As a marketer, staying on top of trends and tools is critical to success.
Social media has revolutionized how brands engage with customers and is an essential component of any marketing strategy.
However, many companies struggle with how to set proper expectations around social media efforts and accountability.
Implementing a Social Media Service Level Agreement (SLA) is key.
An SLA establishes guidelines between internal teams and agencies to optimize social media outcomes.
In this article, I'll unpack what a Social Media SLA entails, why it's important, and how to develop one for your organization.
With social media showing no signs of slowing down, having clarity on goals, responsibilities, and metrics is vital.
A Social Media SLA helps provide the framework to drive real business impact from your social media marketing.
Defining the Social Media SLA
As a marketer, defining the social media service level agreement (SLA) with your clients is crucial for setting proper expectations and ensuring a successful partnership.
A social media SLA outlines the specific metrics, objectives and standards of performance for your social media marketing services.
To start, determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will track and optimize for, such as impressions, engagements, link clicks, followers growth, etc.
These KPIs should directly support your clients' business and marketing goals.
Specify the target numbers or percentages for each KPI in order to evaluate your performance objectively.
Next, establish the scope of services and platforms you will be responsible for.
Will you oversee Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn or just a select few networks? Will you handle content creation, community management, advertising, or all of the above? Be as detailed as possible here to avoid confusion later on.
Furthermore, include details on reporting and optimization practices.
For example, you may provide monthly reports on the performance of all social media profiles and campaigns, insights into what's working well and recommendations for improvements.
You should also outline your process for monitoring trends and staying up-to-date with each network's latest features and best practices.
Finally, determine response times and availability for community management and customer service needs.
Will you check social networks and respond to messages/comments within a few hours or within one business day? Ensure your SLA aligns with your team's actual bandwidth and abilities.
A comprehensive social media SLA helps set the foundation for a transparent and successful relationship with your marketing clients.
Be sure to review and revise the agreement periodically based on changes to the scope of work, platforms utilized and other factors.
With an airtight SLA in place, you and your clients can feel confident in a partnership built to achieve impactful results.
Why Your Business Needs a Social Media SLA
As a social media marketer, I know that managing multiple social media accounts for a business requires diligent effort and resources.
An effective way to clarify responsibilities and set proper expectations with clients is through a Social Media Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Why Your Business Needs a Social Media SLA
A Social Media SLA establishes the scope of work, key performance indicators (KPIs), reporting standards, and other details involved in a social media marketing campaign.
It helps provide transparency and accountability for both the marketer and the client.
Without an SLA, misunderstandings and inefficiencies can arise.
For example, a client may expect daily social media posts and engagement but the budget only covers bi-weekly posts.
An SLA would outline the specifics of the agreed-upon social media plan and schedule.
It would also contain metrics to measure the success and ROI of social media efforts, e.g.
impressions, engagements, link clicks, etc.
Additional benefits of a Social Media SLA include:
•Clarifying the responsibilities of both parties.
This includes content creation, community management, paid advertising, etc.
•Specifying the social media platforms and types of content to be used like blog posts, images, video, live streams, etc.
•Outlining reporting procedures and frequency.
For instance, monthly reports on key metrics and KPIs.
•Defining the process for making changes to the social media strategy and any associated costs.
•Protecting sensitive brand information and intellectual property.
The SLA establishes confidentiality and non-disclosure guidelines.
A Social Media SLA may require legal review but will ultimately help streamline your social media marketing, lead to greater transparency, and result in a more successful partnership with your clients.
Creating one is well worth the investment.
Key Elements to Include in Your Social Media SLA
As a social media manager, having a well-defined social media service level agreement (SLA) in place with your clients is essential.
A social media SLA establishes the scope of work, responsibilities, and metrics for success between you and your clients.
It helps set proper expectations upfront and avoids confusion or disagreements down the line.
Define Your Services
Clearly outline the specific social media services you will provide, e.g.
content creation, community management, advertising, etc.
Be as detailed as possible in describing each service.
For example, for content creation you might specify you will post 3-5 social media posts per week across the client’s social channels.
Set Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Work with your client to determine meaningful metrics and KPIs to measure the success and ROI of your social media efforts.
Some options include:
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Engagement (likes, comments, shares)
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Impressions and reach
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Traffic and click-throughs to the website
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Leads and conversions
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Sentiment analysis and reputation scores
Determine Responsibilities
Plainly state what you as the social media manager are responsible for, as well as any responsibilities of the client.
