Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Business Advice

  • How Much Should A Social Media Manager Cost?

    The cost of a social media manager sometimes triggers sticker shock in people. But in order to evaluate cost, of any type, you need context.

    I talked about job costing and my experience of only making $9 and hour previously. Here’s a higher-level update for how much a social media manager should cost a client.

    Context matters when it comes to salaries or, frankly, vendor costs. What caliber of person would you want representing your brand? That’s the real question.

    "What caliber of person would you want representing your brand? That's the real question." Share on X

    ZipRecuiter has a 2019 salary resource for free if you want to look at those, too. For my town, this is their analysis.

    As of Apr 22, 2019, the average annual pay for the Social Media Manager jobs category in Dana Point, CA is $49,075 a year.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $88,280 and as low as $16,552, the majority of salaries within the Social Media Manager jobs category currently range between $33,606 (25th percentile) to $60,190 (75th percentile) in Dana Point, CA. The average pay range for a Social Media Manager job varies modestly (up to $26,584), which suggests there may be fewer opportunities for advancement based on skill level, but increased pay based on location and years of experience is still possible.

    Quick Highlights

    • When you outsource social media instead of hiring in-house, you shift the labor burden from your company to your vendor.
    • Respectable social media managers produce results.
    • I’m more expensive than a Happiness Hero at Buffer but less expensive than an in-house Marketing Manager.

    Let’s do some math.

    Before we get to my pricing or any other agency’s pricing, let’s talk about hiring a Marketing Manager.

    According to Salary.com, the median salary for a Marketing Manager in the US is $96,000 and Glassdoor puts it at $88,000 for Los Angeles, and US News reports it to be $128,000 (I’ve rounded the numbers).

    An in-house social media manager’s range is much lower, which is to be expected.

    “For social media manager salaries, Glassdoor’s national average was $51,613, while Indeed’s was $61,000. For a final source, we checked PayScale, which showed a median salary of $45,260.” Sprout Social 

    Buffer is one of the remote workforces that is completely transparent with their salaries. Happiness Hero average around $70,000.

    If you were an employer, you’d have to add at least 20% to those salaries to account for labor burden — maybe even 50% if you pay for health insurance and things like 401(k), etc.. Let’s take the BLS number of 30% employee burden.

    “Overall, compensation costs among private industry employers in the United States averaged $33.26 per hour worked in June 2017. Wages and salaries, at $23.15 per hour, accounted for 69.6 percent of these costs, while benefits, at $10.11, made up the remaining 30.4 percent.” Bureau of Labor and Statistics

    Shifting the Labor Burden

    Labor burden is a problem for companies. I get it. I spent a good time in office management and accounting. I completely understand the cost of an employee.

    One of the benefits of outsourcing to a freelancer (1099 contractor) is shifting that labor burden from your company to theirs.

    Freelancers shift the labor burden from your company to themselves. Not to mention the cost to interview, hire, and train a social media manager — or their rookie mistakes.

    "Freelancers shift the labor burden from your company to themselves." Share on X

    Cost from a Freelancer’s Perspective

    Let’s take a small diversion into what it means to be a freelancer. They take the burden of self-employment tax (20%) in addition to their own costs (expenses) which include health insurance, office equipment, utilities (like internet), office lease or co-working expenses, and more.

    To my freelancer and small agency friends, I take a short diversion.

    "Freelancers should understand cost before they decide their rates." Share on X

    What do you think you really make when you charge $100/hour? Would you be surprised that it’s only $16?

    Is $20 an hour $20 an hour?

    The short answer is no.

    You have options. Sure. You can outsource outside of the country. That is your prerogative as a business owner. Maybe some things can be automated, some outsourced in another country to help their economy, and some in-sourced.

    It’s good to have options. As a business owner, you have your own budgets to reconcile with your goals.

    There are options and tools. If you’re willing to bring social media in-house, you should. That’s the option that many of my colleagues recommend including Robert Nissenbaum of Tactical Social Media. It’s your brand and your voice. You know it best.

    “As a small business owner you ARE the face of your business. The more you are personal and the more of yourself you bring into your content, the more opportunity you provide for others to connect. The more opportunity you have to create, develop and grow relationships. The more opportunity to develop a friendship.” Tactical Social Media

    How do you evaluate a Social Media Freelancer?

