Stephen Covey, a renowned figure, wisely stated, “Begin with the end in mind.” For a small agency, success hinges on setting clear goals. Keeping existing clients content is undeniably crucial, especially since, as per HubSpot’s Marketing Agency Growth Report 2018, client acquisition poses a significant challenge for 60% of agencies. Maintaining a steady revenue stream depends heavily on ensuring existing clients are incredibly satisfied.

Digital marketing agencies entrusted with clients’ social media accounts must prioritize their goals and desired outcomes. It’s vital to establish a clear plan for achieving these goals and then execute it promptly, all within budget constraints. But don’t worry; we’re here to assist you. Discover seven astute, budget-friendly strategies to effectively manage social media accounts and guarantee client satisfaction.

1. Craft Goal-Driven Social Media Strategies

Clearly define and document your intended outcomes and deliverables for each client. Without this clarity, aligning client expectations with your team’s approach becomes impossible, inevitably leading to dissatisfaction.

To establish these objectives and deliverables, set SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound – aligned with your client’s reasons for hiring you. While many small agencies do this, unforeseen obstacles and circumstances during execution can hinder progress. Be vigilant about these two significant warning signs:

• Clients may struggle to articulate their expectations clearly. Invest ample time in understanding their needs by utilizing a set of go-to questions to uncover their true requirements.

• It’s easy to deviate from the ultimate goals during daily tasks. Ensure your team reviews all social media content with these goals in mind. Implement daily or weekly check-ins to track progress.

2. Cultivate a Network of Proficient Freelancers

Capacity should be your primary concern when taking on a client project. Ensure you have the resources to deliver high-quality work within the agreed-upon timeframe. Many small agencies overburden a single account manager with numerous client accounts, potentially jeopardizing timely delivery. A bottleneck arises if this manager is unavailable, leaving no one to oversee and guarantee completion.

Accepting too many clients without sufficient capacity to handle daily tasks can also lead to difficulties. Here’s how to navigate these situations:

• Ensure your point person, whether an account manager or strategist, meticulously documents each client’s information and strategy. This is crucial when multiple resources are involved in execution.
• Establish a network of reliable freelancers to handle occasional overflow work. This approach is more cost-effective than employing full-time in-house staff who might not have consistent work to justify the annual expense.
• Assess freelancers’ skills and work ethic beforehand by assigning them small project components. This allows you to evaluate their reliability under pressure without significant risk.

Want to see your small agency thrive? Download our free guide, “11 Ways to Gain and Retain More Clients.”

3. Utilize Affordable Project Management Software

Efficient client social media management requires a centralized system for storing client account information, documents, and content, accessible to all project collaborators. Investing in robust project management software is crucial for managing multiple projects smoothly. Fortunately, numerous free and budget-friendly software solutions can automate or streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up your time to focus on strategy and performance optimization.

While a plethora of project management software options exist, these are particularly beneficial for managing client social media accounts:

• DrumUp: Instead of managing client logins and content in cumbersome spreadsheets, connect their social accounts to DrumUp and group them for effortless scheduling. Store all your created social media content in customizable content libraries within the tool, and schedule it directly from DrumUp.

• Trello: Delegate tasks, establish deadlines, and monitor project progress using a Trello board. Invite every employee or freelancer involved in a project to the board for seamless and effective communication.

• Canva: Create visuals or infographics for Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram quickly using Canva’s templates, saving time and effort on graphic design. Many Canva templates are free to use.

4. Group Social Accounts for Simplified Scheduling

Consistency is paramount for establishing brand recognition. With countless social media platforms and fierce competition across industries, standing out is crucial. How can you expect your target audience to remember you?

Creating remarkable content is essential, but maintaining consistency across platforms is equally vital for brand recognition. Repeated exposure to the same content can help it resonate with viewers.

Grouping client accounts to share similar content is an effective way to ensure consistency. Streamline this process by organizing content and linking content folders to social account groups for automatic sharing.

• Create social account groups for each client within your social media management tool and save their posts separately. Automate repetitive content sharing, like blog posts from RSS feeds or social media posts from online folders, whenever possible.
• Store old social media posts in easily accessible folders and repurpose them periodically. Evergreen content can be reused effectively and trigger brand recall.

5. Publish a Blend of Original and Curated Content

A truly goal-oriented social media strategy prioritizes results over the origin of the content. Curated content can effectively contribute to achieving your clients’ goals. Curating influencer content strengthens relationships with both influencers and your social media audience, demonstrating your focus on providing value rather than self-promotion. Here are some efficient ways to curate content:

• Set up RSS feeds for top blogs, news agencies, and influencer websites in an RSS reader like Feedly or Flipboard to gather content in one place.

• Subscribe to newsletters that curate shareable ideas.
• Always attribute curated content with @mentions and tags to inform the original authors, fostering potential dialogue and collaboration.

6. Leverage Social Media Monitoring for Brand Amplification

Many small agencies undervalue social media monitoring, viewing it solely as a brand reputation management tool. In reality, its potential is vast. The key lies in what you choose to monitor. While monitoring brand-related keywords is common, you can achieve much more. Listen to competitors, influencers, trending hashtags, and intent-based search terms using tools like Google Keyword Alerts or BrandWatch.

Consider these suggestions for setting up effective social media monitoring:

• Search for “small agency” + “your location” to identify potential clients actively seeking agency partnerships.
• Monitor “guest post” + “social media” to discover guest posting opportunities promoted by blogs on social media.
• Experiment with “help” + “social media” or “help” + “marketing” to find potential clients or offer assistance to establish your agency’s expertise.

7. Target Known Audiences with Social Media Ads

Small agencies are no strangers to digital advertising, having likely run ads for themselves and their clients. While success varies, the importance of ads in social media marketing remains undeniable. Here are some tips to improve your Google and Facebook ad campaigns:

• Target audiences with a high likelihood of conversion. Remarketing, for example, can reach website visitors who left without making a purchase. Both Facebook and Google offer remarketing ad options.
• Utilize email list subscribers as a custom audience for Facebook ads. Existing customers often contribute significantly to revenue through repeat purchases, and email-based ad targeting can effectively reach them.
• Focus on providing value instead of resorting to hard-selling tactics. Ad aversion has been on the rise in recent years as audiences dislike being aggressively sold to. Entice them with the value you offer.

Happy Clients, Low Costs, High Growth

Every small agency owner aims to maximize their budget’s impact, ensuring client satisfaction and encouraging repeat business. By implementing these seven cost-effective hacks, you can spend less time on number crunching and more time focusing on what matters: growing your agency.