For example, you may be responsible for content creation and community management while the client provides images, video, products, etc.
and final approval of content.
Be clear on who will handle technical issues and customer service inquiries.
Define the Process
Map out your exact process for executing the social media strategy, including details like:
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How and when you will report to the client (e.g.
weekly reports, monthly meetings) -
Your content creation and approval process
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How you will monitor performance and make optimizations
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Any tools you will use (e.g.
social media management platforms, analytics tools)
A well-crafted social media SLA helps ensure transparency, accountability, and a successful long-term relationship with your clients.
Be sure to review and revise the agreement periodically to meet changing needs and priorities.
With open communication and proper expectations in place, you and your clients will work together seamlessly to achieve social media success.
Setting Service Level Expectations
As a marketer developing an SLA with a social media agency or freelancer, defining service level expectations upfront is crucial.
This helps ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of responsibilities and accountability.
Response Times
Specifying acceptable response times for different types of social media inquiries and issues should be a top priority in any SLA.
For example, a reasonable expectation may be:
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Respond to general social media messages and comments within 4 to 6 hours during business hours.
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Address urgent matters like negative comments, customer complaints or crisis situations within 2 hours.
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Be available for emergency response 24/7 with a maximum initial response time of 1 hour.
Content Creation
If content creation is part of the scope, the SLA should outline:
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The types of content the agency will develop (social media posts, blogs, images, video, etc.).
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Frequency of posting for different channels like daily for Facebook, 2-3 times a week for LinkedIn.
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Review and approval process for content before posting.
For example, provide draft posts 3 business days in advance of scheduled posting date. -
Usage rights for any content created on your behalf to ensure you retain full ownership and publishing rights.
Reporting
Insist on detailed reporting and analytics to evaluate the performance and ROI of your social media efforts.
Common reporting may include:
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Weekly or monthly summaries of key metrics like followers, engagement, traffic, etc.
across channels. -
Google Analytics reports on goal completions and source attribution.
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Sentiment analysis reports to gain insights into the overall tone of conversations.
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Competitive benchmark reports comparing your performance to industry peers.
By being highly specific in the SLA regarding service levels for response times, content, reporting and all other facets of the social media relationship, you set the right expectations and have a mechanism in place for accountability.
Be sure to review and revise the SLA periodically to keep up with changes in priorities, platforms and best practices.
Measuring and Optimizing Based on Your SLA
As a marketer, measuring and optimizing your social media SLA is crucial to ensuring you are meeting both your internal key performance indicators as well as your clients’ needs.
To properly gage the effectiveness of your SLA, there are a few key metrics I would recommend tracking.
Response Times
The first metric to measure is how quickly your team is responding to social media comments, messages, and posts.
According to industry standards, the ideal response time for social media customer service is within 60 minutes.
However, for optimal customer experience, aim for responding within 30 minutes or less.
You can track your average response time using the analytic tools within each social media platform.
Resolution Rates
In addition to quick response times, analyze how often your team is able to resolve a customer’s issue during the first interaction.
A high first contact resolution rate, such as 80-90%, demonstrates your team’s ability to address concerns efficiently without needing to pass the customer to another department.
You should monitor your resolution rates on a monthly basis to determine any areas for improvement.
Customer Satisfaction
One of the best ways to optimize your SLA is by directly engaging with your customers and clients.
Send out surveys asking how satisfied they were with your team’s responsiveness and ability to resolve their issues.
Look for any feedback on how you can better meet their needs.
Even a small sample size of 10-15 responses per quarter can provide valuable insights into improving your services.
By routinely measuring these key metrics, I can gain actionable insights into enhancing my social media SLA to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and the desired business outcomes.
Consistently monitoring response times, resolution rates, and customer feedback has been instrumental for my team in crafting an optimized SLA that balances both our business goals as well as our clients’ needs.
Our social media SLA has become a dynamic document that evolves to meet the demands of an ever-changing digital landscape.
Conclusion
As marketers, it's critical we establish transparency and set proper expectations with our clients and partners.
A well-defined social media SLA helps ensure we are all on the same page regarding response times, content approvals, metrics, and reporting.
While an SLA requires effort to develop, it leads to healthier long-term relationships and higher satisfaction for all parties involved.
I have found that taking the time to craft a thoughtful SLA, then consistently delivering on its terms, is key to success in social media marketing.
With an SLA in place, we can get down to the real work of connecting brands with customers in meaningful ways through social platforms.
The rewards of that work, when done right, are well worth the effort.
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