    Cost is good but it’s not everything. Look at their reputation. Look at their Twitter profile. Are they full of promises but can’t produce results? No one believes in first-click leads, but we still want results.

    The people I respect produce results. You should want that, too.

    Why are you so expensive?

    The short answer is I’m worth it. The long answer is that I know what my colleagues and agencies are charging and I’m still providing a great deal. Many of my peers would ask me to raise my prices.

    My Twitter Pro Package was priced at $1,000 a month ($1,200 as of January 2021). Agencies charge upwards of $2,000 a month for this exact service (I know I worked at one!).

    I know, as a person who believes passionately in accurately representing a brand that I spend a minimum of 28 hours a month on each client’s Twitter account. Though I don’t charge hourly, let’s use that as a basis for comparison and context.

    By my calculations, I’m a bit more expensive than a Happiness Hero at Buffer but still less expensive than an in-house Marketing Manager at the low salary spectrum — without taking into account the labor burden.

    So, what looks like a good deal to you?

  • Use Google Analytics to Know Your Audience

    You write and you tweet. But do you know your audience? Do you use Google analytics? Do you know how long should your content be? What should the grade level be? Is your well-crafted persona even correct?

    What matters most in Analytics?

    What matters most in Google analytics is acquisition and session duration. What matters most in Twitter analytics is profile visits.

    My disclaimer to analytics is that it is a snapshot of the past. If you only post at 9:00 AM on Tuesdays, then your best time to post will always be 9:00 AM on Tuesdays. If you only use Yelp, your best referral will be Yelp. I am known to refer to Google Analytics as an autopsy.

    I give a quick tour of Google Analytics in this video. Acquisition (where they found you) and average session duration (how long they are reading) matter most.

    An in-depth look at Twitter analytics when Twitter showed demographic data is part of this episode with Jason Tucker.

    Audience, Audience, Audience

    Influencers need an audience. Businesses need an audience. The truth is that we all have audiences. We all influence someone. With the age of social media, we’re all publishers now. But who is that audience — exactly?

    Do you find your audience and write for them or write and then find your audience? Which came first: the chicken or the egg?

    Which comes first the chicken or the egg – the audience or the content? Share on X

    It doesn’t matter. You have the audience now. It is important to keep their attention.

    Let’s Spitball Here

    Let’s presume you know your audience. You’ve been using Twitter or a year or more. You have a blog. You’re publishing content.

    Can you use Twitter’s analytics to help shape your content? Yes. And you should.

    If you see that your audience is only 33% college educated, that should shape the types of words you use. Perhaps your content should be short form and not long. Check the readability score on Yoast’s SEO plugin or on HemingwayApp.com.

    Test. Experiment. Try. Test again. Try.

    I test the way I cook — it’s an experiment. It’s not formal. If someone likes it, I continue. If I hate it, I fix it. You can A/B test without heavily relying upon data.

    I know what you’re thinking — that a post about analytics should be data centric. But what is data? Without context it means nothing. You can waste hours in Google Analytics or Twitter Analytics studying the wrong thing.

    Brené Brown says “maybe stories are just data with a soul.“

    For example, 57% of my audience is interested in “fresh & healthy” lifestyle. That means I could experiment with writing about how I started using the Asana Rebel Yoga App and posting some of my Yoga photos from Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BWEY_vBljjm/

    How will I know if it worked?

    Traffic. Comments. (For example, after I started using Postmatic for email delivery and commenting, I’ve gotten a lot more comments. The comments encourage me to write more.) Comments also help give me ideas on what to write about.

    You also might see those posts performing well in the Top Tweets of your Twitter Analytics.

    How often should I look at Twitter’s Analytics?

    I need gimmicks. So first, you need self-awareness. Then you need routine. I have Maintenance Mondays at my house. So I look at Twitter’s Analytics every Monday. For clients, I record data monthly in a Google Sheet. For myself, I go on intuition.

    Start. What are you waiting for. You might be surprised.

    Updated September 7, 2020

  • Listen to the Quiet

    It’s easy to be busy — busy with people, noise, work, problems. And it’s good to work hard, hustle, and be productive. But we need downtime. We need to listen to the quiet.

    And so, I took a walk at the beach. I was content taking photographs, listening to the waves, feeling the sun on my face, and tasting the salt air.

    “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” ― Ansel Adams

    Writers Need Rest

    Tonight, I knew I was coming up against my own deadline of publishing Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. And, for my day job, I write.

