How to Get Your First Social Media Client (The 3 Must-Ask Questions)
So, you’ve got a list of people and companies you’re interested in working with, or you are simply wondering how to get your first social media client? But, if your Facebook feed looks anything like mine, it can seem like everybody and their dog is a Social Media guru…
The Social Media space is filled with people advertising their Social Media services, blindly pitching left and right. So, how do you cut through the noise? What can you do to stand out and communicate your level of expertise?
Going in with an action plan and clear goals (plus a few well-scripted lines) is the best way to start a winning conversation. Read the rest of this article to learn an approach that has an amazing track record in my books, and it can help you get your first social media client.
Start out with the following phrase:
“Hi, (name) I’m a results-based Social Media Director in training from (city). I want to work with (companies/industry) and I was wondering if you could help me out. What’s your biggest challenge or frustration with Social Media?”
What you’re doing here is asking for their objections to marketing through Social Media and, essentially, to hiring you. Objections will often include: “I don’t have time for it”, “I don’t know how to make it work”, “all my business is word of mouth.”
From here, there is no more script. Let your conversation unfold naturally as you aim to understand their position and establish your credibility and authority. Build credibility by weaving your credentials and resources into the conversation. For example, “I’ve been trained by one of the best”, “I have 10 years of experience”, “I have a case study where I created a 300% ROI”, etc.). Even if you are just trying to get your first social media client, there are authoritative things that you can mention. No lying, though!
Whatever you do, don’t try to close on this first conversation! Remember that you are building credibility and gathering information. You don’t even know if you want to work with this person yet! You may feel the urgent need to get your first social media client whoever they may be, but trust me: you’d rather not have a client than end up in a messy situation.
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to give away a few gold nuggets of free advice — it’s another way for you to showcase your expertise.
The Conversation
Three key things you want to understand during this conversation include:
- What is their offer?
- Who is their target audience?
- What is their cost per acquisition?
The “offer” is the main product that they advertise, the one they are trying to sell. How they sell it is another issue: they may or may not have a “magnet” in place, such as an introductory offer, a trial, or a freebie.
The target audience is who they are serving this offer to. If they don’t know these, or their understanding of their target audience is ambiguous, do some market research afterward to find out what other people are doing that works.
You can figure out their cost per acquisition by dividing the money spent on advertising by the number of sales they’ve made. For high-ticket items, the average acquisition cost through Facebook ads is $200-$300. For people who are not using digital ads, or who make sales in person, understand what their time is worth. How much time do they spend on sales activities and what is the payoff?
Understanding these key items will allow you to assess if they would be a lucrative client.
End with Reciprocity
When you ask someone for advice you immediately create a good impression. By using the words “I was wondering if you could help me out”, you also trigger the psychological queues of reciprocity. As in, your prospects are highly likely to feel involved in what you’re doing and participate.
Way better than “Hi, I’m a Social Media Marketer, would you like to pay me money for services?”, isn’t it?
A word of warning: if you ask for their advice in an area of expertise in which they obviously aren’t experts, this will have the exact opposite effect. So, simply do not ask for their opinion on what kind of marketing strategy they think would be better.
Finally, at the end of the conversation, if you feel that you want this person as a client, you’ll lay down a call to action, which is to apply to work with you. It may sound something like this:
“Well, Mr. Jones, I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions for me, this conversation has been a big help. You mentioned that you don’t have time to manage social media for your company. I’m confident that based on your offer and target, I could make you money on social media. I’d like you to fill out a quick application so I can better assess the amount of impact I will have for you.”
With a well-crafted introduction and a clear call to action that’s supported by your established credibility and authority, you’ll be fully set to get your first social media client, or continue to grow your client list indefinitely!
Have you tried this before? What do you think?
