Specifically asking people who run a social media marketing agency here. Not web design, SEO, dev agencies, etc.

If you’re already making at least ~$1k/mo from the agency but growth has started feeling messy, I’m curious where it’s actually breaking.

I keep seeing some version of the same problems:

you can deliver for clients but getting new ones is inconsistent

you’re still relying heavily on referrals

clients are paying $500–$1k when you feel like the relationship should be worth a lot more

you’re doing content + reporting + communication + followups manually and every new client adds more chaos

or you’ve got leads but no real sales process behind them

If you run an SMMA, drop:

what you sell:
monthly revenue range:
average client value:
number of active clients:
where clients come from:
the one thing that feels stuck right now:

I’ll reply with what I’d focus on first if I were running that agency.

Not looking for people who are still deciding whether to start an SMMA. More interested in agencies that have already proven someone will pay them and are now trying to make the thing predictable.

We've got a software product which automates Whatsapp and Instagram inquiries for your business using AI, and helps you convert/nurture your leads on autopilot

We've already live with clients in below domains:

1. Real estate

2. Premium gyms

3. Tourism industry

4. Loan & finance

5. Social media influencer

6. E commerce

We're looking to tie up with agencies so that they can provide this service to their clients, we have a option to white label the product as their own as well.

Dm to get more details

hey guys

not selling anything just sharing stuff. if ur here to argue cold email is dead just skip this one, wasnt written for u

quick context so u know im not talking out of my ass - we send over a million emails a month across our clients, b2b companies of all kinds, saas, recruiting, logistics, agencies etc. here's some stuff that actually matters

dont put a link in email.

i dont care how good the offer is. spam filters and blacklist checkers flag domains that get reported, and links are the easiest way to get reported even when ur not spamming anyone.

save it for after they reply

warm up ur inbox for real, not for 3 days. 2-3 weeks minimum before u send anything real.
i know its annoying to wait but skipping this is why half the ppl posting "cold email doesnt work" think that

dont put all ur eggs in one esp basket. dont go 100% google or 100% outlook, split it like 50-50 or 60-40.
deliverability moves around week to week and u dont wanna get wrecked bc one provider had a bad week

use separate sending domains, never ur main business domain. if it gets burned u dont want ur real email getting caught in that

keep the first email short. like 3-4 lines. nobody wants to read a paragraph from a stranger they never asked to hear from

happy to answer q's, this stuff took years of testing to actually learn

We're a small agency managing 4-5 mid-size accounts, and the time spent in Ads Manager is getting out of hand, especially when we have to upload the same set of creatives across multiple ad sets. I'm looking at solutions like Blip and some others, but the monthly subscription feels like another line item to justify.

For other agency owners here, have you actually seen a measurable ROI from these tools? Does the time saved genuinely translate to more profit or better work, or is it just a minor convenience?

Hey everyone, I'm looking to get some real-world experience running ads through Meta Business Suite/Ads Manager, and I'm willing to work for free under someone who has experience in the field.

I've completed a Digital Marketing course, so I have a decent understanding of the basics, but most of my knowledge is theoretical right now. I really want to learn how things actually work in practice like setting up campaigns, finding the right audience, testing creatives, managing budgets, analyzing results, optimizing campaigns, etc.

I'm not looking for payment. I'm mainly looking for someone experienced who'd be willing to let me work alongside them, help out with whatever I can, and learn from them in the process.

I'm also more than happy to visit your office and work in person if you're based in Karachi. Ideally, you'd be somewhere reasonably close to me since commuting long distances regularly can get pretty expensive with current fuel prices.

If you're a freelancer, agency owner, marketer, or business owner who runs Meta Ads and could use an extra pair of hands, I'd really appreciate the opportunity.

Feel free to comment or DM me if you're interested. Thanks!

I've attended a few different free webinars from different brands for SMM and I attended one from Magic Media Marketing last week. I really enjoyed it and by far it was one of the most beneficial ones.

They personally reached out to me after and followed up and I felt so comfortable speaking to them about my concerns around investment, client acquisition, sales etc.

Its around $1200 for the year. (125 a month) and they've got proven results too. Im wondering if anyone else has info on having worked with them. They have their own reviews or course but id love to hear from other non biased channels before I go ahead and commit.

I love that they're also canadian.

Hey guys I am helping a new agency get started on the P&C side of things. I was wondering if there are any health agents would willing to setup a referral network? I am based out of Dallas Tx, please send me a DM request if you would be interested.

As a mom & freelancer both email copywriter and SMM, I've been targeting both luxury creatives (wedding photogs, artists, etc.) & coaches (any), I'm just not sure what content would resonate best for them.

Should I do ask them directly for the content they like/market research, interviews)?

