If we haven’t met yet – hi! I’m Amber Broder, and I’ve been running my own social media management business since May of 2021. I started ABC Social Media Management® in my junior year of college, after three years as a content creator/influencer/blogger for skincare brands (some of those blogs still rank number 1 on Google!). I’d also worked for a skincare startup as a marketing intern, and my college as an email communications fellow. These were valuable experiences – not only in what I learned about social media strategy, but also in the direction it provided. I decided I wanted to write my own rules and work with clients on my terms. And so, ABC SMM was born. My first clients were in the beauty and skincare industry, but soon pivoted to interior designers after falling in love with the industry. And now, I’m known for being a social media manager for interior designers! Here’s how I did it.
The Early Days
I originally thought I was going to wait until I’d graduated college to start my business. After coming across Ashli of Team AP Consulting, I enrolled in her Square One Accelerator business course to learn the foundations.
(Sidebar: I’ve actually worked with Ashli for over two years now as I’ve grown my business. So much of what I’ve been able to accomplish is due to her strong foundations! I’m now the community manager for her incredible membership, The Do-Ers, and continue to learn so much from her expertise.)
A couple months after completing that program, I landed my first client – a startup skincare brand.
P.S. Not sure where to find your first client? Here are 3 places you can look.
My First Interior Design Client
I worked with my first client for a couple months (all while taking my undergraduate courses at Georgetown!). During that time, I helped through a big product launch, assisted in influencer strategy and created highly engaging content. I loved it – but I wanted more, and was itching for a different niche. After around 6 months, I had another potential client reach out to me. This client (to read her case study, check out this post) was an interior designer with an arm of her company that created custom throw pillow covers.
With an organic strategy of posting 3x a week, her page grew over 1000 followers in our first year together. This strategy also brought in qualified leads looking for pillows. The success we experienced with Christy B Home, and the sheer amount of fun I had creating content in the interior design niche, led me to realize I wanted to pivot my business and focus solely on being a social media manager for interior designers.
Pivoting, Raising Prices, and Expanding the Team
The honest truth about pivoting my business? I didn’t have interior design clients falling in my lap once I began to market to them. It took months of messaging shifts and positioning myself properly to attract interior designers.
It was in the fall of 2022, I signed two interior design clients (Brianna Michele Interiors and Blue Spruce Interiors).
One of the things that made a huge impact in signing new clients, who not only brought amazing content to our partnership but also respected my boundaries & processes, was raising my prices to accurately reflect the value I bring to their businesses. I undercharged for a while (to the tune of $400/month), and now my signature social media management package is $1500/month. (Curious of the ROI on this investment? Check out this instagram post that breaks it down).
Growing From a Solo Social Media Manager for Interior Designers to a Team
Working with these two incredible interior designers only cemented that this was the best direction for my business. I could now definitively say, I am a social media manager for interior designers. With this increased interest, and more interior designers DM-ing me daily, I knew it was time to start building out a team. While I retain all client-facing responsibilities, ABC SMM now has a fantastic engagement specialist as well as a Pinterest manager to support our clients.
Where We Are Now
It’s May 2023, and I’m so excited to say we now offer a range of marketing services to interior designers, including Instagram management, Pinterest management, blog writing and email management. For clients who want to DIY their socials (or don’t have the budget for full-service management), we also offer IG audits and IG strategy sessions. We’re growing pretty rapidly, and I’m excited about what’s to come!
Want to work with ABC Social Media Management?
We would love to support you! Download our services guide here, and don’t forget to check out the case studies linked above. And of course, you can always book a free 30-minute discovery call to explore your options and learn more about how we work.
If you want a taste of ABC Social Media Management® before working with us, we have a bunch of freebies for you to access our expertise (without the price tag!) Plus, our insightful quiz to determine your social media archetype, where you’ll unlock exclusive freebies (aka not available unless you take the quiz), discounts, and resources.
Or are you an aspiring social media manager for interior designers?
Want to do what I do? I’m not here just to build myself up – I absolutely love mentoring other social media managers and helping you achieve the same freedom I have with my business. Check out my free 10 FAQS You’re Probably Asking as a Potential Social Media Manager (with the answers, ofc).
And if you’d love to get my thoughts on everything from your pricing to your niche to getting clients – book a 60-minute pick-my-brain call here. I charge $100 for these, but as a special gift for reading to the end of this post you can take $50 off your first pick my brain call with code APPRECIATEYOU.
