📣 How to Start a Remote Social Media Agency [Ultimate Guide]

You need to be familiar with the different social media platforms, how to create content for them, and how to target specific audiences.

It’s also good to know about what is trending on different social media platforms.

Knowing what’s hot at any given moment will enable you to build this into your strategy and content and get better results from your campaigns and, ultimately, better results for your clients.

 This will help you to create attention-grabbing copy and marketing materials that elicit a desired reaction from your audience.

Additionally, if you oversee social media accounts for a large company or team, strong writing & communication skills will help you to manage and collaborate with multiple writers effectively.

You’ll also need a strong visual eye to create images and videos that make people want to engage with and share them on social media. 

We’re not saying you need to be a full-fledged designer. However, you do need to have an eye to know what looks good and what doesn’t.

It’s essential to be able to analyse and interpret data generated by your different activities on the social media accounts you manage. This will help you to understand how your campaigns are performing.

This involves studying how many people view the content, how much engagement it is getting, and the click-through rate. By analysing this data, changes and adjustments can be made to campaigns to improve results.

One of the key benefits of starting a social media business is working with clients directly. This means you can build strong relationships with them and understand their needs and goals.

However, to do so, you’ll need to possess fantastic people skills, be very organised and have excellent attention to detail to manage all your clients at a very high standard.

If you can master this, you’ll also be able to understand better what your clients want, so you can develop strategies and content that are more relevant to their brands. This can have a knock-on effect that will help you attract new clients whilst retaining existing ones.

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A fixed hourly rate means that you charge a set amount for each hour of work performed and agree on a certain number of hours each month or per project, and both parties commit to this. 

This is our suggested way to charge customers, particularly when starting, as it’s the most transparent approach.

As you build more trust with your clients and start generating successful campaigns, another approach to charging your clients involves agreeing on a retainer.

A retainer is a fixed monthly fee linked to deliverables rather than the number of hours you work on the project each month. 

For example, you could agree with your client on a €500 monthly retainer in return for achieving a 30% increase in their follower growth on Instagram per month.

The third option is a fixed percentage of a client’s money on social media marketing. This is often the least expensive option for clients and, therefore, not the most lucrative for the social media business.

However, it might be something to consider whilst you’re starting as you try to attract your first customers. Once you’ve proved yourself, aim to move towards one of the first two options.

Which payment model you choose depends on various factors, including the type of work being performed, the relationship between the agency and the client, and your experience level.

Starting a social media business is important to grow a strong online profile on various social media platforms, which will help build your credibility and visibility. 

By regularly posting engaging and informative content, you can attract potential clients and show them what you can do.

You can also use social media to build relationships with other businesses in the industry you would like to work with. These connections can lead to opportunities to collaborate with potential clients.

Also, companies tend to share open positions on their social media accounts, which, although you’re not looking to be employed as an employee, signals there’s a need you could potentially fill on a freelance basis.

Reaching out to the hiring manager could open the door to a short-term gig whilst they’re filling the position permanently, or it could turn into something more…

Another great way to find clients is to use online directories and marketplace websites such as Upwork, Fiverr or Freelancer

These platforms allow businesses to post their projects and requirements, making it easy for freelancers to find work. 

Remember to reach out to your network of contacts to see if anyone knows of any businesses that might require your services.

Most of the time, your first gig will be from someone you know. This is an excellent opportunity to get a testimonial and leverage this to get the next client outside your network.

• Canva for creating images and graphics
• Adobe Creative Suite for advanced design work
• Google Docs for writing articles and copy

1. Asana or Trello for project management
2. PLANN or Hootsuite for social media scheduling
3. Calendly for scheduling appointments and meetings

Sole traders are the simplest and most common type of business structure. Sole traders have complete control over their business but are also personally liable for all debts and losses. You will be considered a “Freelancer” if you select this business structure.

Partnerships are similar to sole traders, but there are two or more owners. Partnerships provide more capital and expertise, but each partner is personally liable for the business’s debts.

Limited liability companies offer the most protection for owners, as they are not personally liable for the business’s debts. However, limited liability companies can be more complex to set up and operate than sole traders or partnerships.

Although if you are an EU citizen, consider setting up a Limited Liability company Estonian via their E-residency program. This is a reasonably painless process when using a provider such as XOLO to help you do so.

When choosing a business structure, it is vital to consider the size and complexity of the business and the level of personal liability you are willing to accept. We suggest seeking professional advice from an accountant or financial advisor before deciding.