- Social media agencies side by side
- Ten agencies that run social for brands
- Social-first, full-service or sector specialist: read the homepage first
- What to settle before you brief an agency
- Questions to put to every agency on your shortlist
- My plain advice on hiring a social media agency
- Frequently asked questions
Social media marketing agencies plan, create and run a brand's social channels and ad campaigns, and they come in three kinds: social-first agencies, full-service digital agencies with a social team, and sector specialists. Match the agency to the platforms you need and the sector you're in, not to the biggest name. Ten options follow in no particular order.
Hire the wrong kind of agency and you'll get SEO reports when you wanted Reels. Most agency shortlists mix social specialists with firms where social is one service among many, and the difference only shows once the proposal lands.
The ten agencies below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order. Each description comes from the agency's own website, read as of Nov 2026, and nothing here puts one agency above another.
Social media agencies side by side
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fan & Fuel | E-commerce digital marketing agency | Online stores wanting social inside a wider growth plan |
| Hawke Media | Full-service digital marketing agency | Performance marketing with social as one channel |
| Ignite Visibility | Digital marketing agency | Search, PPC, social ads and CRO under one roof |
| LYFE Marketing | Social media management company | Social management, marketing and social advertising |
| Mediaboom | Hotel marketing agency | Hotels turning online traffic into bookings |
| NoGood | AI-native growth marketing agency | Growth marketing aimed at people and AI agents |
| Single Grain | Revenue marketing agency | Pipeline-focused SEO, ads and AI growth |
| Sociallyin | Social media agency with an in-house studio | Strategy, in-house content and social ads |
| The Social Shepherd | Social-first agency, UK and US offices | Always-on social and campaign work |
| Thrive Agency | Full-service digital marketing agency | SEO, PPC, social media and web design together |
Ten agencies that run social for brands
Fan & Fuel
Best for: Online stores that want one agency for Shopify development, ads, email and SEO, with social handled as part of that wider e-commerce plan.
Hawke Media
Best for: Businesses of any size that want data-led performance marketing from a full-service agency, with social media as one channel inside a wider growth plan.
Ignite Visibility
Best for: Companies that want search, pay-per-click, social advertising and conversion work from one agency, built as a custom plan rather than one fixed package.
LYFE Marketing
Best for: Brands that want a company built around social media management, social media marketing and social advertising, with email marketing services also listed.
Mediaboom
Best for: Hotels that want more of their online traffic turned into bookings, from an agency specialising in hotel SEO, ads and website design.
NoGood
Best for: Brands that want growth marketing from an agency calling itself AI-native, focused on engaging people and on visibility where AI agents make decisions.
Single Grain
Best for: Companies measured on pipeline that want revenue marketing systems built across SEO, ads and AI, covering the channels where buyers research and decide.
Sociallyin
Best for: Ambitious brands that want social strategy, content made in an in-house studio and social ads from one global social media agency.
The Social Shepherd
Best for: UK and US brands that want a social-first agency for always-on social and campaigns, with offices on both sides of the Atlantic.
Thrive Agency
Best for: Businesses that want SEO, pay-per-click, social media and web design from one full-service agency that also talks about AI-driven search.
Social-first, full-service or sector specialist: read the homepage first
Several of the best-known names on agency shortlists aren't social-only, and their own pages say so. Hawke Media's page leads with its Outsourced CMO model. Ignite Visibility's page names SEO, PPC, social advertising and CRO, Single Grain's leads with revenue marketing, and Thrive Agency lists SEO, PPC, social media and web design. NoGood calls itself an AI-native growth marketing agency. These are full-service digital agencies with a social arm.
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Two are sector specialists. Fan & Fuel describes itself as an e-commerce digital marketing agency covering Shopify development, ads, email and SEO, and Mediaboom calls itself a hotel marketing agency. If you sell online or run a hotel, that focus can matter more than how big the social team is.
The pages that lead with social are LYFE Marketing, a social media management company that also lists social advertising, Sociallyin, a social media agency with an in-house studio, and The Social Shepherd, a social-first agency with offices in the UK and the US. So before you ask anyone for a proposal, check how much of their homepage is about social at all.
What to settle before you brief an agency
- The platforms that matter. TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube need different content and different skills. Name the two or three where your buyers spend their time, and ask for examples on those exact platforms.
- Organic, ads or both. Some agencies are strongest at running ad campaigns on social, others at daily posting and community work. Say which one you need, or whether you want both.
- Who makes the content. Ask whether photos and video are shot in-house, by freelancers, or by your own team, and who edits them.
- Your sector. An agency that already knows hotels or online stores knows the seasons, the buying cycle and the words your customers use.
- How you'll measure it. Agree up front what counts as a result: followers, leads, sales or bookings. Reach on its own tells you very little.
- Who you'll work with day to day. Ask who runs your account, how often you'll speak and who covers when they're away.
Questions to put to every agency on your shortlist
- Which social platforms do you run for clients like us right now?
- Can you show work from our sector, or one close to it?
- Who writes, shoots and edits the content, and who approves it before it goes out?
- How do you report results, and how often?
- What do you need from us each week to keep things moving?
- What happens to our accounts, content and ad data if we part ways?
If you'd rather keep social in-house and run it yourself, my list of social media management tools for agencies covers the software agencies use, and my guide to social media for marketing agencies looks at it from the other side of the table.
Do you make social media campaigns for brands? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on hiring a social media agency
Start with your platforms and your sector, not the agency's name. If social is the main job, shortlist agencies whose homepage is mostly about social. If you need social plus search, email and your website, a full-service agency with a social team saves you managing three suppliers. If you sell online or run a hotel, a sector specialist already knows your customers. Agencies differ in size, niche and how they work, so ask two or three of them the same questions and compare the answers side by side. The one whose questions back to you are sharpest is usually the one that's listening.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What does a social media marketing agency do?
It plans, creates and runs social media for a business. Depending on the agency, that covers strategy, content, posting, community management and ad campaigns on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Should I hire a social-first agency or a full-service agency?
A social-first agency suits you when social is the main channel you want handled. A full-service agency suits you when you also need search, email or a website and want one team joining it all up.
How do I check an agency is strong on social?
Read its own homepage and services pages, ask for recent work on the platforms you care about, and ask who makes the content and who you'll speak to each week.
Do social media agencies specialise by industry?
Some do. There are agencies that focus on e-commerce brands and others that focus on hotels, and their own pages say so.
How long before a social media agency shows results?
It depends on the goal. Ad campaigns can bring traffic quickly, while organic growth and community take longer. Agree what you'll measure and when you'll review it before you sign.
What should I prepare before contacting an agency?
Your goals, the platforms you want covered, examples of brands whose social you like, who on your team will approve content, and any brand guidelines you've got.
