the types of services they’re looking for, or the topics that are top of mind for them.
Increasing brand awareness: Another common goal is to get your organization out in front of new people, and increase familiarity with your brand.
Drive website traffic: Social media and digital marketing can be a great way to get more eyes on your website.
Boost sales: You know what this is all about!
Your campaign might include a few of these goals, and/or something totally unique to your organization! As you can imagine, the types of posts we create for you will be very different depending on what you want to accomplish.
Once we understand what you’re looking to achieve, we’ll work with you to find the right balance between posts that promote a product or service, posts that share valuable information, and posts that help you retain and grow your audience.
Is paid social media part of your plan?
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a shift away from organic content, as platforms prioritize paid socials. Organic is still important, but if your goals include increasing awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting sales, you’ll want to consider including a paid component.
Who is your target audience?
Gather up any information you have about the types of people that typically use your products or services, and any new markets you’d like to explore.
How much time are you able/interested in putting into content creation?
Maybe you’re coming to us because you’re at capacity, and need someone to take digital and social media marketing off your plate. Or perhaps you love working on content creation, but need some help with optimization. Or it could be that you really HATE posting, and would rather spend your time and energy working on the parts of your job that you actually enjoy.
Give some thought to how much time and energy you’re prepared to spend on your social media, and how involved you’d like to be in content creation. We’ll always need some input (especially in the beginning) and a bit of your time to review content, but we can factor in your preferences and availability while we’re building your strategy.
Who will be the point person/people on your team?
Decide who will be responsible for reviewing content, and for fielding any questions we might have. This will help ensure there’s a clear chain of command and a timely approval process, so your content rolls out smoothly.
Which platforms do you want to use?
Which accounts are you currently using? Are you interested in expanding to new platforms? Are your target audiences similar or different on each platform? We can have a discussion, and make recommendations based on your industry. (You can also check out this blog post about choosing the best platforms for your business.)
Do you have login info for your social accounts?
This might sound obvious, but you’ll want to make sure you have access to your social media accounts. This is especially important if your accounts have been inactive for a while, or if you had someone else posting for you in the past. You typically don’t need to share passwords with us, but you’ll need to get into the backend in order to give us posting access.
What are your key dates, important seasons, etc?
If October is your busiest month, or you always have a big event in May, we want to know!
Do you have a look? Logos? Colours? Fonts? Photos?
If not, that’s okay! We can work with you to build your branding. But if you already have logos, etc., you’ll want to gather them up for us, so we can hit the ground running. And if you have a folder of photographs (events, products, team members, etc.), don’t forget to share those, too.
What do you like or dislike?
Love Oxford commas? Can’t stand pink? Wild about puns? If there’s something you feel strongly about, please let us know!
What makes you or your organization stand out?
Similarly, if there’s a value that is central to your organization, or a belief that drives the work you do, don’t be shy about sharing it with us! It will help us understand what makes you YOU, and likely what makes your organization unique, too! This is especially important for small businesses and solopraneurs, but we think it applies to most of our clients!
Don’t Panic!
If this list seems daunting, don’t worry! You don’t necessarily have to have a fully-formed answer to each of the questions above. Consider this a starting point to help you get the most out of your early meetings.
It’s okay to ask questions, and ask for our recommendations and guidance.
But by doing a bit of brainstorming – and gathering some materials – you’ll feel more prepared for these conversations, and we’ll be able to help get your social content off the ground faster. PLUS it can help ensure we’re all on the same page, so you can get the most out of your digital and social media marketing efforts!
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