It has been brought to my attention that almost everyone nowadays is a Social Media Marketing (SMM) expert. My growing business has allowed me to connect with new clients who have been down the SMM road before. In our initial meetings, I can sense their hesitation as they share horror stories with me of thousands of dollars spent only to gain one new follower. Clients have told me that they were quoted anywhere from $50/hour to $2,000/month for SMM services. It’s true that there is no “one size fits all” quote when it comes to SMM but there are three basic things any paying customer should expect from their Social Media Marketer.
1. An Initial Marketing Plan. This is a BIG one for me. I am absolutely shocked at the number of Social Media Marketers who don’t provide an Initial Marketing Plan for their clients! How can you get past step one if you haven’t created a plan? SMM is not just about logging into a company’s Facebook page, uploading a post and sending a bill. Any paying customer, even at the most basic level of service, should expect to receive a marketing plan because it will serve as your roadmap to success. It should be full of competitive research, creative ideas and a strong industry analysis, just to name a few key components. Bigar Creative’s marketing plans average 10-12 pages of crucial information all for less than the cost of your monthly cell phone bill.
2. Monthly Evaluation Report. Another item that’s high up on the list of “must haves” is a monthly report. This report should be included in your services and come at no additional charge. Bigar Creative uses our reports as a way to simply review what works and what doesn’t. You could have 10 great ideas but only 2 of them seem to increase follower engagements. A good monthly report will evaluate those 2 great ideas, scrap the 8 that didn’t work and come up with new ideas based around your engagement trends. Monthly reports are also a great way for you to really understand your target market and continue to find ways to successfully reach them.
3. Unlimited Communication. Be cautious of Social Media Marketers who bill at an hourly rate because they can get expensive quickly. When I started Bigar Creative, I wanted exceptional customer service to be the foundation of my business. I never want any of my clients to forego communication because they are afraid their bill will go up with every e-mail or phone call. Good communication is the key to any successful relationship. I think a fair monthly quote is beneficial to all parties involved because it eliminates a lot of stress. Clients know what they can expect each month which is crucial to any small business budget. Before hiring a Social Media Marketer, be sure to have them clearly define what’s included and what comes at an additional price.
Happy Tuesday All!
