Ryan Stephens Marketing

The vast majority of agencies have caught on to how important digital marketing efforts and social media have become. Of those, most realize how important it is to monitor the online discussion, but what are some ways in which agencies can use monitoring tools to enhance the overall experience for their clients?

For Potential Clients:

1.) To Demonstrate the Value of Social Media – So many companies know they should be participating in social media merely because there are examples of other big brands experimenting and having success, but they don’t necessarily understand how it’s applicable for their brand. Physically demonstrate (or have the account manager for the monitoring solution you’re using demonstrate) how the tool can uncover influencers, capture industry trends, measure key performance indicators, aid the lead generation process, evaluate competitors and more.

When they see the potential power of this tool coupled with your agency’s ability to help them leverage these insights in their marketing/PR campaigns you’ll break down that initial resistance.

2.) Amplify the Power of Your Proposals – How many RFP’s (request for proposals) do you receive a week? I worked at a small boutique and I often pumped out two or three a week. Using a monitoring solution helps you acquire and filter valuable insights in an efficient matter. Can you imagine the look on their face when you turn the proposal around in a day or two with more knowledge of their brand in the online space than they have?

If the monitoring solution you’re using has a sleek interface (and many do at this point), consider using screen captures of your console in the proposal. Not only does this demonstrate the effectiveness of the tool, but it also provides an additional aesthetic element that should not be underestimated.

For Current Clients:

3.) Research – Sure you can ask people to fill out a traditional survey, but using a monitoring tool to acquire insight in real time is significantly valuable as well. How are people responding to your client’s latest promotion? Where is their message getting the most traction, on what platform? This type of deep customer research enables you to help shape future marketing initiatives and determine the most optimal way to engage customers.

4.)Crisis Management/Prevention – All brands screw up at some point, but there’s more people watching if it’s a big brand. Using a monitoring solution to keep an eye on your clients’ customer’s complaints is a good start. Often times predicting where the conversation is trending, especially if it’s potentially negative buzz, can enable your client to nip it in the butt before it becomes a full blown disaster. But provided the shit does the fan, you’re already pulling in the relevant conversation and can provide your client with a wealth of information and advice on how to react most appropriately.

This can include seeing where and with whom the crisis originated from instead of retroactively trying to track a conversation across multiple social media platforms; a tough if not impossible task.

5.) Continued Education – While the tool you use certainly compliments these efforts, this example deviates in that it’s based more on the culture your company. It’s important to realize that while many ad/pr/marketing agencies are slowly making the transition, there are countless others still rooted in traditional television efforts, one-way broadcasts and fancy copy and art work that must be examined countless times before going to press. Content shouldn’t be stagnant anymore, rather conversational in a way that builds trust and loyalty.

Use your monitoring tool to show the type of content that works in the digital space. As Jason Falls explains here, it’s much different than what many agencies are used to: it’s nimble, quick, conversational, and responsive. (His words, not mine). Whether you’re executing for your clients, giving them the resources do it themselves (maybe the most authentic solution), or helping them find strategic partnerships to compliment their efforts, a monitoring solution will play an important role in the future success of your relationship with your clients.

What Else?

For those of you who work in an agency, how do you leverage your monitoring solution? What agencies are doing this well? What monitoring companies are providing the tools, resources and insights to guide their agency partners? Where am I off base? What am I forgetting? Please share your insights in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post please consider subscribing to receive future updates or connecting with me via Twitter or LinkedIn

Popularity: 2% [?]