I made 5 silly mistakes working as a social media manager and I don't want you to make the same ones.
I'm going to get SUPER uncomfortable with y’all and be vulnerable about some of the biggest mistakes I made when I first launched... and some that might have even happened within the last six months. 😅😅😅
Why?
Because *somebody* could stand to benefit from reading this so it doesn't happen to them.
I also believe that it's VITAL that freelancers/entrepreneurs share their raw truth. Yes. I can pop up in a different location depending on the day and I never know where I will be. I love all of the freedom working as a social media manager gives me. However, I am commited to remaining authentic and truthful. I REFUSE to have you all say that I didn't keep it funky with you. 💯
So, take my learnings and keep your girl in your prayers because the retrograde is retrograding and I'm so ready for it to be OVER.
I severely undercharged.
When I first launched, I was just eager to land another client. This led to a lot of back-and-forth of price negotiations and I'd typically end up charging LESS for MORE work. I wanted to "be affordable" and work myself to death for $250 - $350 a month. HARD PASS.
Considering I was working about 20 hours a month, I quickly realized that I was paying myself less than what I was making at my 9-5 which means I needed to work with MORE people. I had to pivot.
I do good work and I deserve to be compensated for it!
2. I agreed to back pay.
I'll keep this one short. Do NOT do it. Just don't.
No matter how good their intentions are, if something goes awry, it's going to get awkward REAL fast.
I shot myself in the foot when I made an agreement to receive said pay and when I reached out about the status of payment, a bunch of new stipulations were created, and all of a sudden I had to "prove" what work I was doing, although we had been rolling along for 3-4 months by this point. Lesson learned. Never again!
3. I was too accessible.
I made myself available via email, Slack, DM's, text, Zoom, phone calls... you get the picture.
The problem? I was getting notifications, messages, and requests from my clients EVERYWHERE which felt like chaos (because it probably was).
The final straw was when I was getting messages over the weekend which were followed up by snarky emails. I changed my number and stopped sharing it with clients. I made a new communications guideline and switched all of the systems up to streamline requests and be efficient.
4. I said "yes" when it should have been a "no".
Again, all in the name of being too "client eager", I took on clients in niches that I didn't necessarily want to be in and I ate it.
I am typically excited to do my client work and knew something was up when I was procrastinating with anyone's content in particular. Why was I feeling anxious or hesitant about doing their work? Because they weren't a good fit but I wanted the "prestige" of having a certain amount of clients.
I then started the process of narrowing down who I worked with and the types of industries I specialized in.
5. I should have spoken up and I didn't.
Part of my pitch is that I bring ease to CEOs/coaches/consultants. I put my head down and get the work done.
The problem? I felt like a former client was avoiding me. I asked for meetings time after time and at the last minute something would always come up. It felt jarring but because I had been working with them for so long, I kept doing my thing and had the numbers to back it up. This went on for about two months.
Wanna know what happened? I busted my behind getting content done 1.5 months in advance and was told via a voice note (never in writing) that my services were no longer needed. I should have been persistently annoying in getting time with them but I didn't and I ate it. And I'm not gonna lie; I was so hurt.
But guess what? I'm human.
When I look at the social media manager I am now versus the one I was a year ago, or 18 months ago when I first launched, I smile.
I know who I am for and who I am not.
I stand behind my prices.
I know that this industry makes you grow and you'll learn something new every day.
I know that I'm only going to continue to get better. The rookie mistakes I made in the past do NOT define me. They were all stepping stones to get to where I am today.
Entrepreneurship will put the mirror in front of your face whether you want to look or not, but I'm thankful for the growth and I can't wait to continue embracing the ride.