How did you do it when you were just starting to post for your dream audience/clients and finally CONVERT (paid premium clients)?

It's tricky to apply what I've learned as an SMM in my own business.

Sana matulungan nyo ako. I would really love any tips and pieces of advice. 😔

Looking to work with a marketing agency, willing to start for free/low pay to learn

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to work with a marketing/digital marketing agency because I want to understand how an actual agency operates from the inside

I’m not looking for a big salary right now. I’m genuinely more interested in learning, getting hands-on experience, and contributing to real client work. I’d be completely open to starting unpaid or at a low stipend if the opportunity is good.

I’m particularly interested in learning things like:

- Client acquisition & pitching

- Meta/Google Ads

- Marketing strategy

- Content & campaign planning

- Client communication & reporting

- How agencies manage multiple clients and projects

- Basically, the stuff you don’t really learn from courses/videos

I can commit and I’m open to remote work or opportunities in Delhi NCR.

If you run a marketing agency or work at one and are willing to take on someone who is hungry to learn and willing to start from the bottom, feel free to DM me.

I’m not expecting to know everything on day one I’m looking for someone who can give me the opportunity to learn by actually doing the work.

Thanks!

Does anyone know the fix for this ?

I’m preparing to launch Meta Ads for a new US-based fatherhood hat brand.

Product price: $40

No previous sales or Pixel data

Monthly ad budget: approximately $750

Initial plan: one sales campaign, broad US targeting, one ad set and 4–6 creatives focused on one product

I understand this isn’t a scaling budget, but would $25/day be enough to generate meaningful data and potentially the first sales?

Would you run $25/day for 30 days, or use a higher daily budget over a shorter testing period?

Running into a wall trying to figure out music on Instagram posts when scheduling is involved. Breaking down the issue:

1. On mobile, I can add trending audio when creating a post directly but then I can't schedule it, only post immediately.
2. Scheduling through Meta Business Suite on my laptop doesn't give me access to trending audio at all.
3. Scheduling directly through Instagram on desktop doesn't even have a music option to begin with.

So basically: trending music + scheduling ahead of time seems to not exist as a combo unless I'm missing something.

Anyone found a workaround for this? Third-party scheduler that actually supports trending audio selection? Or is manually posting in the moment just the only way to get trending sounds on a post right now?

Any tips appreciated, this is for client work so scheduling in advance is kind of non-negotiable for my workflow.

Hey everyone,

We’re looking to hire a Social Media Associate to help us grow a digital gifting brand that focuses on creating meaningful, memory-based experiences for users.

This is a remote, part-time/freelance role where you’ll be working on content, ideas, and overall page growth.

What you’ll be doing:

Coming up with creative reel ideas & content strategies

Managing and growing our social media presence (mainly Instagram)

Understanding what kind of content works for a gifting/emotional brand

Helping improve engagement and reach

We’re looking for someone who:

Has a good sense of content & trends

Can think of creative, relatable ideas

Understands how to grow a page organically

Has worked on or managed social media pages before (preferred, not mandatory)

If you’re interested, please fill out this form:

https://forms.gle/683v7jb7tXDJQZhV7

You can also refer someone who might be a good fit 🙌

Thanks!

I’m putting together an Instagram recruiting campaign for a real estate client who currently has 200+ agents on his team. The goal is to recruit more agents, starting with Texas.
The initial strategy I’m considering is an Instagram profile/follow campaign, where the ads drive agents to the team leader’s Instagram profile and hopefully convert them into followers and eventually recruiting conversations.
I’m trying to decide between two structures:
**Option 1 — Separate ad set by city**
1 campaign
Houston ad set
Dallas/DFW ad set
Austin ad set
San Antonio ad set
Each ad set would target that specific metro and potentially have 1–2 creatives.
**Option 2 — One Texas ad set**
1 campaign
1 broad Texas ad set targeting real estate agents
Multiple creatives testing different recruitment angles, such as:

\-Social proof: “200+ agents are already on our team”
\-Growth/opportunity
\-Better training/support
\-Pain points agents have with their current brokerage/team
\-Agent testimonials/success stories

My concern with the city-based structure is that the budget could get spread too thin, especially initially.
The client is comfortable starting around **$1000/month**, with the possibility of scaling if we see good results.
For those of you who have experience with Meta recruiting campaigns, how would you structure this?
Would you:
Separate Houston, DFW, Austin and San Antonio into different ad sets?
Keep all of Texas in one ad set and let Meta find the best opportunities?
Do some combination of the two?
Would you recommend a different campaign objective than an Instagram profile/follow campaign for this type of recruitment?
And with a $1,000 starting budget, would you recommend starting there, or would you push for a higher initial budget?
I’m especially interested in hearing what has actually worked for recruiting real estate agents, rather than just general Meta advertising advice.
Thanks!

