How to Pick a Social Media Agency in London (Without Wasting Budget)

There are hundreds of social media agencies in London.

Most will promise “viral growth” and “massive engagement.”

Few will actually drive leads or sales.

Here’s how to find agencies that deliver ROI — not just pretty posts.

1. Check Their Own Social Media First

If they can’t grow their own accounts, why trust them with yours?

What to check:

• Follower count (reasonable for their size)
• Engagement rate (likes/comments vs. followers)
• Content quality (professional and consistent)
• Posting frequency (regular, not sporadic)
• Comments (do they respond? is there real engagement?)

Red flags:

• ❌ Inactive accounts (last post 6 months ago)
• ❌ Bought followers (10k followers, 5 likes per post)
• ❌ Generic stock content
• ❌ No engagement in comments
• ❌ Different message on every platform (no strategy)

Bottom line: Their social presence is their portfolio.

2. Ask for Case Studies (With Real Numbers)

Anyone can say “we grew their Instagram.” Real agencies prove it.

What to demand:

• Client industry
• Starting metrics (followers, engagement, leads)
• After metrics (with timeline)
• What they actually did (strategy, content, ads)
• Revenue impact (if possible)

Example of a real case study:

“London restaurant. Started with 800 Instagram followers, 2% engagement. After 6 months: 3,200 followers, 8% engagement, 45 direct bookings from Instagram (£9,000 revenue).”

Red flags:

• ❌ Only show follower growth (no business impact)
• ❌ Vague results (“massive increase in engagement”)
• ❌ No timelines
• ❌ Can’t share any case studies (“all under NDA”)

3. They Should Ask About Your Business (Not Just Your Instagram)

Bad agencies jump straight to tactics. Good agencies start with your business goals.

Questions they should ask:

• What are your business goals? (leads, sales, awareness)
• Who’s your target customer?
• What makes you different from competitors?
• What’s your budget?
• What have you tried before?
• How do you currently get customers?

Red flags:

• ❌ Don’t ask about business goals
• ❌ Only care about follower counts
• ❌ Push specific platforms without understanding your audience
• ❌ One-size-fits-all packages

Good sign: They want to understand your business before proposing solutions.

4. Platform Expertise Matters

Not all platforms work the same way.

What to ask: “Which platforms do you specialize in?”

Red flag: “We do everything.” (Nobody is expert at all platforms)

Good answer: “We focus on LinkedIn and Instagram for businesses like yours.”

Platform specialization:

• B2B: LinkedIn experts
• Retail/Fashion: Instagram/TikTok experts
• Local services: Facebook experts
• Young audiences: TikTok experts

Hire agencies that specialize in YOUR platform.

5. Content Creation: In-House or Outsourced?

Some agencies outsource content to cheap freelancers.

What to ask:

• “Who creates the content?”
• “Can I see examples of content you’ve created?”
• “Do you use stock photos or custom content?”

Red flag: Can’t show original content they’ve created.

Good sign: Show diverse, high-quality content created in-house or with vetted partners.

6. Engagement Management (Not Just Posting)

Social media is two-way communication.

What to ask: “Who manages comments, DMs, and mentions?”

Service levels:

• Basic: Post content only
• Standard: Post + monitor mentions
• Premium: Post + respond to all comments/DMs within 24 hours

Most London businesses need at least Standard.

Red flag: “We just post content. You handle engagement.”

7. Paid Ads: Expertise and Transparency

Organic reach is dead. Most agencies run paid ads.

What to ask:

• “Are you Meta/LinkedIn certified?”
• “What’s your fee structure for ads?”
• “Who owns the ad account?”
• “How do you report on ad performance?”

Pricing models:

1. Percentage of ad spend (15–25%)
2. Fixed monthly fee (£500–£2,000)
3. Hybrid (small fixed fee + percentage)

Red flags:

• ❌ Charge over 25% of ad spend
• ❌ They own the ad account (you should own it)
• ❌ Can’t show ad results from past clients
• ❌ Don’t mention testing or optimization

8. Reporting: What They Track

Bad agencies report vanity metrics. Good agencies report business outcomes.

Vanity metrics (ignore):

• Total followers
• Total likes
• Impressions

Real metrics (track):

• Engagement rate
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Lead generation (form fills, calls, messages)
• Conversion rate
• Cost per lead
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)

What to ask:

“What metrics do you report on?”

Red flag: Only talk about followers and likes.
Good sign: Focus on leads, sales, and ROI.

9. Contract Length and Flexibility

Social media takes time (3–6 months to see results). But you shouldn’t be locked in forever.

What to ask:

• “What’s the contract length?”
• “Can I cancel if results aren’t there?”
• “What’s the notice period?”

Typical contracts:

• Month-to-month: Flexible but often higher pricing
• 3 months: Good trial period
• 6–12 months: Better pricing, but risky if agency underdelivers

Red flag: 12-month contracts with no flexibility.
Our recommendation: Start with 3 months. Extend if results are good.

10. Pricing: What’s Reasonable in London

Social media management (organic):

• Basic (posting only): £500–£1,000/month
• Standard (posting + engagement): £1,000–£2,000/month
• Premium (full service): £2,000–£5,000/month

Paid ad management:

• Minimum ad spend: £500/month
• Agency fee: 15–25% of ad spend OR £500–£1,500/month fixed

Content creation:

• Photography: £300–£800 per shoot
• Video: £500–£2,000 per video
• Graphics: £50–£200 per design

Total monthly investment:

• Small business: £1,000–£2,500
• Mid-size: £2,500–£5,000
• Enterprise: £5,000+

11. Red Flags That Mean Walk Away

• ❌ Guarantee viral posts or follower counts (impossible to guarantee)
• ❌ Buy followers or engagement (violates platform rules, hurts credibility)
• ❌ No contract or vague terms
• ❌ 100% payment upfront
• ❌ Won’t show you their own social accounts
• ❌ Can’t provide references
• ❌ Use bots for automation (gets accounts banned)
• ❌ One-size-fits-all packages (no customization)

12. Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Use this checklist:

1. Can I see your own social media accounts?
2. Can you show 3 case studies with real numbers?
3. What questions do you have about my business?
4. Which platforms do you recommend for my business?
5. Who creates the content?
6. How do you handle engagement?
7. Are you certified in paid advertising?
8. What metrics do you report on?
9. What’s the contract length?
10. Can I speak to 2–3 current clients?

If they score 8+, they’re worth considering.

How AlgoSemantic Handles Social Media Marketing

Our approach:

• ✓ Start with business goals (not follower goals)
• ✓ Platform-specific strategies
• ✓ Original content creation
• ✓ Active engagement management
• ✓ Certified ad specialists
• ✓ Report on ROI (leads and sales, not just likes)
• ✓ Transparent pricing
• ✓ 3-month minimum (then month-to-month)

What we don’t do:

• ❌ Buy followers
• ❌ Use bots
• ❌ Lock you into 12-month contracts
• ❌ Report only vanity metrics

Pricing:

• Social management: £1,000–£2,500/month
• Paid ads: 15% of spend (min £500/month)
• Content creation: Custom quotes

Ready to Find the Right Social Media Agency?

We’ll review your current social presence for free.

We’ll show you what’s working, what’s not, and whether hiring an agency makes sense.

Email us: contact@algosemantic.com
Call us: +44 7412 808430
Contact now!