Why do local niche agencies fare better when managing social media marketing?

There’s a refreshing, obvious & strong pattern in Singapore, where many brands are turning to niche, local agencies to oversee their social media marketing campaigns as compared to the big boys out there.

With social media being the hot topic for a while now, and looking set to get only hotter as platforms evolve & competition heats up, it sets the perfect ecosystem for smaller agencies to thrive.

These niche agencies have certain traits that give them this advantage, specifically being nimble, the close sharing of knowledge within the company, and having a rich understanding of what makes the local communities tick.

Nimble – Social media changes. Swiftly. Constantly. Unpredictably. What’s hot today, gets old tomorrow. What seems like the perfect mechanic one day, may be impossible to execute the next due to platform changes.

Agencies need to be able to ramp up their reaction time, to adjust & adapt to these tweaks fast. Based on observations from the style of the biggest player, Facebook, users are given at most a two week prior notice from when changes are announced till the time they are imposed.

And this is if they even issue a release about it. In these situations, smaller agencies are able to react well by realigning process quicker, disseminating relevant & crucial information to various parties faster, and are able to get the deployment team to respond swifter.

Knowledge sharing – To be able to fully grasp the workings of the various social media platforms, a lot of research must be done. A lot.

Staying on the forefront of development is essential, as it presents a steady awareness of the latest updates to arm yourself with what’s next, while at the same time, ensuring that campaign ideas are feasible & executable (one thing many marketers forget when dreaming of the most creative campaign.)

Within a smaller workgroup, learnings are exchanged more frequently, information shared more often, with stakeholders being both contributors & receivers. This set up helps ensure that every team member is kept up to pace, and propels a more sophisticated level of understanding of social media marketing within the agency, which would benefit the brands they work with.

Understanding the community – With social media, the focus is on content & conversations. Gone are the days of one way communication & broadcast modes of marketing. Brands now want to engage & interact with their community, by building more personal and intimate relationships with their consumers.

As such, brands are reaching out to consumers in a more localized manner, by utilizing nuances, undertones & relevancy of content. It then takes members of an agency who has experience either as active users, participants, or keen observers, to be able to effectively craft & angle engagements geared towards topics that are close to the hearts of consumers.

Smaller niche agencies are typically spearheaded by those who have long been part of social media since its early years, and have taken the time to study it intricately before foraying into this field. While the platforms may change, the experience & trial clocked up over time gives them an edge.

The marketing scene in Singapore is evolving to be an exciting arena, where the addition of a fourth agency to cover the digital space opens up opportunities for local firms to pit themselves against more established players, with a good chance of winning to boot. As clichés as this may seem (though really, clichés are only as such because they are true), it’s anybody’s game. But one thing’s for sure – it’s going to be an exhilarating one! 

Freda Kwok, Lead Consultant, Blugrapes