Written By Danielle Fauteaux
I had a conversation today with the president of a marketing agency. Part of our conversation revolved around the changes in the social media landscape that are impacting the offerings her agency can provide to clients.
A Pattern Emerges
Not unlike other digital marketing agencies, this organization has been seeing
- Clients dropping social media from existing retainers.
- Client perceiving brand awareness efforts unsatisfactory.
- Lackluster revenue attribution for clients.
- Unenthusiastic employees due to the drudgery of social management tasks.
- A widening gap in seeing what clients need but not having the ability to deliver.
Coming into our conversation, the president already knew what some of her possible paths for solving for the emerging patterns were.
- Her team could retool offerings and the related implementation role.
- They could sell a new social media package that better solves for clients in the new social media landscape.
- They could drop all forms of social media offering altogether to focus on other things.
- They could find a specialized partner.
She and I talked about the situation for a bit and I added a couple of options to her existing list for consideration.
Applications In Your Agency
The changes to the social media landscape are taking a new shape than previous iterations have. That new shape is one where content curation and promotional posting as social media management solutions are becoming less relevant. Unseen. Unappreciated by paying clients.
Why? Because the deliverables aren’t of the same quality that an in-house employee could deliver with much greater authenticity, brand voice, medium variations and social engagement activities.
Social media is now the place for influencers and micro-influencers. Full stop.
To do social well requires a different approach in 2022 than the approaches that worked in 2010 or just a short while ago in 2018. It means grooming clients to become micro-influencers in their space. Clients who want to be active on social media are literally asking for help in becoming influencers, even if they are saying it with different terms. Listen closer.
Key Considerations
If you are a social media marketing focused agency, are you hearing your clients? How are you responding to add value to your existing clients (for retention) and to position your company for new client acquisition? What are you doing to equip your team to deliver (with tools and training)?
If you are a full service digital marketing agency that offers social media solutions, are you thinking ahead to what this means for you? You may not feel the shift as much yet because you have other offerings, but that may make it more a masked reality than anything.
If you offer any sort of creative production like graphic design or videography, are you offering the right kinds of pre-production and post-production strategy to align your deliverables with your clients’ shifting social media strategies?
Don’t assume clients are okay with the status quo that worked 3 years ago.
Ideate.
Innovate.
Iterate.
Building a successful marketing agency takes grit, a focus on your value, and sometimes a *loving* kick in the pants.
Needing an ally as you achieve your long-term goals?
I’d be happy to help.