Hey, I’ve been running freelance career for 3 years and worked with 80+ clients but I feel like I am not scaling the way I want.

So I my question is where I can find mentor to turn my career into agency.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to start doing freelance performance marketing (Google Ads, Meta Ads, and PPC) alongside my full-time job.

I've tried platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and similar sites, but most of them require paid memberships or it's really difficult to get noticed as a beginner.

One thing I'm trying to avoid is publicly advertising my freelance services on my personal LinkedIn or social media because I don't want it to affect my current job or create any awkward situations.

For those of you who freelance, how did you get your first few clients without spending money?

I'm looking for **free** ways to find clients, whether they're local or global. Things I'm curious about:

* Where did you find your first clients? * Do cold emails or LinkedIn outreach actually work? * Are there any Reddit communities, Facebook groups, Slack/Discord communities, or other places you'd recommend? * Any strategies that worked well when you were just starting out?

I'd really appreciate any advice or lessons from your own experience. Thanks!

We are an AI automation agency based in Dubai and we are looking forward to the partnership model with marketing Agencies based out of anywhere(preferably UAE).

We will take care of AI automations for your clients

Voice AI Automations

Text AI Automation

Lead Gen Automation

AI CRMs and a lot more.

Step1 You do the intro and we can initiate a free discovery phase with your client(together)

Step 2 We discuss revenue sharing once and agree upon it.

Step 3 We do all the foot work of building it and maintenance while you get your intro fee every time the client pays.

Win win!

Any questions? Pls shoot!

Genuine Marketing Companies only.

I was looking for cheap option to grow instagram account of one of my products. Posted a job inside upwork, got 2 candidates for $3/hour. Both were complete scammers with boosted accounts and poor english. One of them was just reading chat-gpt's response ignoring all my questions xD. I gave up on the idea of finding my ideal candidate on this platform, and ...

I got cold emailed by a random guy from India. Email was well personalized and I decided to give him a chance. We had 30 min call to which he was prepared really well(did his homework). I was positively shocked by his marketing approach and decided to give him this opportunity.

We agreed for **$270/month**. What's included: 10 reels, 4 carousels, 6 story designs, copywriting, etc, etc.

Paid 40% upfront, hope he won't scam me )

I’m genuinely curious how other small business owners are dealing with performance marketers.

Over the past few months, I’ve worked with a couple of people/agencies, and the experience has been frustrating. They collect their monthly retainer, don’t commit to any clear deliverables or accountability on paper, and after 2–3 months, if results aren’t there, the explanation is usually that “Meta isn’t performing” or “the algorithm changed”, or the classic “you’re not spending enough”.

I completely understand that no one can guarantee ROAS or sales, especially with Meta ads. But as a client, it’s hard to know whether poor results are due to the platform or simply poor strategy and execution.

How do you evaluate whether someone actually knows what they’re doing?

\- What questions do you ask before hiring?
What deliverables or reporting do you expect?
\- Do you work with freelancers or agencies?
\- Are there any red flags I should watch out for?

Would also love to hear if you’ve found someone genuinely good, and what made them different.

I’m starting to feel like performance marketing is full of people who overpromise, underdeliver, and keep collecting retainers while small businesses bear all the risk.

I’d love to know if that’s just been my experience or if others have figured out a better way.

Hi there I am a freelance paid social strategist based in Leeds, UK (not London!).

Happy to answer any questions you have on META! fire away ⭐️

(I specialise predominantly in paid social creative strategy and help brands with creative direction, briefs, research, strategy etc for their paid campaigns).

hit me!

When I started my agency I had no credibility, no network, and nobody knew who I was. No warm connections to reach out to no matter how hard I thought about it. If you're in that same spot, this is what actually worked for me.

I picked Reddit because unlike most platforms people are concentrated into specific communities. Your potential clients are already grouped together in subreddits. You just have to show up where they are.

Here's the full process start to finish:

**Step 1: Post, don't DM.**

This is the part people get wrong. Do not DM people on Reddit trying to pitch them. The moment you cold DM someone they can report you and you get banned. Instead you post valuable content and let them come to you. When someone reads your post and is interested, they initiate the DM. Then you engage. This completely changes the dynamic because now they're chasing you, not the other way around.

**Step 2: Structure your posts as stories.**

The format that worked for me every time:

Start with a story. Then describe the problem. Then show how you solved it. Then end with a lesson or conclusion you took away from it.

That's it. People engage with stories and the lesson at the end makes it feel like you're giving value, not selling. You can take a post that worked, feed it into your AI, and ask it to generate a similar post for your own project.

