Before we dive into this topic, a quick disclaimer on the title. When we talk about a ‘paid social media agency’, we don’t mean an agency that you pay for – all agencies come at a cost. Rather, we are referring to an agency that offers paid social media services: that is, support with your paid social ads and campaigns.
So, this article is all about whether or not your business needs support with its paid social marketing – and why, here at Mitchell & Stones, we believe that you probably do.
What Does a Paid Social Media Agency Do?
A marketing agency that offers paid social media support will combine experience and expertise with your unique business needs.
Staying ahead of the ever-changing lists of criteria and algorithms released by social media platforms, an agency ensures that any paid ads you release are always positioned to perform well – while never losing sight of your end goals.
What’s more, they leverage your social media content so that it engages with the right users, bridging the desire for more likes with the need for good ROI and a high conversion rate. With social media, it can be hard to lose sight of the end goal and the need to convert via the platform – but paid social ads help to build a backlog of data that lets you know who your followers are and what they are interested in.
How do Paid Social Media Ads Work?
To cut a long story short, paid social media ads are the posts that you see in your feed as you scroll, that aren’t linked with pages and accounts you proactively follow.
They are often designed and positioned to look just like any other post but with a banner CTA across the bottom that invites users to click through to a specific page or website. Some of the most common banner taglines include things like “Visit our Profile” and “Book Now”.
These ads are managed as sponsored content, with any business user able to promote their post and refine the target audience to help reach the right users.
The Benefits of a Paid Social Media Agency
Now that we know a bit more about paid social marketing and how it works, what are the benefits of working alongside an agency? After all, couldn’t you just promote one of your more successful posts that has already collected lots of likes?
The main benefit of working with a paid social media agency is the expertise they bring in terms of matching your business goals with the posts you promote; how you promote them, when, and where.
There are several platforms to choose from, all of which are geared towards different experiences and interactions, and which often appeal to different audiences and demographics.
An agency will first consider your business and what you want to achieve through social media, and will then identify the right platform, the right style of paid ad, and how to build an effective campaign.
The benefits you will receive include:
- Saving time and money – tapping into the skillsets of an experienced team, rather than recruiting a social media specialist and then having to train them in your business and industry
- Access to a team who all have their own skills and ideas
- Fresh thinking and ideas, balanced with an understanding of what works and what is feasible
- Underlying awareness of algorithms, platform trends, any policies you need to adhere to, and more
- All the data from your campaigns, packaged up into reports that let you track success and identify which campaigns and paid ads have performed the best
All in all, working with an agency gives you quick access to a team of specialists who know how to transform your ideas and your business into ads which will not only catch attention but command engagement and conversion.
When it comes to choosing the right agency to partner with on your paid social media journey, our advice is to look at case studies, find out which industries and markets they specialise in, and learn as much as you can about their communication and working style. Regular check-ins are a must, especially given the financial implications of paid social marketing, and you should also prioritise a partnership with an agency that understands and respects your vision.
Here at Mitchell & Stones, we work with all manner of clients and offer full service marketing support as well as targeted paid social marketing services and more. Get in touch to discuss our packages and options.
