I asked my network of social media managers what they think business owners need in place before working with a social media manager, and there were 10 things that came up again and again.

Here are 8 essential and 2 nice-to-have things therapists need before outsourcing their social media management.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The essentials

1) A (good) website

Your website should act as the marketing hub for your therapy practice – a space you own where you can share your entire message and give potential clients everything they need to take the next step in working with you. Your website will do the ultimate task of converting clients, and social media is one of the tools you’ll use to get people there.

The good news is that an effective website doesn’t need to cost the earth. WebHealer specialises in creating professional websites for therapists from just £249. (Use code KV1 when you sign up to get £60 off!)

2) A business plan, strategy and goals

In order to be able to create and execute an effective social media strategy, you’ll need to be able to tell your social media manager what your overall business plan, strategy and goals are. Your social media manager will then take this information to create a fully-informed and researched social media strategy designed to get the results you want.

3) Branding

While I and many other social media managers offer basic graphic design, including branded templates, as part of the content creation process, most of us aren’t professional brand designers. 

Your social media manager will be relying on what you give them in order to be able to create cohesive, branded social media graphics.

At the very least, you’ll want to make sure you have an idea of your brand colours and fonts. (A logo is nice-to-have but not essential.)

Looking for a brand designer to take your business to the next level? I recommend having a chat with Laura from Laura Heard Creative. Laura works on a variety of projects, whether that’s evolving your existing brand and building it up, or starting completely from scratch and creating a bespoke brand concept for you. Laura takes the time to listen and understand your values, creating a brand design package that is you and your business to a tee. Get in touch with her here and be sure to tell her Samantha from Koala VA sent you

4) Realistic expectations and patience

Social media done properly can take time, especially if you’re starting from scratch or implementing a strategy for the very first time. 

The strategy your social media manager implements will take a variety of factors into account, balancing laying the necessary foundations, increasing your visibility, and building relationships as well as promoting your services. Expect to allow at least 12 weeks for effects to be seen.

5) A clear idea of who your ideal client is

“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one”. Seth Godi

The key to successful marketing is knowing who you’re trying to talk to. A clearly defined ideal client will help you to tailor your social media content so it resonates with the people who are:

a) most likely to need and want to work with you

b) the types of people you most want to work with

Not sure who your ideal client is? Book a Power Hour with me and let’s get it figured out!

6) The budget

When it comes to social media strategy, management and content creation you get what you pay for. That means if you go for a budget option you’re highly likely to get a budget service.  There, I said it! 👀

Based on a management fee survey of over 300 social media managers conducted by The Two Lauras, you can expect to pay from £500+ per month per social media platform (e.g. Facebook or Instagram).

But, if you don’t have the marketing budget just yet that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the expertise of a social media manager! We can also help you manage your own social media in a more consistent and effective way by providing you with a clear plan of action with a fully-researched strategy or a quick brainstorming session in the form of a Power Hour.

7) The time to liaise with your social media manager

Hiring a social media manager can save you a huge amount of time but you’ll still need to play a part if you want the best results. Whether it’s providing feedback or business updates, relevant information or photos/videos, you’ll need to make some time available in your schedule for liaising with your social media manager.

8) Photos

If you’re a private practice owner then I’m talking about photos of yourself, your team and your office(s), as well as any physical products you might sell.

You don’t need to pay for professional photoshoots (although that’s always helpful) but you do need to provide your social media manager with business-related photos so your audience can see the real person/people behind the business. 

Keep all the photos you have in an easy-to-access place like a Google Drive or Dropbox folder so your social media manager can get to them, and be sure to keep them up to date so there’s always fresh content available.

The nice-to-haves

It pains me ever so slightly (aka a lot) to put the next 2 items in the ‘nice-to-have’ category but they’re not *technically* essential. 

That being said, if you want to sell digital products, courses, training or memberships then I highly recommend getting these things sorted because they’re a really important part of any overall marketing and sales strategy.

9) An email marketing list

Building an email marketing list provides you with the opportunity to connect with an audience of email users who are already interested in what you have to offer.

Just published a new blog article? 

People on your email list are going to be most interested in reading it.

Launching a new group programme? 

You guessed it – the people on your email list are more likely than any other segment of your audience to want to sign up!

There are plenty of free and paid email marketing platforms available. Popular options include MailChimp and MailerLite. I personally use FloDesk (click here to get 50% off your first year) because it’s simple to use and helps me send beautiful emails.

10) A lead magnet / freebie

Simply asking people to sign up for your weekly ‘newsletter’ isn’t going to encourage most people to give you their email address. 

Your audience wants something valuable in return for letting you email them.

A lead magnet is something you offer to your audience for free in exchange for their email address. (You’ve probably signed up for lots of them yourself over the years.) 

Common examples of lead magnets include:

  • Worksheets, planners and checklists
  • Videos or a short training series
  • eBooks

Having one (or more) freebies to offer your social media audience helps you to build your email marketing list.

Want to brainstorm lead magnet ideas for your therapy practice? Book a Power Hour with me.

Ready to outsource your social media management? Book a discovery call with me.