I hope you all enjoyed part one (You Do WHAT For A Living?) of this three-part series on Social Media Management and Consulting by Dawn Sievers. In this second instalment, Dawn will be explaining how to find clients and how to answer some of their objections.
I'm so delighted to have these articles published on the blog for all of you to read and I want to take this opportunity to thank Dawn again for agreeing to guest post on Derek's Home and Business Blog and for providing my readers with such great content. To learn more about Dawn's technical, creative, editing, blogging and social media management writing services, visit her website at
http://www.sdawnsieverswritingservices.com.
Without further ado, here's part two of this exclusive three-part series:
Social Media Management Part 2: Handling Objections
If you're reading this second article in this series about social media management, then you're already somewhat familiar with the concept. A social media manager or consultant handles the online daily duties, posting, blog writing, etc., for clients.
So, now let's move forward to finding clients and answering some of their objections. Being able to give effective answers to inevitable objections is about 80% of your battle to landing a paying client. My main advice to you is to research, research and research some more on your topic. Run online searches for social media reports. Find definitive evidence that social media can and does contribute to marketing and sales goals. Be able to offer specific examples of how social media broadens awareness of any business. Have print outs to show your prospective client. Clients love visuals like graphs, charts and percentages to indicate results. I suggest Mashable.com as a good resource for solid reports on social media, but you'll probably find a myriad list out there with any given key word search.
Let me give you common objection:
"Why should I pay you when I have a 14 year old at home who spends the majority of her waking hours on Facebook and can do all of this for me?"
How would you address this challenging question in your presentation? I'll share with you how I respond, as I hear this objection on a regular basis. By the way, you can substitute the "14 year old" with "secretary/assistant/receptionist/spouse/friend" and give the same general rebuttal.
"It's great that your 14 year old is computer and social media savvy. I'm sure that she can do a great deal of what we're discussing. With that being said, let me remind you that you're not looking for a child's perspective here. You're running a business and you need a mature, responsible and experienced hand supporting your marketing plans. Your teenager will be easily distracted and might not always have the same dedication that a motivated professional will give you. If you're also thinking of handing this duty off to a current employee, consider that you'll run the risk of getting less than 100% attention to your social media presence while that employee splits their focus amongst myriad daily duties. What I can give you is an educated, focused, experienced management plan that will optimize your social media and grow awareness of your brand. I am dedicated to giving your social media presence the best possible support."
That's a rather lengthy example of what I offer as a rebuttal to that type of objection. Be aware that convincing people to pay for social media management can sometimes be a bit of an uphill battle to begin with. Occasionally, you'll meet people who are very aware of the value of hiring a social media consultant and are just looking for someone who has the skills they need. Those people are rare, however, so I advise sharpening your ability to calmly field endless objections and challenges when you're pitching your services to prospective clients.
Do your research and educate yourself about the growing niche market of social media management and consulting. Identify the components of this field that you want to pursue and study the dickens out of it. Become an expert in those components and project a sense of confidence that you are the best person to provide this service. Having facts and examples to offer in a presentation to prospective clients will set a professional tone. Being able to respond to objections with reasonable rebuttal will keep the balance of power in your hands when it comes to negotiating terms and contracts.
Social media management is not an exact science. I adapt my presentation and my fees to each client's needs. The field itself is constantly expanding and changing, as we all know that social media is also constantly morphing and growing. If you choose to pursue a career in this field, expect to constantly be kept on your toes to keep up with the equally constant changes in social media. You can rarely rest on your laurels in this field, and you are regularly expected to produce miracles. Polishing your presentation skills and having the ability to adapt to a wide range of personalities will stand you in good stead.
Personally, this constant change one of the aspects that I enjoy about my job, as it constantly keeps me challenged. If you prefer a job that is repetitive and comfortable on a daily basis, social media management might not be the field for you. If, however, you're a creative mentality who enjoys a fast pace and constant level of change, then I encourage you to give this career a try. The possibilities are endless for creating your own business in this market.
Social media management is still a young concept, but I do not see it going away. This means that employment opportunities in this field will grow right along with the life cycle of the two big dogs of Facebook and Twitter. Neither service is going to fall off the planet anytime soon; they are both here to stay, and smart entrepreneurs are going to grab onto those coattails to create attractive careers for themselves.