    Tweets, Facebook posts, point of view documents, persuasive content, informative content, technical pieces, editing, proofreading. There’s so much writing. And that doesn’t even count the conversations I have that are heavily edited. 😉

    And we forget that as creators, we also need to consume. So, I watch Gary Vaynerchuk’s shows and WordPress shows and even comedies on the Internet. I watch documentaries on Netflix, and movies, and even cartoons. I laughed, I cried, it moved me.

    But if we never have moments with true quiet, how can we think? And when I say think I mean to deeply consider, meditate, and ponder.

    Consumption requires reflection. And we’ve already agreed that creation requires consumption. So, it’s logical to presume that creation requires reflection. So, when do we just stop talking and listen?

    Get out of the house.

    Okay, so I live in an apartment, but you get it. Sometimes, I hang with my friends and we go for a walk at the harbor. But that’s not the same, is it? I mean, it can do you a world of good — believe me.

    But I feel like we don’t value being alone — outside — in nature.

    And our times spent at the beach, or riding our bike, or enjoying some other outdoor activity is often seen as frivolous and unproductive.

    So, what if I told you our brains crave nature?

    Science said so.

    What should be obvious to us — taking a walk to give your mind a break — is being heavily studied and written about lately. Of course, getting away from your computer helps you solve problems. We are so worried about our brains being 100% active that we forget what happens when we enjoy our surroundings.

    “A few years ago, for example, in an experiment similar to Bratman’s, Stephen Kaplan and his colleagues found that a 50-minute walk in an arboretum improved executive attention skills, such as short-term memory, while walking along a city street did not.” National Geographic Magazine

    Case in point. I thought I had nothing to say tonight. But just one hour walking at the beach and watching the sunset — without earbuds — allowed my brain to focus on “nothing.” Instead of forcing myself to come up with an idea and work on one of my neglected drafts, It came to me.

    I saw a man, sitting on the beach, alone. He was outstretched. His legs were open to the sea. His arms were open wide. He was still. And it occurred to me — we don’t listen to the quiet enough. How are we supposed to think of brilliant ideas when we never stop the noise?

    “Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination – repetitive thought focused on negative emotions – decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.” Rob Jordan

    Art said so.

    It’s hard not to think of Ansel Adams, Robert Frost, and Henry David Thoreau when we think of art and nature.

    One inspires the other.

    The words, the photographs, the paintings. They reflect nature and nature’s affect on us. And we practice seeing beauty in the ordinary — joy in the routine.

    And so, our minds rest, relax, and consume. It consumes that which many believe is the truest — nature.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BJUFQDahaOO/

    Take a Walk. Then Create.

    Spend some time alone — not listening to a podcast or music or talking to your friend. Listen to the wind, the birds, the ocean. No matter where you live, you have beauty around you.

    Consume that.

    Consume nature.

    You’ll never regret it.

     

  • Social Media Matters Because Successful Business Relationships are Built Upon Small Talk

    Updated 1/8/23

    The use case for social media to develop business relationships gets a bad rap. Social platforms have the reputation of being where people tweet that they’re going to the bathroom, take selfies in their car, photograph their chicken salad sandwich, and test out the newest dance craze. These posts are viewed as irrelevant at best – foolishness at worst.

    It’s drivel. It’s meaningless. It’s small talk. So why should your business invest in social?

    I mean, who cares what someone ate for breakfast?

    The truth is, we all care.

    Wait. What?

    Business is Built with Relationships

    We all know that we do business with people we “know, like, and trust.” I can hear you saying it out loud while you’re reading it. It’s a cliché because it’s true. In business, this is why we put a huge emphasis on likability.  

    It’s not a fair world. It’s not about the best product. We don’t hire the best candidate. We don’t promote the best person. We promote, hire, and purchase from people we like. It’s changing with the diversity and inclusion landscape – but that’s another blog post.

    So how can you become likable in business? Engage in effective small talk. 

    Small Talk Builds Business Relationships

    Small talk builds business relationships. If you agree, you’re done reading. If you’re in doubt, let’s take a step back. What is small talk? 

    You may think about discussing the weather trends as small talk. Meaning, the talk is unimportant. Does it matter if you discuss whether Aaron Rodgers will retire next season? No. The Packers won’t take your advice and neither will Aaron Rodgers or his agent. What small talk does, however, is determine whether or not the person next to you at the pub, conference or dinner is willing to continue to talk to you. 

