Your discovery call might be what convinces your client to sign, but your onboarding process is what will make them feel confident in their decision. As a social media manager, your client onboarding is your way to put your “best foot forward” and set the tone for the remainder of your time together (if you do this right, it could even be for years).
Your onboarding process is when you set boundaries and expectations for yourself and your new social media management client. It ensures you’re legally covered for the work you complete and have all the information you need for their strategy without sending 3,000+ emails back and forth.
Let’s get into the main essentials you need in your client onboarding as a social media manager:
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The SMM Client Onboarding Checklist You Didn’t Know You Needed
Your onboarding process is going to change as you figure out what works (and what doesn’t) and that’s okay — it’s expected. The process I use at ABC Social Media Management (and the one I’ll share here) is one I’ve crafted after years of experience:
#1. Contract & Invoice
After your client views (and loves) your proposal, the first step in onboarding should be immediate: your contract and invoice.
Never complete work without a contract, as this protects both you AND your client. Lawyer-drafted contracts are the best and you can grab a template from shops like The Contract Club.
After the contract is signed, send them straight to their invoice and payment. This could be the project deposit, first payment, or full payment depending on the service. My first payment is the onboarding fee: $1000 for Instagram management, and an additional $850 if they’re adding on Pinterest management. Use a CRM like Dubsado to automate this process! Trust me, it’s worth it.
#2. Onboarding Packet
Once your client has completed all the legal and financial steps of onboarding, I recommend sending out an onboarding or welcome packet. Include anything and everything about the services you’re providing, what to expect from you, what you need from them, and links to all the tech and platforms required for your work together.
This is where you can set expectations around strategy, turnaround time, and how the social media management process works.
#3. Onboarding Questionnaire
Don’t be afraid to make it 20+ questions, you need to know everything about your client’s business: from their business story, values, and goals to the content they love — and the content they don’t.
Try and ask for any and every detail you might need during strategy and management. It might feel like more work for your client now, but it’ll save time in planning, strategy, edits, and execution later.
#4. Ask for Assets
A lot is happening all at once (which is why I actually dedicate an entire month to onboarding and strategy) but amidst all your work you can’t forget to ask for assets! Create a shared space to make uploading images, videos, and branding easy for your clients.
I recommend Google Drive, it’s easy to access and most business owners are already familiar with or even using it for their own business!
#5. Kick-Off Call
Not all clients are comfortable with calls and you can determine if it’s necessary on a case-by-case basis, but over the years I’ve found that a call works best. Getting on a call makes it easier to confirm access to any accounts and, if necessary, coordinate two-factor authentications.
This is also your chance to ask any clarifying questions you may have about the answers to their questionnaire before getting started with content planning and creation.
What’s Next? Working With Your Clients
Yes, this is the perfect checklist to get started, but you can’t limit your onboarding to just five things and call it a day. Your onboarding process is more than scheduling calls and assigning your client homework. It needs a structure — and a timeline.
My onboarding process actually takes one whole month to complete, and after these initial steps include a complete audit of their account, content strategy development, and planning of the first month’s content calendar. It sounds like a long time, but trust me – it flies by!
And while you might think clients could balk at this long onboarding, keeping them updated as you work on the strategy (my preference is with a weekly email!) shows them the importance of this behind-the-scenes work you’re doing before you start managing their account.
If you’re not sure how to get started or how to clarify your onboarding process (or how to navigate sticky client situations), I’d love to invite you to my one-on-one SMM mentorship — click here to see if we’re a good fit!
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