4 IMPORTANT LESSONS I LEARNED AS A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
When I started my business as a social media manager, I was pretty confident I could be an overnight success.
I knew social media.
I had experience with social media - I’d used it to launch my first business and I’d managed it for the company I worked at previously.
I got results from social media - generating leads, increasing traffic and making posts go viral were all things I had on my achievements list.
When the enquiries started pouring in, I knew I was gonna succeed.
But after spending hours creating and sending elaborate, detailed proposals, the leads just weren’t converting.
I dropped my prices, offered services I didn’t enjoy and said yes to clients my gut instinct was screaming at me to avoid.
After two months of working with my first client they stopped paying me and stopped responding to my emails.
I was devastated.
Not because I enjoyed the work - I hated it - but because they were my only source of income.
I was still struggling to get clients to say yes and now I’d lost the only money I was making, I began to panic.
After throwing myself a pity party for a few hours, I stood up, wiped my tear-soaked face and decided to use it as an opportunity to learn.
How could I prevent this from happening again?
What could I do to ensure the money was always coming in?
Who did I really want to work with so I felt happy everyday?
Where was I going wrong when it came to signing clients?
First of all, the how. How could I prevent this from happening again?
Myself and this client had only ever communicated via email. So whilst I’d clearly outlined what I could do for them, we hadn’t had an in depth conversation about their expectations for me and my expectations for them.
Lack of communication and misunderstandings can be a huge problem in a professional relationship.
From then on, not only did I insist on a phone call before any agreement was signed but I began sending out a welcome pack detailing expectations, next steps and what I needed from the client in order to generate the results they wanted.
Next up, what could I do to ensure the money was always coming in?
When I first started sending proposals out, I offered a rolling monthly contract because I was afraid that if I suggested a 3 month contract, they wouldn’t want to sign up with me.
Because I’d seen how badly that could affect my business, I decided a minimum of a 3 month contract would always be necessary.
Now I knew what it was like to work with a client I didn’t love, it was time to get really clear on who I wanted to work with so I’d be happy everyday.
I spent some time deciding what a dream client would look like for me:
• Someone whose business I believed in
• Someone who paid on time
• Someone who was as committed to their business as I was
• Someone who knew what they wanted
• Someone I clicked with straight away
From then on, if a client didn’t fit that criteria, I declined the opportunity to work with them. Happiness was more important than money and I believed I could find the perfect clients who would provide both.
Finally, I needed to assess where I was going wrong when it came to converting leads into paying clients.
When I looked back at all my proposals, I realised they all had the same things in common.
They were messy, complicated and gave the potential clients too many options.
The next time an enquiry landed in my inbox, I responded with a clear outline of how I could help the brand and exactly what it would cost. I gave them one option so the only decision they needed to make was yes or no.
They said YES.
I tested this theory out with the next potential client and you know what they said?
YES.
I’d finally unlocked the secret of a successful proposal and began making consistent, steady income each month.
I gave my business a spring clean, removing the services I hated, simplify the way I worked and I got clear on what I wanted to achieve and how I was going to do it.
Soon I was working with dream clients - the ones who paid me on time, respected what I did and whose business I believed in - I was generating consistent income and I finally felt happy in everything I was doing.
It was possible for me so it’s sure as hell possible for you.