The Social Media CEO

30/05/2023

Influencer marketing is an extremely powerful tactic for brands looking to increase their visibility on social media. 🤳👇⁠

With so much noise online, collaborating with strategic partners is one of the quickest ways for a business to stand out & reach a larger, targeted audience. ⁠
⁠
These days influencers & content creators exist for every niche – and offering influencer marketing as part of your social media packages is a great way to increase your revenue, while providing this additional value to your clients. 🤑💰 ⁠
⁠
But sourcing the right brand partners & managing influencer campaigns for multiple brands can be a lot of work. ⁠
⁠
Thankfully, we’ve got an amazing resource to help you save time, stay organized & ensure all of your influencer marketing campaigns are optimized for maximum success! 📈⁠
⁠
It's called BuzzGuru – and it’s an influencer marketing tool (which you can find inside the Semrush App Center) that every social media manager needs. ⁠
⁠
Using BuzzGuru to manage all your Influencer Marketing is the easiest way to make your brand visible on social!⁠

Head to the link below to learn more:

Influencer marketing is an extremely powerful tactic for brands looking to increase their visibility on social media.   With so much noise online, collaborating with strategic partners is one of the quickest ways for a business to stand out & reach a larger, targeted audie

24/02/2023

We’ve been shouting from the rooftops for weeks about how powerful email marketing is when used as a tool to connect with potential clients & promote your social media services. 💌🤑⁠
⁠
Of course, one of the most crucial parts of successful email marketing is actually getting your emails opened and read by your subscribers. ⁠
⁠
Low open rates can make it feel like email marketing is a waste of time.⁠ You didn’t spend all that time creating valuable content for nothing!⁠
⁠
Fortunately, there are tried & true ways to increase your email open rates & maximize the impact of your email marketing campaigns. ⁠
⁠
Here are 5 ways to increase your email open rates…

We’ve been shouting from the rooftops for weeks about how powerful email marketing is when used as a tool to connect with potential clients & promote your social media services.  Of course, one of the most crucial parts of successful email marketing is actually getting your emails

17/02/2023

Email marketing is a great way to build stronger relationships with potential clients & sell your social media services more effectively. 💌🤑⁠
⁠
The big question is, how are you supposed to get potential clients to join your email list?
⁠
That’s where social media comes in! 📲😎⁠
⁠
You can leverage your existing social media channels to start growing your email list, while increasing the overall impact of your email marketing campaigns. ⁠
⁠
Click through the link to learn how to grow an email list with social media…

Email marketing is a great way to build stronger relationships with potential clients & sell your social media services more effectively. The big question is, how are you supposed to get potential clients to join your email list? That’s where social media comes in!  You can leve

15/02/2023

Great subject lines are the key to successful email marketing. 🔑💌⁠

If the subject line doesn’t do its job & move a subscriber to open your email, all the valuable information you shared inside it will be for nothing!

Winning subject lines are to email what great hooks are to social media content.

Both are intended to grab an audience’s attention & increase the chances of them reading your message & taking the next desired action – for example, clicking a link, booking a call, etc.

Here are 6 tips for writing email subject lines that get opened…

Great subject lines are the key to successful email marketing. If the subject line doesn’t do its job & move a subscriber to open your email, all the valuable information you shared inside it will be for nothing!  Winning subject lines are to email what great hooks are to social me

03/02/2023

As a social media service provider, email should be a key component of your marketing strategy. 🔑💌⁠
⁠
Having an email list helps you easily stay connected with potential clients, nurture those relationships, and promote your services. ⁠
⁠
We’ve spoken with many social media managers who know just how important email marketing is when it comes to attracting better leads and landing more clients, but often they’re uncertain of where to start – so they don't! ⁠
⁠
Most of the time it goes something like this... 👇⁠
⁠
🤔 “How do I attract ideal clients to my email list?…”⁠
🤔 “Once I have a list, what should I send & how often should I send it?...”⁠
🤔 “Most importantly, how do I convert email subscribers into clients?...” ⁠
⁠
We’re huge proponents of keeping it simple with your email marketing strategy. It doesn’t have to be complicated – and the payoff is HUGE if you can stay consistent! 👏⁠
⁠
Having mastered the art of converting casual email subscribers into new clients & customers ourselves, we’re sharing exactly what you need to get started. ⁠
⁠
Head to The Social Media CEO blog for 3 emails social media managers need in their email marketing funnel… ⁠

>>>

As a social media service provider, email should be a key component of your marketing strategy. Having an email list helps you easily stay connected with potential clients, nurture those relationships, and promote your services.  We’ve spoken with many social media managers who know just h

