Many business owners, especially those unrelated to technology, perceive SMM as something easy and not very important. They think that it's enough to just post a couple of photos, and customers will flock to them. Oh, how far from the truth that is!

How can you explain to a client that they won't see crowds of buyers in three days of work, and they won't become an internet star in a month? You know that everything is going according to plan, it just takes time, but the client has their own vision. To avoid such moments, it is important to establish transparent and trusting relationships with clients from the very beginning. It is necessary to convey that behind every "like" and "repost" there is work of an entire team, and the results do not appear overnight.

That's exactly what we will discuss in our article! We will tell you how to build the right relationships with clients so they understand what is happening and appreciate your work. We will share with you the stages of interaction and important aspects at each of them. We will try to ensure that your clients are aware of all the processes and understand that their business is in reliable hands. ### Preparation Stage

If you want your cooperation with a client to be successful, you need to start from the very beginning — study the business and understand with whom you are dealing. It's important not just to glance at the client's website, but to really immerse yourself in their world. Find out what they do, what products or services they have, who their target audience is. This will help you understand the wavelength on which you will hold your dialogue.

If the client already has promoted profiles on social networks, they understand why they need SMM and most likely are just looking for a new contractor. However, if they didn't have social networks before, you will have a challenging mission: to explain how, why, and why everything works. And of course, don't forget about inflated expectations: "Will there be clients in three days?" Here, it's important to set the client on a realistic tone so that they don't expect miracles in a short time frame.

The next step is to draft a brief. What is it?

A brief is a kind of map that will help 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 through SMM? Increase sales, enhance brand awareness, establish a connection with clients?
• 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 what tools and strategies can be used.

At the brief stage, you will be able to understand how demanding 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 quite work that way. The more detailed and honest the brief you compose, the better the starting position for working. This stage lays the foundation for your successful cooperation, so don't rush and do everything thoroughly.

Project Discussion

Once you have studied the client's business and they have filled out the brief, it is time to move to the project discussion so that all expectations are aligned and you can start working with a clear understanding of the direction you are going. At the first meeting, you should have an overall strategy in hand. This does not mean you should know everything down to the last detail, but you should have a clear vision of what you plan to do in the next 2-3 months.

When the client asks, "What do you plan to do?", you can confidently talk about your plans. If the client's account is starting from scratch, this period will be completely introductory. You will need to conduct a photoshoot (if the budget allows), set up the profile, test initial hypotheses, and launch advertising integrations. It's important for the client to understand: during this introductory period, they shouldn't expect instant results. They should appreciate how the account will transform, not wait for clients to flood the site in three days.

If the profile is already promoted, your task is to assure the client that you are not going to "kill" their account. They didn't decide to change contractors for nothing! Here, it is especially important to make a good start. You need to propose ideas that will indeed "shoot". For example, if you post a reel that garners 1,000 views when previous ones got 100,000, it 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 that require 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 not?
• What does the client want to see in their account, and what not?
• What are the requirements for texts and design?
• Is the client ready to actively participate in the process, or do they prefer to hand over the reins completely to you?
• How will material approval take place, and what are the timelines for each stage?

Setting clear boundaries at this stage is very important. No one wants to wait for approvals for two weeks and annoy the client with constant reminders, right? But most importantly - establish trust between you and the client. If you develop friendly interaction, you can always negotiate. If the atmosphere is tense, 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 here you need to take into account many nuances. The first thing we start with is defining goals and KPIs. For example, if your client is a beauty salon, where the main focus is manicure and eyebrow coloring, then social networks are their main sales channel. In such a case, all goals should be aimed at attracting clients directly through social networks. It's important to understand that clients seek masters this way, not through radio or newspaper ads. Therefore, the entire interaction chain should be tailored for this: from attracting attention to booking a procedure.

However, if you are working with a large educational project or a medical clinic, then it's a different story. Here you will have a long chain from informing to purchase. Social networks will be at the initial 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 correspond to the business model.

The next step is to develop the structure of the content plan. Here we work on the formats, publication frequency, topics, and content directions. It is very important that all of this is based on your expert views. And don't forget to convey to the client why we post this post and not a fluffy meme that seems funny to them. Sometimes clients may not understand why we choose one type of content over another. Therefore, explain, show that this particular content works for their goals.

Also, it is worth implementing a tool for planning tasks and approving posts. This is needed so that your entire history of interactions is saved in one place. If suddenly, employees change, the information will not be lost. Moreover, 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 in all processes. With our help, you can not only automate post publication but also collect reports, respond to comments and messages directly from the service. We will also help to build teamwork and client interaction: discuss posts, set tasks, and approve materials.

Evaluating Results, Feedback, and Strategy Adjustment

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

If you have a marketer on the line, they are likely familiar with all these abbreviations like ER and ERR. But if the client is a business owner personally overseeing social media work, better not confuse them with complex terms. In this case, your task is to reduce reporting to the most important. Simply put, tell them what you had, what works and what doesn't, and how it affects their business. Once every 3–4 months, you can hold full-fledged meetings where you discuss the 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" is, explain it in simple terms: "That's when your followers and social media users do something with the content: like, comment, forward posts to friends."

Also, regularly request feedback. Periodically ask the client what they like and what not. This will help you not only improve the quality of 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, tailor information to the client, and don't be afraid to discuss all details. This way, you will not only do your job better but also create strong relationships with the client. Good luck!