Social Media Management: You Get What You Pay For

A few months ago, I bought an HP laptop from Wal-Mart. I thought I was getting a great deal on a functional and cute little device that I could take with me anywhere.  A few days after buying the computer, it shut off and would not re-start. I had to spend about three hours troubleshooting the issue then wiping my computer and re-installing all the software. Not long after that, the key started to stick on the trackpad so I had to start using a mouse, which made it much less mobile-friendly.  It’s also slow...

It… Takes... Forever…

To…Open… A...

New...Window...

Now, I’m looking into buying a MacBook, which is more than double the cost of the HP laptop I bought. But, I’m fine with that as long as it’s well-built and works efficiently.

The old adage is true - you get what you pay for.  And yes, even I try to cut corners with costs only to find to be reminded of this lesson the hard way.

It seems my prospects are in the same boat. This past week, we spoke with several folks who inquired about our services – two of which decided not to work with us solely based on cost.  Unfortunately, there are too many companies who offer cheap, packaged services with no strategic plan. Sure, they manage social media, but what does that mean? I understand that we don’t know what we don’t know so let me set the record straight.

Experience and Expertise Matter. We’ve spent over five years in the social media management field and we’ve worked with dozens of industries across the globe. We know how to use social media effectively to engage an audience, strengthen your brand, and nurture relationships with your customers and prospects. In this ever-changing field, experience equates to results. As such, fees should be commensurate with experience.

A Strategy is Critical. A business must have a social media strategy in place in order to actualize results. What are we measuring if there are no concrete social media goals or methodology for reaching them? When we work with clients for the first time, we first establish clear goals and we create a social media strategy that serves as our roadmap for managing their efforts.

There’s No One-Size-Fits-All.  There’s no way to ‘can’ a social media presence and win big overnight. It just doesn’t happen this way. Your business is unique, so why would your social media presence be any different? We create a customized plan by taking the time to learn about your company, your unique competitive strengths, and the value you offer. We then match your marketing approach with your business goals.

Not All Social Media Management Companies Are Created Equal. There’s simply posting content and then there’s social media management. We provide services that go far beyond posting messages to your social media sites. We offer full service management, which means we create a strategy for a goal-driven social media presence that includes building your audience, developing and posting content, monitoring the channels, engaging with your audience, and developing reports to ensure your social media efforts are in alignment with your goals.

You may have heard the phrase: “Fast, Good or Cheap. Pick Two.”  The simple lesson is that we can’t have it all, so we must pick what’s most important.  If cheap trumps the other two, well, perhaps Yellowbook is for you.