In the third and final part of this series which will be published on Friday: How to market yourself in this growing niche.
About Dawn: S. Dawn Sievers is a Freelance Technical and Creative Writer, Editor and Blogger, founder of Facebook group Authentic Blogger, and Social Media Management Consultant to a wide range of industries and corporations. To learn more about her technical, creative, editing, blogging and social media management writing services, visit her website at http://www.sdawnsieverswritingservices.com.
Additionally, you can follow Dawn's personal blog, Healing Morning at http://healingmorning.blogspot.com. You can also find her on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/sds2965
Do you like this guest post by Dawn Sievers? Please show Dawn your support by leaving her your valued comments.
Previous articles:
Social Media Management Part 1: You Do WHAT For A Living?
Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776
Until the final instalment on Friday, enjoy the rest of the week!
© 2012 Dawn Sievers. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.
I'm so delighted to have these articles published on the blog for all of you to read and I want to take this opportunity to thank Dawn again for agreeing to guest post on Derek's Home and Business Blog and for providing my readers with such great content. To learn more about Dawn's technical, creative, editing, blogging and social media management writing services, visit her website at
http://www.sdawnsieverswritingservices.com.
Without further ado, here's part two of this exclusive three-part series:
Social Media Management Part 2: Handling Objections
If you're reading this second article in this series about social media management, then you're already somewhat familiar with the concept. A social media manager or consultant handles the online daily duties, posting, blog writing, etc., for clients.
So, now let's move forward to finding clients and answering some of their objections. Being able to give effective answers to inevitable objections is about 80% of your battle to landing a paying client. My main advice to you is to research, research and research some more on your topic. Run online searches for social media reports. Find definitive evidence that social media can and does contribute to marketing and sales goals. Be able to offer specific examples of how social media broadens awareness of any business. Have print outs to show your prospective client. Clients love visuals like graphs, charts and percentages to indicate results. I suggest Mashable.com as a good resource for solid reports on social media, but you'll probably find a myriad list out there with any given key word search.
Let me give you common objection:
"Why should I pay you when I have a 14 year old at home who spends the majority of her waking hours on Facebook and can do all of this for me?"
How would you address this challenging question in your presentation? I'll share with you how I respond, as I hear this objection on a regular basis. By the way, you can substitute the "14 year old" with "secretary/assistant/receptionist/spouse/friend" and give the same general rebuttal.
"It's great that your 14 year old is computer and social media savvy. I'm sure that she can do a great deal of what we're discussing. With that being said, let me remind you that you're not looking for a child's perspective here. You're running a business and you need a mature, responsible and experienced hand supporting your marketing plans. Your teenager will be easily distracted and might not always have the same dedication that a motivated professional will give you. If you're also thinking of handing this duty off to a current employee, consider that you'll run the risk of getting less than 100% attention to your social media presence while that employee splits their focus amongst myriad daily duties. What I can give you is an educated, focused, experienced management plan that will optimize your social media and grow awareness of your brand. I am dedicated to giving your social media presence the best possible support."
That's a rather lengthy example of what I offer as a rebuttal to that type of objection. Be aware that convincing people to pay for social media management can sometimes be a bit of an uphill battle to begin with. Occasionally, you'll meet people who are very aware of the value of hiring a social media consultant and are just looking for someone who has the skills they need. Those people are rare, however, so I advise sharpening your ability to calmly field endless objections and challenges when you're pitching your services to prospective clients.
Do your research and educate yourself about the growing niche market of social media management and consulting. Identify the components of this field that you want to pursue and study the dickens out of it. Become an expert in those components and project a sense of confidence that you are the best person to provide this service. Having facts and examples to offer in a presentation to prospective clients will set a professional tone. Being able to respond to objections with reasonable rebuttal will keep the balance of power in your hands when it comes to negotiating terms and contracts.
Social media management is not an exact science. I adapt my presentation and my fees to each client's needs. The field itself is constantly expanding and changing, as we all know that social media is also constantly morphing and growing. If you choose to pursue a career in this field, expect to constantly be kept on your toes to keep up with the equally constant changes in social media. You can rarely rest on your laurels in this field, and you are regularly expected to produce miracles. Polishing your presentation skills and having the ability to adapt to a wide range of personalities will stand you in good stead.
