7 Signs You’ve Hired The Wrong Social Media Agency (Part III)

15 Mar, 2013

The Final Two, Plus a Bonus

Well, we started this article with 7 signs, but wouldn't you know it, we've added one more! While staging this article, an agency decided to give us one more sign...and it's a doosey too! Too late to go back and change titles, so we'll just call the last point our "bonus sign". Consider it our P.S. to the signs of hiring the wrong peeps.

They Ignore Your Fans, Followers or Your Whole Damn Account

Social Media - Bed Bugs Post They say a picture speaks a thousand words. In this case, it’s bedbugs. When did this tenant post his picture of his bedbug-infested apartment on the real estate management company’s Facebook page? It was right around the holidays (Dec 26th, 2012 to be exact). How much time elapsed with no response from the social media agency handling the page? It was 10 days, right after the holiday break. And then they quickly DELETED THE POST!! Not the most genuine response in the face of a problem, and not a best practice by any means.

We geeks took a look at this Facebook user’s profile. He has 1,300+ friends. Need we write more about what happens when your social media agency can’t be bothered to monitor your account? Nope. (Yes, this was over the holidays, but isn't that why you hired professionals?)

They Don’t Proofread

We don’t know if this blog article was written by a social media agency, but we do know it was pushed-out by one. So whose fault is it that the headline has a serious typo? We believe this sort of critical oversight is part of the social media agency’s job. Not exactly what we call watching their client’s back.

Lack of Proofreading Companies hire social media professionals for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons tends to be a general oversight of all things social. Even if the business itself wrote this article and its headline, it’s the social media agency’s job to make sure what’s pushed-out socially from the brand is as perfect as possible (and free of obvious errors).

And Our Bonus Sign: They Tell People It’s Not You, It’s Them!

It’s not what you’re thinking either. If there ever was a granddaddy of all sins when it comes to social media management, it has to be this one. Social media is all about authenticity. What better way to destroy any sense of a company’s authentic social voice than to tell everybody “It’s not them. It’s us.” This picture is no joke.

This social media agency has told every Facebook fan of another brand (that's right... ANOTHER BRAND), that it’s actually NOT the brand posting, commenting or engaging with them. It’s really the agency! Shame. The cherry on the sundae is the “offer” placed on the others brand’s Facebook page. Really? Is this a Best Practice? (And really, shame on the brand too at this point because it’s still using this agency. Where is the common sense?)

Previous Article in Series:

7 Signs You’ve Hired The Wrong Social Media Agency (Part II)

About the Author

Darce Johnson

Ms Johnson brings with her deep experience in interactive media. Her work in strategic and tactical oversights includes analytics and optimization. Darce leads Geekly Group’s Managed Services as part of the company’s suite of technology offerings. Darce is an accomplished media professional with knowledge and experience in counseling clients on a variety of search and social media strategies.

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