How Has Social Media Redefined the Role of Advertising Agencies With Their Clients?

Social media. Even the least tech-savvy consumers are at least aware of social media (SM), and the vast majority of them use it daily. We're on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. We share our daily lives, exchange information, offer recommendations, obtain coupons and offers, and even just play games. Yet SM is far more than just a tool for consumers and casual web surfers; it's also an integral part of all modern marketing campaigns and a major part of what today's advertising agencies do for their clients. Social media is a game-changing element in the advertising and marketing industry, and it's here to stay.

Just how has SM redefined the role of advertising agencies with their clients?

First and foremost, the Internet never sleeps, and that means SM never, ever stops. With traditional marketing (print advertising, billboards, radio and TV commercials, flyers, mailers, etc.), advertising agencies could serve the needs of their clients during the workweek. True, ad executives are notorious for working around the clock, but the actual needs of the clients, prior to SM, were actually delivered upon during the workday. With SM, there is a 24/7/365 conversation happening, and it's the advertising agency's job to monitor, shape, participate in, and encourage that conversation when it pertains to a client's business.

In short, SM means advertising agencies are always working on every client's account. There's no, "We'll take care of the Jones account next week," with SM. Instead, it's an hour-by-hour constant stream of content management, data mining, and very public customer relations (think Facebook Pages), which brings us to our next point.

Advertising agencies used to tend to advertising. Now, they're extensions of their clients' customer service departments. When managing a client's social feed, advertising agencies are constantly responding to the comments, questions, concerns, compliments, and complaints the public shares via social outlets. They protect the brand by interacting appropriately with the public, data mining to ensure that they're not missing any negative comments that need addressing, and working with your in-house customer service to resolve issues that need to be handled internally.

Additionally, social media is an added layer in all marketing efforts. Not only does a strong social media presence require that advertising agencies keep up with the basics (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter), but they also have to know every up-and-coming, less popular, or less widely used social media platform (Tout, Google+, Yelp!). This means constant training and retraining, frequent client re-education sessions as new platforms and ideas come about, and marketing plans that are truly organic documents.

So, what does all of this mean for clients of advertising agencies?

Ultimately, social media means that today's companies require constant online monitoring and support, and that means more and more person-hours from their advertising agencies. It can be intimidating for smaller businesses, as constant monitoring, interacting, and data mining can come with a hefty price tag. However, the benefits of a well-managed social media presence far exceed the risks and cost. When fully integrated into all other marketing efforts, managed properly, and given some time to grow, the right social media presence is almost always one of the most cost-effective parts of any modern marketing plan.