There are plenty of SMM agencies out there, but few are actually good. How do you choose a contractor who will deliver real results instead of just posting cat pictures?
What to Look for in a Portfolio
Real Accounts
Ask for links to accounts the agency is currently managing. Look at:
- Content quality
- Posting consistency
- Engagement (comments, reactions)
- Follower growth
Case Studies with Numbers
Pretty pictures are nice, but results matter more:
- How many leads did they generate?
- How did sales grow?
- What was the budget?
- How long did it take to achieve results?
Relevant Experience
Have they worked with similar businesses? SMM for a cafe and SMM for B2B software are completely different things.
Questions for the First Meeting
About Processes:
- How is the work structured? How many stages?
- Who will be working on the project?
- How is content approved?
- How many posts per month?
- What's included in the price and what costs extra?
About Results:
- What KPIs do you propose?
- How will you report?
- What results are realistic in 3/6/12 months?
- What will you do if there are no results?
About the Team:
- Who writes the copy? Who creates the visuals?
- Do you have a paid ads specialist?
- How many projects does one manager handle?
Red Flags
1. Guaranteed Results
"We guarantee 10,000 followers in a month" — that's either bots or a lie. In SMM, you can't guarantee specific numbers; there are too many variables.
2. Very Low Price
SMM for 100€ per month means they'll spend 2 hours on your project. Quality work costs money.
3. No Portfolio
"All projects are under NDA" — a convenient excuse. A good agency can always show at least a few case studies.
4. They Don't Ask Questions
If they immediately quote a price at the first meeting without asking about your goals, audience, or product — that's a bad sign.
5. They Promise Everything at Once
"We do content, ads, websites, SEO, and PR" — often means they don't do any of it well.
What Should Be Included in the Service
Basic Package:
- Content strategy development
- Content calendar creation
- Copywriting
- Visual content creation
- Content publishing
- Responding to comments and messages
- Monthly reporting
Extended Package:
- Targeted advertising
- Influencer collaborations
- Contests and activations
- Photo/video production
How Much Does SMM Cost
- Basic management (8-12 posts): 300-500€/month
- Standard (15-20 posts + stories): 500-1000€/month
- Premium (full management + ads): 1000-2000€/month
Plus advertising budget if paid ads are needed.
How to Evaluate Performance
After 1-3 months of work, look at:
- Reach growth: are more people seeing the content?
- Engagement: are they commenting, saving, sharing?
- Click-throughs: are people visiting the website?
- Leads: are they writing via DMs, calling?
- Sales: the ultimate metric for business
Our Approach to SMM
At Kalinadesign, we:
- Start with a deep business analysis
- Develop a strategy tailored to your goals
- Create high-quality visual content (that's our strong suit)
- Report regularly and adjust the strategy
Want a free audit of your social media? Get in touch — we'll do it for free.