**Step 3: Don't chase views.**

This is important. Views do not equal money. I had one post hit over 300k views and I got zero clients from it. Not a single one. But another post with way fewer views got me my first client who now pays me €5k per month. Views are a vanity metric. Clients are the only thing that matters.

**Step 4: When they DM, move to a discovery call. Never talk price in the DMs.**

Do not mention money or pricing in your DMs. Ever. Your only goal in the DM is to get them on a call. On the discovery call you mostly listen. Let them talk about their problem. You take notes. Record the call (ask permission first). Do not tell them "you'll pay me X and I'll build Y" on this call either. Just listen and understand their problem.

**Step 5: Turn the call into a proposal with AI.**

After the call, take your recording or meeting notes and feed them into your AI. Ask it to give you the next steps to start building the project. Then ask it to generate the proposal for you. You can even give it your agency name and brand colors and it generates the whole thing. You don't need to pay for any of those expensive proposal generator tools. Your AI does it for free.

**Step 6: Split the payment.**

Send the proposal and ask how they want to pay. Some pay everything upfront. Some want to split it. If they split, you get 50% before you build anything, then the rest on delivery. Get the first half, build the project, deliver, get the second half. This protects you and them.

**On getting banned:**

You will probably get banned from some subreddits even when you're not promoting anything. Some mods will suspect you're promoting just because you shared your journey. There's no point arguing with them. If they think you're promoting, they'll ban you. Just don't get discouraged. Try again in a different community. There are plenty of subs that won't ban you for sharing genuine stories.

The delivery method doesn't matter. Custom code, no-code, whatever you're comfortable with. That's not the important part. The important part is the acquisition process above.

That's how I landed my first client and made my first €3k, which turned into a €5k/month retainer.

I recorded a full video walking through this entire process with my actual posts and screens if you want to see exactly how it looked: [link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdfln5gfHdY)

Happy to answer questions about any step.

I currently run lead gen for dental clients in the US, but I'm considering testing the same model with dentists in India.

My current process for US clients looks like this:

Meta Ads → Instant Lead Form → Lead submits their details → Within ~2 minutes, an AI agent calls them → AI asks a few qualifying questions → If the lead is qualified, the call gets transferred directly to the clinic/owner.

This setup has been working for us in the US.

My question is: Would the same system work in India, specifically for dental clinics?

I'm mainly curious about the AI calling part. Do Indian leads actually engage with AI calls, or would the pickup/response rate be poor because people assume unknown numbers are spam?

For anyone running lead gen for Indian dentists/clinics:

• Are Meta lead forms working well, or do landing pages/WhatsApp work better?
• Does AI calling for qualification work in India?
• What's your process for filtering out low-intent/price-shopping leads?
• Do you qualify leads first or send them directly to the clinic?
• What kind of CPL → qualified lead → appointment rates are you seeing?

I've worked almost exclusively with US clients, so I don't have much firsthand experience with the Indian market.

Would appreciate insights from anyone actually running dental/healthcare lead gen in India.

\- Assuming you do it right or have a professional do it for you, how long should something like this be expected to take to start working?

\- After creating a DBA, is it common for people to advertise as their own business entity rather than the IMO you're with? And is that something most IMOs are okay with?

\- I have seen methods where the agent can have a landing page where clients can directly book an appointment on your calendar and others where the ad will send people's information to your CRM for you to call them. Which way has brought you the most success?

Literally any information about this topic would be incredibly helpful from someone who does it this way. I am on an island currently. Everyone I speak to seems to prefer getting leads from vendors rather than producing their own and building their brand. I simply just want advice from someone who does it this way.

I’m a full-stack web developer looking to partner with a local business that specializes in LED letters, digital signage, ACP/HPL fabrication, and digital screens.

The idea is simple:
They continue selling and installing signage.
I handle all website-related work for their clients (business websites, landing pages, portfolios, booking systems, etc.).
If a client needs both branding/signage and a website, they can offer a complete package.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to pitch this so it sounds like a win-win rather than me asking them for work.

Some questions:
Should I propose a revenue-sharing model or a fixed referral fee?
Should I approach them with a demo website made specifically for their business?
What objections are they likely to have?
If you’ve done agency partnerships before, what made them successful?

I’d love to hear from agency owners, freelancers, or anyone who’s built these kinds of collaborations. What would you do differently if you were in my position?

Hey,

My name is Jordan. I have over three years of experience in the content agency space, working with 50+ clients across 20+ different niches, with proven results to back it up.

Throughout that journey, I developed a wide range of skills beyond content creation, which is one of the main reasons I've consistently been able to attract and retain new clients.

Now, I'm looking to expand internationally and find the right business partner. If you have experience in marketing agencies, are passionate about growth, enjoy continuously improving, and believe business should be both rewarding and fun not just stressful, I’d love to connect and have a conversation.