As Director of HootSuite’s Partner Program, I work with agencies and consultants to help drive value around social on behalf of their clients. One of the challenges I often hear Agency Partners say they face is convincing their clients of the importance of collaboration with social media. Some clients understand the need to engage in social, but insist they don’t have the time and see social as an activity they ‘outsource’ to their agency.

Aki Kaltenbach

Those of us who extol the virtues of social media know that collaboration is key when it comes to developing and executing an effective social media campaign. It ensures real-time, authentic content, straight from the source; your best and brightest people. More importantly, it ensures your client is informed when it comes to the pulse of their end customers. Jean-Phillippe Maheau of Ogilvy said it best when talking about the part brands play in customers’ lives, “The best way to have a role in society is to understand how people are talking about things in real time.”

I reached out to some of our Agency Partners to ask how they engage their clients, and share success stories that may give other marketers insight into how they may convince their clients of the importance of collaboration.