27/01/2023

Imagine having a warm, informed list of potential client candidates on speed dial. ☎️⁠
⁠
Anytime you have a new offer, or a space opens up on your roster, all you have to do is tap into your little black book and let them know exactly how you can support them…⁠
⁠
That’s the power of an engaged email list.
⁠
And as a social media manager, building an email list filled with ideal client leads is the ultimate goal! 👏⁠
⁠
When you prioritize building your email list, you can stay in touch with your leads, nurture those important relationships, and ultimately sign more clients & earn more revenue. ⁠
⁠
But how exactly do you start an email list? And how do you get potential clients to join it? ⁠
⁠
That's where lead magnets come in. 🧲⁠
⁠
A lead magnet is a free resource or incentive offered in exchange for an email address. ⁠
⁠
Head to our recent blog post to learn 10 lead magnet ideas for social media managers who want to grow an email list filled with ideal clients…

>>>

Imagine having a warm, informed list of potential client candidates on speed dial.  Anytime you have a new offer, or a space opens up on your roster, all you have to do is tap into your little black book and let them know exactly how you can support them… That’s the power of an engaged em

23/01/2023

There’s no shortage of creative ways to increase your revenue as a social media manager. ↗️🤑⁠
⁠
💰You can offer speciality services like paid ads, content creation or community management. ⁠
⁠
💰You can provide management on additional platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn or Youtube. ⁠
⁠
💰You can even sell “one & done” services like social media audits or strategy sessions. ⁠
⁠
One of the best ways to make more money & add more value to your existing services is by including email marketing in your social media management packages. 💌⁠
⁠
It doesn’t matter if your clients are service providers or sell physical products – social media marketing and email marketing go together like peanut butter & jelly! ⁠
⁠
Here's 5 reasons to add email marketing to your social media management packages...

There’s no shortage of creative ways to increase your revenue as a social media manager.  You can offer speciality services like paid ads, content creation or community management.  You can provide management on additional platforms like TikTok, Linkedin or Youtube.  Yo

18/01/2023

If you put all of your eggs into social media marketing, you’ll be leaving a lot of leads (and money) on the table... 🥚💸🥚⁠
⁠
With a variety of platforms to choose from, constantly evolving algorithms, and new features rolling out day after day, we understand how tempting it can be to spend all of your time & effort focused on social media strategy. ⁠
⁠
But hear us when we say: Social media marketing isn’t the “end all, be all” when it comes to establishing trust, building relationships & closing sales. ⁠
⁠
The real magic (and real $$$) happens when you combine a strong social media strategy with consistent, intentional email marketing. 📈✉️💰⁠
⁠
While we love selling directly on social media, we strongly believe that – as a service provider – you shouldn’t rely on social media marketing as your only means of client conversion, it’s simply too risky. ⁠
⁠
Unfortunately, we haven’t met many social media managers who’ve prioritized building their own email list… but we are committed to changing that! 👏👏👏⁠
⁠
Our mission is to convince social media managers that if your goal is to close more dreamy clients & make more money this year – email marketing should be at the top of your to-do list. ⁠
⁠
Click through the link to learn why every social media manager needs an email list in 2023! ⁠

As a social media manager, you understand the importance of building an engaged audience on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin and Twitter.  Anyone offering social media related services knows just how valuable these channels are when it comes to visibility, brand awareness, and gr

09/11/2022

Social Media Manager vs. Social Media Strategist... what’s the difference!? ⁠

>>> https://thesocialmedia.ceo/blog/the-difference-between-a-social-media-manager-a-content-creator

It’s important to note that the responsibilities & expectations of these two roles are very different.

A social media manager is focused on the day-to-day tactical part of having a social media presence. They’re responsible for:

👉️ Ensuring their clients show up consistently on their SM platforms
👉️ Maintaining positive customer relationships by responding to incoming comments, DMs and mentions

A typical workday for a SMM includes completing tasks related to content creation, scheduling, publishing, & community management.

A social media strategist is focused less on the daily operational tasks, & more on the big picture. A social media strategist will:

👉️ Do extensive research in order to develop a detailed plan (AKA a SM strategy) that connects their client’s goals to their content
👉️ Dive into the data & psychology of social media marketing in order to carve out an intentional approach to each platform

At the end of the day, social media management isn’t effective without a proper social media strategy.

SM managers do NOT have to offer strategy to their clients — but in order to get the best results, they should consider partnering with a skilled social media strategist to ensure they take a data-focused approach in their daily operations.

SM strategists do NOT have to offer daily management to their clients — but in order to have their strategy properly implemented, they should consider partnering with a social media manager, virtual assistant, or someone on their client’s team in order to create, schedule & publish the strategic content they’ve planned — in other words, a well planned strategy without proper ex*****on is useless.

