So you’re thinking of jumping into the world of social media management? Before becoming a social media manager, there are a few things you need to know.
And if you’re wondering who am I to be talking about how to get into this career, I’m Amber 👋🏻 I started my business my junior year of college, and for the past three years have been supporting my clients with their Instagram and Pinterest content, along with strategy, audits, email marketing, and more (Read this blog post for the full story on how I became a social media manager for interior designers). When I started I had to go through a decent amount of trial and error – and I hope by sharing this with you, you get to fast forward to the good part!
Now let’s get into the 10 things I wish I knew before I started my business as a social media manager:
#1: Not all money is good money.
When you’re a new social media manager, hearing from that first person who is willing to pay you to do something you enjoy like social media is beyond exciting. And sometimes, that excitement can make us look past red flags in their behavior (guilty!) Beware of potential clients who want to take advantage of you or expect you to act more like an employee than a contractor with their own business. Gaining experience is so important, but not at the cost of your business’s stability and longevity. There will be times you should say no to a client (even if they’re willing to pay you a LOT of money) because it’s not a good fit.
#2: Contracts. Contracts. Contracts.
I am SO so so grateful that the business program I joined when I started emphasized the importance of a contract. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or tenth client, or you’re charging $15/hour or $500/hour; you deserve to legally protect yourself. Plus it has the benefit of showing your potential client you’re running a legitimate business.
Not sure where to get started with a contract? DON’T buy one from Etsy or try to Frankenstein one from Google. The best option is to have a lawyer create one for you, but a more cost-effective route is to purchase a lawyer-drafted contract template. Here are a few I’ve either used or heard great things about (and most sell a template specifically for social media managers!)
#3: Speaking of pricing – don’t charge hourly.
I know I *just* used hourly rates as an example, but as a social media manager charging hourly only hurts you. As you get better at your job and faster at creating content, you will earn less money because you’re spending less time on the work. It also opens doors for a client to pressure you to rush because they want to save money, or look to micromanage your time. I personally don’t want to get into a discussion over why it took me three hours to create a reel. I want to deliver the highest quality work I can, and sometimes that doesn’t happen quickly. So instead of hourly, I create package pricing for a set of deliverables so my clients get what they need for the same monthly rate – allowing predictability on both sides.
Curious what my packages look like? Check out my services guide here (but remember, these are my packages after three years of testing and growing – you likely can’t start with the same pricing. My very first client paid me $400/month for a package I now charge over $2000/month for. However I definitely could not have asked for that back then!). Your rate will depend not only on what’s included, but your experience, your client’s industry and the value your service can provide.
#4: Never give out your personal phone number…
Unless you’re ok with 4am phone calls, texts on a Sunday asking why you haven’t posted the photo they sent you 10 minutes ago, and never being able to log out of work.
(Which, I’m guessing, you’re not into)
There’s a common misconception that because you work in social media, you need to work 24/7. And while some industries might require it, I firmly believe you can take time off and set boundaries and still be a fantastic social media manager – not to mention, in most cases the clients expecting you to be available 24/7 are not compensating you nearly enough for that availability.
But sometimes setting that expectation and navigating clients who try to push that boundary is a lot more challenging in practice than in theory – so I avoid the issue entirely by never giving out my phone number. All client communications happen either in Slack or via email – and my contract explicitly states my response time (24 business hours) and that we do not work on the weekends.
Has this caused problems with clients in the past? Definitely. I even had a new client back out of working together after the kickoff call because I wouldn’t provide my phone number (despite it being in the contract they signed). It may cause you to lose some clients – but I have found that the clients who care about having your personal phone number are the ones that are going to have no respect for your personal time or boundaries.
#5: There are no emergencies in social media.
Speaking of personal time and boundaries, after running my business for 3 years and working in the social media and marketing industry for 6, I can state for a fact that there are almost no emergencies when it comes to social.
A client might feel that a post is urgent, or be worried about sales or their account performance. But we are not doing heart surgery and do not need to be “on call” as social media managers. Outline a reasonable response time for clients (contractually I reply within 24 business hours but typically respond within an hour or two depending on my workday) and don’t be afraid to gently remind them of your processes for communicating and post requests.
#6: You don’t always have to say yes to a client.
You do have to keep your clients happy, but not at the cost of your mental health or the health of your business. Just because they are paying you $x amount per month does not mean you have to be at their beck and call or do work that’s outside your scope or take responsibility for aspects of their business that you shouldn’t be.
#7: Clients will leave – and not necessarily because you’ve done anything wrong.
This is a natural part of business growth. Whether for pricing reasons, or because they’re ready to have someone in-house do their marketing, or you’re moving in a different direction – it is normal to part ways with clients as you continue to grow and develop. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad social media manager or that they’re a bad client, but rather that there’s no longer a fit.
#8: But figuring out how to retain them is better for business than constantly chasing new clients.
At the same time, focusing on client retention and finding ways to overdeliver (without burning out) is the way to go if you want your business to be sustainable. It’s much harder to add $10,000 of new revenue every month than to build up a client roster of 5-7 clients that stay with you for a year or more, bringing in $10,000 of revenue combined.
One of the reasons I’m able to feel mostly unaffected when a client leaves or there’s a shift in the landscape of social media management is that I’ve retained clients for a long time (with 3 surpassing a full year working with ABC SMM), giving a strong sense of security in my foundation that it can weather any storm.
#9: Don’t fall into the comparison trap.
Don’t compare yourself to me or to any other social media manager or agency owner you meet along the way. Every business and business owner is different and they are going define their success in their own way – which may not be how you want to find success. Some social media managers hit six figures in annual revenue in their first year; I’m going to cross that milestone in my third year of business. That doesn’t mean I’m “behind” or a worse SMM – it just means our paths have been different. Keep your blinders on and grow a business that works for you, on a timeline that works for you. Plus, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes.
#10: You get to decide how your social media management business looks and operates.
Speaking of not falling into the comparison trap, remember that you get to decide how your business runs. You are now a CEO – not an employee where someone else is making the decisions. Whether you want 1-2 clients for a side hustle or 15-20 as a full scale agency, you want to only offer Instagram management or you want to cover every platform, you want to be a solopreneur or you want a 10 person team – there is no wrong choice. There is only what you decide is the right choice for you.
On Becoming a Social Media Manager: Your Next Steps
Choosing this career was the best thing I could have done for my life, both professionally and personally, and I’m making it my mission to support other social media managers if they also want the freedom and flexibility that come with starting their own SMM business.
Want more insider insights and my tips for creating a successful social media management business? Join my newsletter JUST for social media managers (weekly emails start in September!) and if you have a burning question or client problem you need support with, book a pick my brain call for just $70 with code SMM.
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