Starting a Social Media Management Business Checklist
I don't know about you, but we are living our lives one checklist at a time over here at Social Savvy!
Starting your social media management business can feel so overwhelming. There's advice from newsletters, gurus, courses, and the community everywhere, and it can make your head spin! As a six-figure agency who's been through it all, we are here to help simplify things for you.
Check out this checklist for starting a social media management business.
Plan
Personal goals: What are the personal goals you hope to achieve with this business? Think about how you what to structure your business around you. You're the boss, babe!
Branding: Branding plays such a huge role in multiple aspects of our business that it can be a great starting point. How do you want to show up? How do you want to come across to clients? How will you use this to attract clients? We recommend creating a Canva Pro Account to store all of your brand details in their Brand Hub (fonts, photos, colors, logos, etc).
Income Goals: What kind of profit do you need to make for yourself through this business? Think about the income you need to replace or even the new income goals you hope to achieve through this business. Use our pricing calculator to help you!
Brand Mission & Values: What values do you have that can shine through to your business that makes you unique and betters your client experience?
Legal
*Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and we are not legal professionals. Please ensure to check with an attorney on the laws and requirements in your area, as well as what's best for you and your business specifically*
Choose a Business Name. Choose something that you love, that's easy to spell, and that includes an open domain name.
Business Structure: Determine the legal structure that suits your business, such as sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation. Most start with an LLC, but choosing one that suits you will be helpful in the long run. Check out this guide on business structures from the Contract Shop!
Register Your Business: If you're a US-based company, this typically means filing your business on your state's website and filing for an EIN with the IRS. On each of those government sites, you'll find more specific instructions walking you through this step of the process.
Contracts: Contracts are essential! We love this attorney-drafted template from the Contract Shop.
Financial
Funding: Where will you receive funding from, and/or how much capital will you start with in your business?
Bank Account: Creating a separate business account will be critical for keeping track of your finances. Note that you will likely have to file your company and receive an EIN number before creating this account. Ask your bank what other type of paperwork you need to bring with you.
Accounting System: An accounting system helps you track and manage your financial transactions, maintain accurate records, and make informed business decisions, do some research on what will work best for you.
Bookkeeping: Whether you are working with a bookkeeper, or learning how to do this on your own, research what needs to happen to keep your books updated!
Foundations
Ideal client avatar: WHO do you want to work with? Create an ideal client avatar so you know exactly who you want to design your business around and
Choose a signature service (niche): What skills do you bring to the table? What platforms do you want to work with?
Pricing structure: While we are huge fans of package pricing, it might not be what works best for you and your clients! Additional options can include a retainer, hourly, and project-based rates. We dive deep into pricing structures, in this podcast episode.
Portfolio: Your portfolio is the perfect way to show off your work and let clients know what you can do. We have a portfolio template available in our resource shop!
Systems
Lead Generation: How are you going to attract your ideal clients? Think of effective lead-generation processes that you can implement. Check out ours, here!
Onboarding: Onboarding is your new client's first impression of you (no pressure, right?!). Create a seamless process for your client to get started on the right foot.
Monthly management: Setting up a monthly management system for yourself will save you a lot of tears and a lot of time. Think about when you'll batch content, how they will approve content, and when you'll hold meetings or check-ins with them, etc.
Offboarding: Even if you aren't planning on losing a client, it's always a possibility. Ensure that you're prepared with an offboarding process.
Management
Staying organized: Staying organized will make or break your business! Utilize your systems and tools to ensure that you not only get organized but stay organized.
Goal tracking: Take those personal, business, and income goals from the beginning and make them actionable. How are you going to hold yourself accountable and track your success, so that you can pivot or celebrate!
Audits: We know that social media audits are important, but they are actually beneficial to all different forms of your business.
Community & Networking: You need a community to fall back on, ask questions to, and vent. You aren't in this process alone! That's where we come in, join our community of social media managers!
Starting a social media management business doesn't happen overnight! Use this checklist to keep yourself on track and the pieces will fall into place for you. We can't wait to see you in your booked-out and busy era ⚡