By combining both skills, you’ve got a recipe for happy clients & lots of success!

This is an excellent way to provide a full solution to your clients — and it’s something you can charge high ticket prices for! 🤑

Register for our Social Media Spirit Week & learn how to level up your strategic skills in order to develop a next level value for your clients at a premium price!
>>> https://academy.thesocialmedia.ceo/social-media-spirit-week

The creator economy is booming. The word “content creator” is being thrown around all over the place. The question is… what exactly is a content creator? How can you – as a social media manager – tap into the creator economy to provide next level support for your clients? Read on to learn ...

28/09/2022

Research: It’s not very glamorous or creative – but it’s an essential part of any successful social media strategy. 👩‍💻📊⁠

No matter what sort of clients you’re working with, it’s important to know everything you can about both their customers AND their competitors. ⁠
⁠
The more information you can gather about your client’s target market, the easier it will be to create highly relatable content that speaks directly to them. ⁠
⁠
The more you know about your client’s competitors, the better you can identify opportunities to differentiate & stand out in the crowd. ⁠
⁠
Ready to dive deep into the data? 🧐 👉 Head to our most recent blog post to learn more about each of these tools!

Research: It’s not very glamorous or creative – but it’s an essential part of any successful social media strategy. No matter what sort of clients you’re working with, it’s important to know everything you can about both their customers AND their competitors. The more information you can g...

26/09/2022

A well-researched, data-informed social media strategy is the key to any business’ success on a social media platform. 🔑📊⁠

Whether you consider yourself a social media strategist, social media manager, or both – one excellent way to add more value to any of your social media services is to include the development of a customized social media strategy.

Ready to create premium, professional, PAID strategies for your social media clients? 😎⁠ Read our blog post to learn more...

A well-researched, data-informed social media strategy is the key to any business’ success on a social media platform. Whether you consider yourself a social media strategist, social media manager, or both – one excellent way to add more value to any of your social media services is to include t...

13/09/2022

“How much should I charge for my services?” – This is a question we hear from social media managers all the time.

When pricing any service, there are a lot of factors to consider – including, but not limited to: your experience & skill level, specific location, the clients you work with & their goals, the results you deliver, your overhead expenses – plus all those other details surrounding your business model & the specific services you provide.

While we can't tell you exactly what to charge, we can provide you with a decent starting point based on your client’s desired budget. Here are social media service ideas at every price point… 👇

“How much should I charge for my services?” – This is a question we hear from social media managers all the time. Pricing can easily become a roadblock for many service providers, because there isn’t a single black & white answer to “how much should I charge? ”. When it comes to valu...

06/09/2022

Shuffles is currently invite-only & it’s still very early as far as viable social media marketing platforms go – but over the past couple of weeks we’ve noticed a slow roll out of helpful new functions and features.

Despite its infancy, we can already see so much potential, and one big reason why we believe Shuffles is something social media managers will want to pay attention to is the Reshuffles feature.

Here are some creative ways to use Pinterest Shuffles to drive traffic to your client’s products & services. 📌📌

In case you haven’t heard, Pinterest recently rolled out its new mood-board-making app called Shuffles! If you’re anything like us (confession: collaging is our creative love language) then prepare to be obsessed… Shuffles is currently invite-only & it’s still very early as far as viabl

02/09/2022

As social media managers, we’re always a bit skeptical when we hear about a new social media app. However, when Pinterest announced its new collage & moodboard making app, Shuffles – our ears most definitely perked up!

After spending a couple of days creating our first few “Shuffles”, we can immediately see the appeal. This app provides you with a visually exciting way to express yourself & share your creativity… but can sharing collages & mood boards be a useful tool for business owners?

📍 Here are 3 reasons for social media managers to get excited about Pinterest Shuffles…

As social media managers, we’re always a bit skeptical whenever we hear about a new social media app. However, when Pinterest announced its new collage & moodboard making app, Shuffles – our ears most definitely perked up! Shuffles allows users to build their own collages using Pinterest’

01/09/2022

Everyday we hear from social media managers who are exhausted from constantly over-extending themselves for clients, at the expense of their own mental health & team morale.

In our experience, over-delivering almost always leads to resentment and burnout – things we want to help social media managers avoid at all costs!

The good news is, it’s totally possible to support your clients in a premium, professional way, while still establishing clear expectations & maintaining your own business’ boundaries.