    If small talk is bad, what are we supposed to talk about anyway? Are we supposed to solve the energy crisis with a stranger at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast? Do you sit down next to a person at a conference and pour out your latest heartbreak? No. You don’t. Why? Because “big talk” is often inappropriate in public, business settings.

    Small talk’s role in our lives is far from small. People who think we waste time talking about our cat, lunch, etc. fail to appreciate that small talk is the structure upon which business relationships are built. Small talk naysayers are often self-conscious about their small talk skills.

    “One of the hardest things about small talk is finding something to talk about besides the weather. But, pro networkers have figured out that most people like to talk about themselves. Take that and run with it.” Vernon Gunnarson

    Small Talk is an Emotional Bridge

    In personal relationships, small talk is a bridge to an emotional discussion. It’s dipping your toe in the conversation water to make sure its temperature isn’t too hot or too cold. It helps you evaluate the emotional status of your potential conversationalist.

    So what does this have to do with business? All relationships contain a personal element – even in business. If you’re an employee, you need to have an emotional bridge – psychological safety – so that you can have harder discussions – like policy change, promotion opportunities, and even grievances. 

    Dismissing small talk as banal and pedestrian puts you at a major disadvantage in business settings. All team building requires psychological safety. That doesn’t happen without small talk. With regards to business mentorships, cutting off small talk may cut you off from larger conversations and, ultimately,  deeper connections. Keep this in mind the next time someone asks you an annoying question like, “What are you doing?” It may be they’re just testing the waters.

    Do you remember the last time you approached someone with a request? How did you start?

    “Many times, much as in the outside world, family members preface a highly anxious issue with small talk. If you can listen without dismissal to what seems like small talk by a spouse, child, teen or parent, you may facilitate an opportunity for crucial disclosure.” Suzanne Phillips, Psy.D., ABPP

    But Small Talk is Annoying and Difficult

    It was for me, too, before I started. You do it on social media the same way as in real life. Starting conversations with questions helps – especially if they are open-ended questions. This only backfires if you’re talking to someone shyer than you. The truth is that most people like to talk about themselves. It’s just a fact.

    Practice. Read “How to Win Friends & Influence People.” Learn how to actively listen.

    The next wedding you attend, ask a stranger how they know the bride. At your next meetup, ask the person a question about the subject matter. This is a great way to get better at small talk. It will not happen without practice.

    “Small talk can lead to a host of outcomes, from a merely pleasant exchange to the signing of multimillion-dollar business deal.” Brett Nelson, Forbes 

    Believe me, I used to panic while entering rooms full of people I don’t know. With practice, I found that a smile and greeting goes a long way and even people waiting for an elevator can have a perfectly good conversation. Why not leverage that opportunity?

    Small Talk 2.0 – Build Business Relationships Online 

    Enter social media. Specifically, Twitter. I think this is where most people meet others, though I could be wrong. For me, it’s where I’m open to conversations (small talk) with strangers. I could babble on incessantly about how much my life has changed because of the people I met. Let’s settle for one use case.

    While working for a commercial general contractor, I met a Commercial Real Estate broker on Twitter. The good thing is that he also worked in the same geographical area as Riggins Construction. After interacting and reading Allen’s content, I knew he and my boss would hit it off. I had a crazy idea. Let’s all do lunch. At first, I was nervous. After all, this was my very first sales call.

    But when Allen walked into the restaurant, all anxiety disappeared. It was all smiles and handshakes. The awkward small talk wasn’t awkward – it didn’t exist. Why? We did it online. We sat as friends because we were friends.

    “Small talk is not wasted talk. It’s a social lubricant as essential as wine and laughter that allows strangers to make crucial first connections across demographic lines. And it’s far from meaningless.” Ruth Graham

    Now, the next time you see someone you have a basis for continuing the friendship. You no longer need to talk about sports or weather — though you can. You can level up.

    You can ask a question you’ve been dying to ask. You can tell them how you liked the blog post they wrote last week. You can brainstorm, collaborate, and actually become friends.

    Small Talk Builds Trust in Business Relationships

    The value of small talk is this: it builds trust over time. When it comes to business relationships, trust is the intangible element that makes our community stronger. I’m not going to tell you where I live, my first kiss, or my darkest secret right off the bat. Would you?

