So you want social media support, but you aren’t sure how to go about it? You are wary of the time commitment on your end and wondering about the process of working with a freelancer?
Chances are, you are looking at a few different companies. Hopefully if you are reading this, you are considering Katie Mullen Digital Marketing! To give you an understanding if I am a good fit for your business, I’ve outlined my process for Social Media Content Creation services below.
Step 1 – Pre Call Form
This is exactly as it sounds, a 5 minute form in which I ask you questions about your business and the services you require. This really helps us make the most of any future conversations as it gives me all the information I need to start creating a plan and a quote.
Digital Marketing is a vast area, so I use this form as an opportunity to give an overview of the types of services I offer. It also explains my pricing structure which helps you gauge if I am a good fit for you financially, before we even pick up the phone or say the first ‘can you hear me?’ on Zoom.
When I started Katie Mullen Digital Marketing, I didn’t include this as part of my process which resulted in a lot of wasted time for both myself and potential clients. Often I’d arrange a meeting with someone who was looking for a completely different set of services from my offering. There is nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks they’ve found the solution to their business woes by saying “actually that’s not my area of expertise…” However, in that situation I will always try and direct the business owner to someone who can help.
At other times we’d spend 30 minutes chatting only for me to mention pricing and realise that the person on the other end of the phone had very different expectations about the cost of freelance social media work.
Since developing the Pre Call Form, I’ve saved a lot of time. Both by ensuring that any calls I do have are with someone who is a close fit for my service model, but I also save us both time during the call as I don’t need to ask you so many questions.
So I hear you ask, “How do a I fill in this form and get myself a conversation with Katie?” Click here for my Pre Call Form!
Step 2 – The Call
You guessed it, we set up a 30 minute call. Via Zoom or phone depending on your preference. We will go over your goals, pain points, competitors, products and services, anything in particular you would like to promote on social media and I’ll answer any questions and queries you have.
We can discuss how often you’d like me to post and which social media channels you would like me to work on. We will also cover an important topic – imagery and videos for the posts. Some of my clients provide me with every image and video I post meaning I am responsible for writing the accompanying copy only. Some clients provide me with very little videos or imagery and I source it all or create it on Canva.
Most clients fall somewhere in the middle. As you can imagine, the volume of ready to use imagery and videos which you provide greatly affects the time it takes me to create my content, and therefore the cost of my services. If you want to reduce your quote by providing me with some, have a real think about how much you can commit to each month as I will include this in your terms of reference.
For instance, you might decide that you would like me to post 3 times per week on your Facebook and that each week you will provide me with one photo or video and ask me to create the rest on Canva. If you would like to be completely hands off in that respect, that’s fine too!
Finally I’ll explain the process for creation, client approval and scheduling…. See step 4!
Step 3 – Quote and Getting Started
After the call (not during) I will send you a quote and a terms or reference which outlines your expectations for my output and what I need from you to successfully create brilliant social content. We can of course have further discussion on this if it isn’t quite right, but assuming you are happy with the quote, we will get going as soon as we can!
I normally need a week or two to create the first batch of content and in that time I will need you to give me access to all your social media accounts. There will be a set up charge for my work during this time, usually £100. This will mean that your main billing period will begin on the first week posts go out.
Initially I’ll ask you to commit to a 3 month contract, after that it’s a rolling monthly contact.
Step 4 – Approval and Scheduling Social Media
For most clients, I create a Trello Board for each month or each quarter filled with all the images/videos and copy for every post ahead of time. The Trello Board is in a calendar format so you can see when throughout the month each posts will go out. I’ll then ask the client to approve all this content before I schedule it on Publer. Some clients prefer a word document or a Google Document to Trello.
After a while some clients skip the approval step as they trust me to keep the posts in line with what they want but we will have regular catch ups so they can feedback on any changes they would like to see.
Step 5 – Regular Catch Ups and Reporting
I offer a monthly zoom or phone catch up to all clients and unlimited email support. However, if you do need an extra quick call throughout the month that is generally okay. If for any reason you regularly need extra meetings or need two longer meetings in a month, there will be an admin fee for this. I am also happy to come and meet you at your office or premises a few times per year, however, there will be a mileage charge for this.
For any clients who ask for 3 or more posts per week, a quarterly report is included within your package. Not all clients need a monthly meeting, but I’d always suggest we meet after each quarter to discuss the report and forward plans.
And that’s it! It is a fairly straightforward process and has worked well for all of my clients so far. If you would like to know more, send me a message.
Katie Mullen Digital Marketing, putting the passion back into your business communications