No more bending over backwards & burning out! 🙅‍♀️🚫

You always want to go above and beyond for your clients. You take pride in being able to provide an impactful, valuable social media service and a professional, supportive client experience! But everyday we hear from social media managers like you, who are exhausted from feeling like they are const

17/08/2022

One of the many responsibilities of a social media manager is planning engagement-driving, brand-awareness-building content for clients. But it's not always easy to come up with fresh new ideas for content, on demand.

Burnout and creativity fatigue are very real issues for social media managers. Thirty minutes of “research” on TikTok can quickly turn into 3 hours of doom scrolling — leaving you with little more than a dreaded feeling that you’ll never come up with a unique content idea again. (Oh yes, we’ve totally been there).

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a blank content calendar, struggling to think of new topics to share with your social media clients – we got you!

💡 Pro Tip: Bookmark this page for the next time you’re in need of a creative jumpstart.

One of the many responsibilities of a social media manager is planning & publishing engaging, brand-awareness building content for clients. However, we also know that it's not always easy to come up with fresh new ideas for content on demand. Burnout and creativity fatigue are very real f

10/08/2022

The role & responsibilities of a social media manager continue to evolve – but a big part of the job is – and always will be – centered around creating, curating, and distributing content that will drive engagement and build a client’s brand on social media. 📱

We’re sharing content creation tools that we consistently use in our own business & highly recommend! If you’re a social media manager who is creating content for your clients in 2022, here are some must have tools...

The role & responsibilities of a social media manager continue to evolve – but a big part of the job is – and always will be – centered around creating, curating, and distributing content that will drive engagement and build a client’s brand on social media. But “content creation” ge...

03/08/2022

Whether you’re trying to schedule a discovery call with a hot new lead, attempting to connect with a client for a meeting, or you need to deal with a last minute cancellation – all of those back & forth messages can quickly become a headache.

And they’re totally unnecessary…

By using an automated calendar software, like the ones we’re sharing with you in this post, you will eliminate all future games of email ping pong and finally remove “receptionist” from the never-ending list of admin tasks on your plate!

Check out these must have tools that make scheduling client calls a breeze:

Whether you’re trying to schedule a discovery call with a hot new lead, attempting to connect with a client for a meeting, or you need to deal with a last minute cancellation – all of those back & forth messages can quickly become a headache. And they’re totally unnecessary… By using an

27/07/2022

Social media managers often neglect client experience, but a solid workflow will help you look like a pro, retain clients longer & even allow you to charge more 🤑🤑

When it comes to client relationships, first impressions matter!

From the very first email, you’ll want to WOW them, WOO them & totally WIN them over! That means making an ongoing commitment to provide excellent communication and next level customer service.

When a new client immediately feels supported through clear communication & intentional processes, they’ll be more confident in their decision to hire you as their social media manager.

Here’s how to elevate your client experience as a social media manager…

When it comes to client relationships, first impressions matter. If a new client immediately feels supported through clear communication & intentional processes, they’ll be more confident in their decision to hire you as their social media manager. Creating a seamless onboarding workflow th

30/06/2022

One of the best things about starting a social media management business is that it gives you the option to offer a variety of different social media related services!

When you’re first starting out we recommend picking one or two services to offer that closely align with your skill set & what you enjoy doing most.

Wondering what to offer as a Social Media Manager? Here are 7 unique services for your social media clients... 👇👇

One of the best things about starting a social media management business is that it gives you the option to offer a variety of different social media related services. When you’re first starting out we recommend picking one or two services to offer that closely align with your skill set & w

21/06/2022

The creator economy is booming. 💥💥

The word “content creator” is being thrown around all over the place.

The question is… what exactly is a content creator?

How can you – as a social media manager – tap into the creator economy to provide next level support for your clients?

Read on to learn the difference between a social media manager & a content creator…

The creator economy is booming. The word “content creator” is being thrown around all over the place. The question is… what exactly is a content creator? How can you – as a social media manager – tap into the creator economy to provide next level support for your clients? Read on to learn ...

08/06/2022

You are what you post (and what you don’t post 😉).⁠
⁠
Whether you’re just starting out working in social media or are a seasoned veteran of the industry, your personal brand can help you differentiate yourself in a saturated market, introduce you to potential new clients and partnerships, and build a strong digital identity you can take with you across careers and industries.⁠
⁠
Keep swiping 👉 to learn 5 ways you can build your personal brand as a social media professional from Social Superlatives Alumni, Kit Huffman from Seneca Agency

08/06/2022

As social media managers & online business owners, it’s hard to ignore the buzz around TikTok.

On May 1, 2022, we decided to get off the social media sidelines & go all in on the platform...

Here’s how we gained over 10k followers & increased our template shop sales by 293% our first month on TikTok!

