Questions to Ask When Selecting a Social Media Marketing Platform
The editors at Solutions Review have compiled a list of the most important questions to ask when looking into a social media marketing platform for your company’s marketing strategy.
Social media marketing is one of the fundamental pillars of a successful marketing strategy. However, since every social media marketing platform has different capabilities and use cases, finding the right one for your company’s needs can be challenging. With that in mind, the Solutions Review editors compiled a list of questions to consider when talking with various social media marketing platform providers. These questions will help you understand the software’s capabilities, fit for your organization’s specific needs, and the vendor’s ability to support your implementation and ongoing use of the technology.
Questions to Ask When Selecting a Social Media Marketing Platform
What social media platforms does the provider support?
Different social media marketing platform providers may support different social media platforms. As a result, your company must work with a solution capable of supporting your marketing efforts across social channels. For example, some providers may only support Facebook and Instagram, while others may also support LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and other platforms. It’s essential to ensure that your chosen provider supports the platforms most relevant to your business and target audience.
What features and tools are included in the platform?
Each social media marketing platform provider may offer different features and tools to help you manage your marketing efforts. These features may include scheduling posts, creating and publishing ads, analytics and reporting, social listening, content creation tools, and more. Take some time to identify the features your marketing team needs for their social media strategy and seek a platform with the tools to support those needs.
What is the pricing model?
Every social media marketing platform will likely use a different pricing model, such as monthly or yearly subscriptions, pay-per-click or pay-per-impression, or a percentage of ad spend. For example, if you have a small budget, you may want to choose a provider that offers a low-cost subscription or pay-per-click model. Understanding and evaluating the pricing model against your budget and marketing goals is essential.
How does the software integrate with other tools in your marketing technology stack?
Any platform your marketing team uses should integrate with the other tools in their tech stack. Not only does it provide marketers with comprehensive customer journey data, but it can also help improve efficiency, optimize targeting, maintain brand consistency across channels, and make it easier to track the performance of marketing campaigns. Many leading social media platforms come with pre-built integrations to various solutions (i.e., heavy-hitters like HubSpot, Zendesk, or Salesforce). Still, it’s also worthwhile to look into the specific options each provider has available.
What kind of customer support is available?
Knowing what kind of customer support a platform provider offers is crucial. Does their customer support team provide live chat services? Is it email only, or do they also assist over the phone? Does the provider’s website offer an in-depth knowledge base that can answer any questions your team encounters? You may also want to ask about the provider’s response times and availability, especially if you need assistance during non-business hours. Some providers may also offer training resources or a dedicated account manager to help you get the most out of their platform.
How does the provider ensure the safety and security of your data?
Data privacy and security are significant concerns for businesses using social media marketing platforms. Ask about the provider’s data protection policies, data encryption, and other security measures they have in place to protect your business’s data. You may also want to ask about their compliance with industry regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA.