Forums Forums White Hat SEO Social Media I feel like I’m in over my head. I started a Social Media Management/Production Company due to high demands for a “One Stop Shop” marketing service. I’ve made many connections over the years being in the restaurant business and just signed on my 5th client.

  • I feel like I’m in over my head. I started a Social Media Management/Production Company due to high demands for a “One Stop Shop” marketing service. I’ve made many connections over the years being in the restaurant business and just signed on my 5th client.

    Posted by seohelper on October 19, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    I am a complete self taught marketing amateur who has been desperately trying to get the hang of all there is to know for the past couple months. I am also NOT a professional photographer/videographer BUT I am creative and have dabbled/invested in film equipment over the years therefor when it comes to producing content I feel fairy confident in delivering work that my clients will be ecstatic with, which for the most part they have been.

    The anxiety’s all come from the organizational, management, data collecting, ad campaign part of it all. I am doing this all on my own and it’s starting to become daunting. I have so many more leads that I know I would be able close on if I only had the reliance that all the important aspects that my clients are expecting would be handled correctly. As of right now I am managing would just love if you guys can give me some pointers or any tools to help me on my journey. Anything really would help and keep me motivated! If you guys have any questions to better understand my situation let me know and Thanks In advance.

    mrgrif04 replied 3 years, 5 months ago 1 Member · 14 Replies
  • 14 Replies
  • el_tigre_stripes

    Guest
    October 19, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    take 2 hours and watch some tutorials on reporting and analytics.

    also ask your clients, what their bar for success is and what their goals of your work is, then overshoot their actual needs rather than guessing.

    stay hungry to learn and grow and you’ll be alright.

  • Suitable-Concert

    Guest
    October 19, 2020 at 9:19 pm

    Sounds like you have a little bit of imposter syndrome, that you feel like you aren’t doing every single detail right because you’re self taught. Chances are you’re actually doing really well. Have any of your clients actually complained about the work you’re providing them?

    Like el_tiger_stripes said, if you feel like you could improve, YouTube is a great resource, as is SkillShare and other video-based learning platforms. But you will never know everything there is to know about marketing. There is no expectation for absolute perfection. As long as you’re organized and getting done what you tell your clients you can deliver, you have no reason to feel doubtful.

    It also might help to look into bringing on another person, even just as an assistant to help you with the things you are not fully confident in, maybe that’s videography/photography, or maybe that’s the data and analytics side. Just something to think about if you are feeling extremely overwhelmed by what you have to do for all 5 clients.

    There’s also nothing wrong with asking people for help, especially if you have a bunch of connections to other marketers. Meet with them in person and ask how they handle certain areas and how they think you can improve. Because as nice as Reddit is to have a community of social media professionals, we don’t know the inner workings of your business and thus we can’t fully help you from the other side of a screen miles and miles away.

  • Lisapatb

    Guest
    October 19, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    Maybe hire a freelancer? I had to do that soon after I went full time and had 5 clients. I know manage about 22 clients with 3 freelancers and more tools.

  • pierrebab

    Guest
    October 19, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    Maybe look for a business partner. When I started my agency I was the non-creative guy, and as soon as I got a sense that I had something I could sell to clients, I brought on a partner who had a creative background.

    Freelancers are more a temporary solution if you ask me. Think bigger. Surround yourself with the people that can bring you up to the next level. Take a smaller piece of a bigger pie. Let someone else manage what you don’t love to do!

    Plus once it got big enough he then become the obvious person to buy me out so I could move on to the next project !!

  • sensically

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 3:30 am

    Learn to anticipate anything and you won’t be flustered when you are hit with a surprise. It’s a fun ride – embrace it. Congratulations your piece is on the board.

  • RikNieu

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 5:44 am

    Could you elaborate on “The anxiety’s all come from the organizational, management, data collecting, ad campaign part of it all.”

    What *specifically* is it that’s concerning you? What exact tasks?

  • KlimYadrintsev

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 6:29 am

    Like said in the comments the problem you have is imposter syndrome and it is completely normal to feel the way you feel.

    Look at things objectively. If you got 5 clients and most of them are happy, you are doing your job correctly. Do not overthink things when you know what you are doing. Most of the structured education is BS and not really relevant.

    What you know and have works, just don’t think that you are not worth things I am sure you worked you ass off for.

  • rakaizulu

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 7:16 am

    Hi there! Super happy for you to be able to get many clients when starting out! By background: Worked in Social Media for 5 years on the corporate side, started an agency with 3 other people last year, we are 15 now.

    My advice might be super basic, but maybe it still helps:
    I don’t know about your financial situation but if you can already pay yourself enough money to live, I would focus on first making sure you can handle the clients you currently have and deliver quality work while also having enough time for learning how to, well, run a company.

    I would advise against scaling too fast if you are just by yourself and have not worked in an agency before. Managing people, admin stuff, tax stuff etc. is tasking and could have a negative impact on your work quality.

    Now if you are in a situation where you can not finance yourself yet and need to scale to do so, then acquire those clients. “Sell it, then figure it out.” I don’t know which country you’re in, but you should be able to find freelancers to cover your niche.

    If you need more help with finding the right tools or want to discuss scaling you can send me a DM. Wish you all the best!

  • st_malachy

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Get organized. Use a crm or something to manage your clients, prospects, leads and most importantly your workflow and time.

    Once you’re organized you’ll be more easily able to determine which tasks can be outsourced, etc. Do the things you’re good at yourself, outsource the rest that you can.

    It not for everyone, but about 3 years into my entrepreneurial journey, I was maxed out, stressed and not making enough money. That all changed when I got a business partner, who not only took part of the load, but he was great at the things I wasn’t good at; we’ve been partners for about 5 years now and never looked back.

  • digidispatch

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    How are you organizing your projects and tasks? I felt this way too then started using a project management tool and it’s helped me stay lean as a company and keep my clients happy with estimated deadlines.

    Check out Monday.com for the tool I use but there are others that might work well too.

  • Dabasacka43

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    You need to hire people to help you. Let me know if you need someone to help you. I can freelance

  • 69imthatguy69

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    Sounds like it’s time to hire your first employee

  • suburbanexpat

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 5:17 pm

    That’s amazing, congrats!! Take a second to pat yourself on the back first of all. It sounds like you’re overloaded and need to hire/outsource the tasks that are the most stressful and least joyful for you. Use a project management system like Asana or Trello to stay organized. Add labels and categories to your emails for each client so your inbox stays tidy too.

    I’m just making the shift from being a full time agency employee to freelancing on my own. Running ad campaigns and collecting data are two of my favorite parts of digital marketing. I’d be happy to help you out on a freelance basis if you’re interested!

  • mrgrif04

    Guest
    October 20, 2020 at 8:31 pm

    Where are you based?