Personally, this constant change one of the aspects that I enjoy about my job, as it constantly keeps me challenged. If you prefer a job that is repetitive and comfortable on a daily basis, social media management might not be the field for you. If, however, you're a creative mentality who enjoys a fast pace and constant level of change, then I encourage you to give this career a try. The possibilities are endless for creating your own business in this market.
Social media management is still a young concept, but I do not see it going away. This means that employment opportunities in this field will grow right along with the life cycle of the two big dogs of Facebook and Twitter. Neither service is going to fall off the planet anytime soon; they are both here to stay, and smart entrepreneurs are going to grab onto those coattails to create attractive careers for themselves.
In the third and final part of this series which will be published on Friday: How to market yourself in this growing niche.
About Dawn: S. Dawn Sievers is a Freelance Technical and Creative Writer, Editor and Blogger, founder of Facebook group Authentic Blogger, and Social Media Management Consultant to a wide range of industries and corporations. To learn more about her technical, creative, editing, blogging and social media management writing services, visit her website at http://www.sdawnsieverswritingservices.com.
Additionally, you can follow Dawn's personal blog, Healing Morning at http://healingmorning.blogspot.com. You can also find her on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/sds2965
Do you like this guest post by Dawn Sievers? Please show Dawn your support by leaving her your valued comments.
Previous articles:
Social Media Management Part 1: You Do WHAT For A Living?
Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776
Until the final instalment on Friday, enjoy the rest of the week!
© 2012 Dawn Sievers. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.
Always useful to see how other professionals handle such questins, thanks Dawn.
ReplyDeleteMy question for you would be how do you kee up with all the new SM platforms that appear and then distinguish which you need to know more about (as you think they will stay) or which you feel you can get away with minimal knowledge about (as you don't think they will be around for long)?
http://lifethrulucylasticaslense.blogspot.co.uk/
Hi Lucy, thank you for the question! There are endless new social media platforms cropping up almost every week, and yes, it can be overwhelming to attempt to keep up with each one that is "born".
DeleteWhat I find works best is to thoroughly interview each new client. I ask about their preferred demographic, their immediate, short-term and long-term goals for marketing and growth and I take endless written notes during the interview. I then ask them what social media platforms they have received the most "bang for their buck" thus far, what platforms they prefer to work and post with, and most importantly, I ask if there's a part of the market they feel they're not reaching. Then I can tailor the social media approach to fill in those areas that might be lagging.
The most helpful thing I can offer in this long-winded reply is that each client ends up presenting unique challenges that I adapt my social media management skills to. I have package deals that I offer, but I almost always end up customizing to an extent.
The Big Four social media platforms that most clients want incorporated into their social media management agreement are: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +. I add/subtract according to each clients' needs and requests.
I hope this helps!
- Dawn
Always useful to see how other professionals handle such questins, thanks Dawn.
ReplyDeleteIndianapolis SEO Co., thank you! I look forward to visiting you and learning more about you in return! :)
Delete- Dawn
I love that rebuttal Dawn! I will store it away for future use! Can't wait for the next part!
ReplyDeleteTameka, I'm glad you're enjoying this series! And it was wonderful, just truly a joy, to speak to you on the phone today, chickadee. :)
Delete- Dawn
Dawn, I understand the hesitation business owners have with 'paying' a social media manager. But really, they are willing to pay a CPA, etc. for their specialty. These are also points that can be brought out if they are not easily convinced. Social media does require knowing more than just FB and Twitter. And as you said, people involved with the business may not give it 100% as a specialist would. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMary, I absolutely agree with you, and I offer those as rebuttals in my presentation to various business owners. It just depends on what objections they toss on the table, which analogy or response I offer. Back when I started social media consulting, there was a lot more educating of the public necessary. I'm happy to say that this is not as prevalent, as the majority of business owners are at least peripherally aware of the power of Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for the comment! :)
Delete- Dawn
Thanks for the reply Dawn. Good to know I have the 'big four' covered, though I am yet to see the benefits of Google+
ReplyDeleteVery helpful. Thanks Dawn!
ReplyDelete