How To Choose Partners For Social Marketing

This report outlines how interactive marketers can choose the right tools and partners for their social marketing programs. As an interactive marketer, you need to use new social technologies — but with few staff and little budget, you have no choice but to hire help from outside partners. How and who to choose amid the throng of consultants, agencies, and technology providers that call themselves experts in social media? For starters, understand the four kinds of partners you can hire for social media marketing, and which of the six types of help you may need that they offer. Next, follow these four steps: prioritize your objectives, determine which services you need, partner with technology firms for additional services, and rely on agencies to fill the gaps. To succeed, skip firms that merely talk a big game about social media — focus instead on those with real experience. This report updates "How To Choose The Right Partners For Social Media Marketing" originally published October 6, 2011.