As a Higher Education, Government, Marketing or Public Relations Communicator one of the hardest messages you’ll ever have to communicate is your department’s need to hire a digital or social media agency to your organization’s leadership. This can be especially hard if your leadership is not very social media savvy and doesn’t quite understand the impact social media can have on your communication goals and your organization as a whole.
While it can be a challenge getting leadership to get behind hiring an agency, it’s not impossible. Use the talking points and tips below to design or refine your business case. Working with a social media or digital agency means:
- You’re Gaining Access to Latest in Social Media News and Information – It’s the agency’s job to stay up to date on the latest social media technology, solutions, and federal regulations — including accessibility, GDPR, and the Free and Open Information Act. This can be extremely hard for an organization to do, especially if social media management is not your only responsibility.
- You’re Getting Recommendations from An Unbias Third Party– Most agencies are not tied to specific software or product solution, so they’re able to make recommendations that are solely based on your organization’s needs and not an ulterior motive to sell anything beyond the right solution for your organization.
- You’re Getting Solutions That Are Sound and Can Stand On Their Own– A good agency will provide solutions that don’t leave you beholden to working with the agency indefinitely unless the current organizational structure demands it. What good is a website that can only be updated by the agency and not someone on your team? What good is a strategy where every aspect of it only works if the agency executes it?
- You’re Gaining a Team vs. An Individual- When you hire an agency you gain a team of Subject Matter Experts all dedicated to providing real solutions to your top challenges. Often for the cost of hiring a full-time employee, you can have access to collective brain trust that you can leverage over and over again.
Some additional tips:
- Share Case Studies and Testimonials- Once you’ve chosen an agency, share their case studies, testimonials, videos, and social media profiles. Let leadership know that the agency you’ve chosen can handle the job and fits your organization’s culture.
- Start Small- If you think leadership will still be hesitant to hire an agency or social media consultant, start with a small project first. A smaller project like a social media audit or training workshop will allow your team and leadership to see the agency’s expertise in action and to see how well you work together.
Good Luck!