Many business owners, especially those who are not tech-savvy, see SMM as something easy and not very important. They think that just posting a couple of pictures will attract customers on their own. Oh, how far from the truth that is!

How can you explain to a client that they won’t see a crowd of buyers after three days of work, and they won’t become internet stars in a month? You know that everything is going according to plan; it just takes time, but the client has their own expectations. To avoid such situations, it’s important to build transparent and trusting relationships with clients from the very beginning. You need to convey that behind every "like" and "share," there is the work of a whole team, and results do not appear overnight.

This is exactly what we will talk about in our article! We will explain how to build the right relationships with clients so they understand what is happening and appreciate your work. We will share the stages of interaction and important points at each stage. We will try to ensure that your clients are aware of all processes and understand that their business is in reliable hands. ### Preparation stage

If you want your collaboration with a client to be successful, you need to start from the very beginning — study the business and understand who you are dealing with. It’s important not just to glance at the client’s website but to really dive into their world. Find out what they do, what products or services they offer, and who their target audience is. This will help you understand how to communicate effectively.

If the client already has established social media profiles, it means they understand the purpose of SMM and are likely just looking for a new contractor. However, if they have never used social media before, you have a challenging task ahead: explaining how, why, and what it all works. And of course, don’t forget about unrealistic expectations: “Will there be customers in three days?” It’s important to set the client’s expectations realistically so they don’t expect miracles in a short time.

The next step is to create a brief. What is that?

A brief is a kind of map that helps you and the client understand where to go. This document gathers all the client’s wishes and allows you to clearly see their goals, expectations, and budget. Here are the main questions to include in the brief:

• Goals: What does the client want to achieve with SMM? Increase sales, raise brand awareness, establish customer connections?
• Expectations: What is the ideal result for the client? What metrics are important to them? Likes, comments, sales?
• Budget: How much is the client willing to invest in promotion? This will help you understand which tools and strategies can be used.

At the brief stage, you will be able to gauge how picky the client is and how high their expectations are. If the client wants their business to skyrocket in a week, you should gently explain that it doesn’t work that way. The more detailed and honest the brief you create, the better the starting position for your work will be. This stage lays the foundation for your successful collaboration, so take your time and do everything carefully.

Project discussion

Once you have studied the client’s business and they have filled out the brief, it’s time to move on to discussing the project so that all expectations align and you can start working with a clear understanding of where you are headed. At the first meeting, you should have a general strategy in hand. This doesn’t mean you need to know every detail, but you should have a clear idea of what you plan to do in the next 2-3 months.

When the client asks, “What do you plan to do?”, you will be able to confidently share your plans. If the client’s account is at zero, this period will be entirely introductory. You will need to do a photoshoot (if the budget allows), package the profile, test initial hypotheses, and launch advertising integrations. It’s important for the client to understand that during this introductory period, they should not expect instant results. They should evaluate how the account transforms, not wait for a flood of customers on their website in three days.

If the profile is already established, your task is to convince the client that you are not going to “ruin” their account. They didn’t change contractors for nothing! It’s especially important to make a good start here. You need to propose ideas that will really “hit.” For example, if you post a reel that gets 1,000 views when previous ones got 100,000, that would be a failure. So be prepared to offer something creative and interesting.

At the meeting, don’t forget to prepare a list of specific questions for which you need clear answers. For example:

• What are the client’s goals?
• What are their expectations?
• What is their budget for SMM?
• What can be done, and what cannot?
• What does the client want to see in their account, and what do they not want?
• What are the requirements for texts and designs?
• Is the client ready to actively participate in the process, or do they prefer to hand over control to you completely?
• How will the approval of materials happen, and what are the timelines for each stage?

Setting clear boundaries at this stage is very important. You don’t want to wait two weeks for approvals and constantly remind the client, right? But the most important thing is to establish trust between you and the client. If you create a friendly interaction, you will always be able to come to an agreement. If the atmosphere is tense, then, most likely, the entire work will be the same. Try to create a comfortable environment, and everything will go smoothly!

Strategy development

Developing a strategy is an important stage, and many nuances need to be considered here. The first thing we start with is defining goals and KPIs. For example, if your client is a beauty salon focusing on manicures and eyebrow tinting, social media is their main sales channel. In this case, all goals should be aimed at attracting clients through social media. It’s important to understand that clients look for professionals this way, not through radio or newspaper ads. Therefore, the entire interaction chain should be focused on this: from attracting attention to booking an appointment.

However, if you are working with a large educational project or a medical clinic, that’s a different story. Here, you will have a long chain from informing to purchasing. Social media will be at the early stages of this chain: attracting attention, informing, and so on. The main action will likely take place on the website or in the office. Therefore, it’s important to understand that goals should align with the business model.

The next step is to develop the structure of the content plan. Here, we work out formats, publication frequency, topics, and content directions. It’s very important that all of this is based on your expert insights. And don’t forget to explain to the client why we are posting this content instead of a funny meme that they find amusing. Sometimes clients may not understand why we choose one type of content over another. So explain and show them how this content works towards their goals.

It’s also worth implementing a tool for task planning and post approvals. This is necessary so that all your interaction history is saved in one place. If employees change, the information won’t be lost. Plus, if you have a unified management system, you won’t get lost in endless chats and spreadsheets. And believe me, this is very important!

Implement the Postmypost service into all processes. With our help, you can not only automate post publication but also gather reports, respond to comments and messages directly from the service. We will also help you build teamwork and client interaction: discussing posts, setting tasks, and approving materials.

Results evaluation, feedback, and strategy adjustment

When it comes to reporting, feedback, and strategy adjustment in SMM, it’s important to remember: keeping the client in the dark is a bad idea.

If you are in contact with a marketer, they are likely familiar with all these abbreviations like ER and ERR. But if the client is a business owner who oversees social media work themselves, it’s better not to confuse them with complex terms. In this case, your task is to simplify the reporting to the most important points. In simple terms, tell them what you have done, what works, what doesn’t, and how it affects their business. Once every 3-4 months, you can hold full meetings to discuss work results, make adjustments to the strategy, and outline future plans.

And don’t forget: it’s important to speak the client’s language. If they don’t understand what “engagement” means, explain it in simple terms: “It’s when your followers and social media users interact with the content: liking, commenting, and sharing posts with friends.”

Also, regularly ask for feedback. Periodically check with the client about what they like and what they don’t. This will help you not only improve the quality of your work but also strengthen trust. If the client sees that you listen to their opinion, they will be more open to your suggestions and ideas.

Be open, adapt the information to the client, and don’t be afraid to discuss all the details. This way, you will not only do your job better but also build strong relationships with the client. Good luck!