    The point is this. Humans are social. We create business relationships by communicating. This includes body language, tone, inflection, micro-gestures, laughter, tears, expressions, and, yes, small talk.

    If you want people to like you, be likable. There is no way around that.

    Or, just enjoy your next business dinner for one in the corner. Alone.

  • Nonprofits: 2004 Called and They Want Their PayPal Button Back

    I wrote this when I was working with GiveWP.com. It’s amazing how many nonprofits use PayPal. Their button is dated — at best.

    No. Seriously.

    You could use a PayPal button. Hey, we love PayPal. They’re one of our favorite payment gateways. Seriously.

    But when you’ve worked hard to make your nonprofit site represent your brand, why would you want a button that clashes with your theme?

    The PayPal Button

    This PayPal button is from today. It’s on their site. It’s not an archived screenshot.

    I have no idea why it still looks like a button set from 2001’s Dreamweaver. I really don’t. PayPal is huge. They can easily customize their button.

    But they didn’t.

    What is the alternative to PayPal?

    I’m so glad you asked.

    If your site is built on the WordPress content management system (not hosted on WordPress.com which is totally different), then you can install an online donation plugin, namely Give.

    Of course, there are plugins in the WordPress repo to style the PayPal button and other donation plugins to choose from. I worked for ThoughtHouse and GiveWP was our client. Of course, I’m telling you about GiveWP. That’s my disclaimer and I’m proud of it.

    The Give Donation Button and Form Looks Better.

    The Give donation form looks better than the default PayPal button. Period.

    To me this is the most compelling argument against PayPal donation button.

    It may not be the best feature technically, but from a marketing standpoint, I think design matters.

    PayPal is still the payment gateway if you’re using Give standard. Give’s forms are modern and stylish. Better yet, they inherit their design from your WordPress theme. What does this mean? It means your donation button will not clash with your website. Oh yeah, it’s mobile responsive, too.

    Why does design matter?

    When you’re asking people for money trust is involved.

    Aesthetics matter. Branding matters.

    Something that looks up-to-date is more trustworthy. Period.

    Exhibit A. Artaxis Fellowship.

    Artaxis used Give to fund a scholarship for a summer residency. You can read more about that story here.

    Here’s their site:

    Does anything need to be said?

    They have a custom donation page with imagery, a description, and a modern, clean donation form on the site. This is the free version of Give. They are not paying for add-ons. They’re using PayPal.

    So, it’s pretty obvious which looks better, right?

    Exhibit B. WP Media Pro.

    Jason Tucker used Give recently to crowdfund for video equipment to broadcast and archive local WordPress meetups.

    Again. He could have easily used PayPal. He’s using the free version of Give — no fancy payment gateway add-ons, just PayPal standard.

    He could have used PayPal’s button. But he didn’t.

    Even better, go visit the site. He uses an image of himself, reinforcing his role in WordPress. He tells the story. Lists the need. Lists the equipment. It’s no wonder he met his goal in 24 hours.

    Notice one of the features Jason took advantage of — the button color matches his site’s colors. This form looks different from the one on Artaxis. Same plugin, different themes and customizations.

    Jason is using the progress bar, and is naming the donation levels with levels of appreciation: “$25 Thanks! $50 You are Awesome! $100 Thank you, thank you, thank you” and so on.

    Features and Benefits

    • Again, the core plugin is free and robust all on its own.
    • PayPal Standard is the default payment gateway.
    • A progress bar option which motivates people to donate.
    • Multiple donation levels and names.
    • Shortcode support to put a donation form in a sidebar or widget area.
    • Single or Multi-level Donation Amounts
    • Show the payment fields either on the page, reveal on submit, or as a modal window.

    Honestly, there is a lot of documentation on our website, so you can spend some time there. You can also see demos here.

    But you’re convinced so, we’re good now, right?

    If not, does the fact that Give is active on ten thousand websites convince you?

    10,000 Active Installs in One Year

    Yes, we’re proud of this milestone. But we’re more moved at how people are using a form plugin to change actual lives.

    The are what fuel us every day.

    What’s stopping you?

    If you are using WordPress to build a site that is for a nonprofit or are using it to crowdfund, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use GiveWP.

    Seriously.

    Stop with the PayPal Button.

    We love you too much to let you keep doing this.

    Love,

    Bridget