How can we keep track of the current tops and flops of the digital world? What's just hype, what's actually purposeful? How do you even become an expert for such a fast-moving medium? Clients and agencies alike are finding it increasingly difficult to get a comprehensive picture and correctly assess developments. However, it is now undisputed that platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are indispensable for a company's external presentation and communication. The Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e.V. (German Digital Industry Association) has been addressing this uncertainty since 2004 with its initiative to define industry-wide standards and quality benchmarks, and in the course of this has been offering a quality seal for service providers in the area of social media since 2014.
The concept and requirements profile were developed by social media expert and Blackbit Key Account Manager Michael Koch as a member of the expert advisory board in collaboration with industry experts and specialists. Service providers who explicitly offer the business area of social media can apply and must prove their professional approach in at least one of the competence fields of social media strategy, social media content & dialog, social advertising and social media technology. The Social Media Quality Certificate is beneficial for all parties involved: agencies can prove themselves as professional experts, guarantee higher quality and signal transparency and customer orientation with the independent seal. For companies and potential customers, it in turn makes it easier to find a trustworthy agency; they can assume a serious and competent approach and expect a high-quality result.
The Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft has been the most important representative of the industry's interests and a link to politics and business since 1995. Its interdisciplinary orientation enables an intensive exchange between companies, agencies and industry experts with the aim of making digital offerings and developments transparent. The BVDW has set itself the task of pooling and systematizing expertise and offering reference frameworks to enable digital trends to be used sustainably for the German economy. In addition to the Social Media Quality Certificate, the BVDW also offers certifications in the areas of affiliate marketing, SEA, SEO and Trusted Agency.