PS. This is a pretty perfect time to say "Follow us on TikTok!” — We’re having a blast over there 🚀

As social media managers & online business owners, it’s hard to ignore the buzz around TikTok. “TikTok made me buy it…” “TikTok is no longer just a silly app for lip syncing & dancing…” “TikTok isn’t just a platform for Gen Z …”

06/06/2022

What if you looked at industry changes as a brand new opportunity, a chance to reinvent yourself as a next-level service provider?!

Whether you’re just getting started, or you’ve been at this for a while, here's how you can leverage what’s working in our industry right now – to your advantage... 👇

In case we haven’t met before, hey! I’m Stephanie Gilbert, founder of The Social Media CEO. I started my social media management agency, Small Talk Social, in 2015, providing clients with full-service Instagram management. We’re talking strategy, content creation, scheduling & publishing,

12/05/2022

If used strategically, giveaways on Instagram are an amazing way to target new communities and get increased engagement on your account. 🎉

However, as someone who is responsible for managing social media on behalf of clients, you’ll want to be careful to avoid unintended results, like getting your client’s account banned due to not following Instagram’s rules on promotions. GASP!

With a lot of help from our friend Amber at The Boutique Lawyer, we’re sharing tips on the legal way to do an Instagram giveaway…

If used strategically, giveaways on Instagram are an amazing way to target new communities and get increased engagement on your account. When giveaways are done properly and with a powerful prize, you’re likely to see your intended results come to life.

04/05/2022

We hate to be the ones to tell you this, but not every social media management client will be a dream to work with. We’ve heard it all when it comes to client horror stories-- including clients who discredit your experience, disrespect your boundaries, or struggle to pay invoices on time.

You should expect to have healthy work relationships with your clients -- which means asking the right questions during the discovery call & making it a top priority to avoid working with clients who show certain warning signs.

Here are some client red flags every social media manager should look out for… 🚩🚩

We hate to be the ones to tell you this, but not every social media management client will be a dream to work with. We’ve heard it all when it comes to client horror stories-- including clients who discredit your experience, disrespect your boundaries, or struggle to pay invoices on time. As a

21/04/2022

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by scope creep… 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️⁠
⁠
Scope creep refers to changes or growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins. Scope creep is a hot topic around the social media manager watercooler...

So how do you avoid scope creep and create better boundaries around your business and the services you provide?
Simple: Create a Statement of Work [SOW] & include it with your services contract!

What's a statement of work – and why does every social media manager need one? Read on to find out…

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by scope creep! Scope creep refers to changes or growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins. Scope creep is a hot topic around the social media manager watercooler. While it’s easy to blame the client, this issue...

15/04/2022

You are what you post.. and what you don’t post! 😉

Whether you’re just starting out working in social media or are a seasoned veteran of the industry, your personal brand can help you differentiate yourself in a saturated market, introduce you to potential new clients and partnerships, and build a strong digital identity you can take with you across careers and industries.

Here are 5 ways you can build your personal brand as a social media professional… ⬇️

You are what you post (and what you don’t post 😉). Whether you’re just starting out working in social media or are a seasoned veteran of the industry, your personal brand can help you differentiate yourself in a saturated market, introduce you to potential new clients and partnerships, and bu...

13/04/2022

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by scope creep… 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️⁠
⁠
Scope creep refers to changes or growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins. Scope creep is a hot topic around the social media manager watercooler – as it generally looks like:⁠
⁠
👀 A client asking for extra content outside of their package quota⁠
👀 A client messaging you outside office hours asking things like “can you post this really quick?!” ⁠
👀 A client expecting you to use additional features of a platform [ex. Instagram Stories or Reels] when you’ve only discussed handling feed posts⁠
👀 A client assuming certain services are part of their package when they aren’t [ex. community management, content management, etc] ⁠
⁠
… So any request made that oversteps your service deliverables, business operations, etc! ⁠
⁠
While it’s easy to blame the client, this issue often occurs when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled by the service provider… 🙅‍♀️⁠
⁠
AKA: when a social media manager isn't CRYSTAL CLEAR around their service deliverables or work boundaries from the onset, it keeps the door propped open for their clients to make additional - out of scope - requests. ⁠
⁠
So how do you avoid scope creep and create better boundaries around your business and the services you provide? ⁠
⁠
Simple: Create a Statement of Work [SOW] & include it with your services contract! ⁠
⁠
What's a statement of work – and why does every social media manager need one? Keep swiping 👉 to find out… ⁠
⁠
PS: The Boutique Lawyer's Social Media Contract Template includes everything you need to create a detailed Statement of Work – helping you to eliminate scope creep – for good!