How do you know if you’ve chosen the right social media agency? Do you read online reviews? Or look at their website and ask about their social media advertising services? These are useful tactics. However, they’re not the only options for determining if you’re working with a great agency. You should also ask about the company’s client onboarding process. This guide explains the importance of the onboarding process with a social media agency and how to tell if a company has a good client onboarding strategy.
Importance of the Onboarding Process with A Social Media Agency
Onboarding is often overlooked — by clients and agencies specializing in advertising and social media marketing.
If you’re not sure why onboarding matters, here are some of the top benefits a solid agency onboarding strategy offers:
Set Clear Goals and Expectations
One of the most significant benefits of onboarding is that it allows clients to set clear goals and share their expectations.
When a client meets with a social media expert, they should get a chance to explain the following:
- Their business’s products or services
- What they want to accomplish
- What they’re struggling with regarding their social media presence
- What social media marketing strategies/platforms they’ve tried previously
This part of the onboarding process ensures everyone is on the same page right from the start. It prevents confusion and minimizes frustration.
Learn How to Be a Great Client
Presently, it’s not just clients who get a chance to share their expectations. The social media team also gets to explain what they do and how they work.
The team can also discuss what the client can do to help them achieve great results. For example, they might outline the specific information they need from the client or share potential issues that could slow down future campaigns (and how to avoid them).
Enjoy Peace of Mind
In addition to being a great client, it’s important to enjoy peace of mind. The more you know about an agency’s onboarding process, the easier it is to trust that they’ve got your best interests in mind and will work hard to produce the best outcomes.
If an agency doesn’t tell you much about its onboarding approach (or doesn’t mention it all), it might not be as organized as you’d like.
The company might not provide as much consistency or clarity as others that have taken the time to establish and implement a solid onboarding process.
Get a Quality Product
A social media agency that values onboarding understands how to keep clients happy. They’re committed to customer satisfaction and strive to be as transparent as possible.
This transparency works in your favor. It tells you what to expect from the very beginning. It also lets you stay informed while working with the team on social media projects.
Experience Better Business Results
Your business will see better outcomes when you get a quality product — a paid advertising campaign, an influencer marketing campaign, social media copy, etc. — from your social media agency.
It doesn’t matter if you want to attract more social media followers, drive more traffic to your website, or increase the sales of a new product. A social media agency with an in-depth onboarding process will help you achieve your goals and ensure your business stays on the right track.
Save Time and Money
Outsourcing your social media strategy to an agency can easily save you time and money. However, if the agency doesn’t have a good onboarding process, you might not realize they’re not a good fit until it’s too late.
A clear, detailed onboarding strategy teaches you about the agency and its offerings from day one. This information ensures you don’t continue working with a company (i.e., wasting time and money) that isn’t equipped to work with a client like you.
Build Stronger Relationships
Furthermore, good onboarding allows you to build strong relationships with the agency’s social media team.
Strong relationships help you feel more comfortable asking questions or addressing concerns. They create a more positive, collaborative environment that increases your chances of getting a great finished product and achieving your unique business goals.
How to Evaluate an Agency’s View on the Importance of the Onboarding Process
The best virtual social media agencies are staffed with talented, technologically savvy professionals. They also know the importance of an onboarding process with a social media agency.
These experts specialize in creating clear and concise processes for clients to follow. One way they accomplish this is through a detailed, carefully planned onboarding process.
You understand the importance of evaluating an agency’s onboarding process. However, you might still wonder how to tell if they have a good strategy.
Here are some factors to consider during your assessment:
Onboarding Timeline
The agency should have a distinct onboarding timeline. They should be able to tell you how long it takes to onboard a new client, what happens during that period, etc.
If they can’t describe their timeline, it’s likely they haven’t created or fine-tuned their onboarding process.
Day One Experience
The “Day One” experience is one of the most critical aspects of an onboarding process. What happens on the first day of working with an agency?
Will they let you know what assets they need from your brand? Or meet with you to begin communicating with your team? Have they provided a questionnaire to get to know you, your business, and your goals? You want to ensure your social media agency is checking off the questions above on day one of onboarding.
Asset Collection
Asset collection involves gathering all the information the agency needs to deliver a quality product and ensure you’re satisfied. This process involves collecting information about your business, current social strategy, target audience, and what you want to accomplish.
Communication Processes
A lack of communication is one of the biggest hurdles businesses face when outsourcing anything (including social media marketing). The onboarding process should provide information about the agency’s communication strategy. It should answer questions like, “how can I get in touch with your team?” “when are you available?” and “how long does it take you to respond?”
Progress Monitoring
Lastly, the onboarding process should include information about how the agency monitors progress and keeps you informed.
How frequently do you get progress reports? How often can you check in and evaluate the team’s work?
Choose A Social Media Agency Who Knows the Importance of the Onboarding Process
These days, the options for social media network marketing agencies are practically limitless.
That being said, if you’re overwhelmed by your choices, be sure to consider each agency’s social media onboarding process. If they don’t provide a smooth onboarding process, they’ll struggle to understand your goals and create content that aligns with your brand’s values and ultimate mission.
If you’re looking for a digital media agency with social media expertise, work with us at Socialistics! We offer a stellar client onboarding guide to get to know you, understand your needs, and create a strategy that levels up your online presence.
Contact us today to learn more about how Socialistics gets you real results and schedule a free consultation.
