Since the late 90’s we have been in the Experience Economy. Where people are getting married later and valuing experiences like travel over owning things. Some say this is still the case today, but now we just experience through the lens of social. We need only look at the emergence of things like Google Cardboard and work from Oculus to see that technology is also playing a fundamental role in the evolution of the Experience Economy, and helping create new opportunities for engagement.

Three months ago I committed to starting my own social media management agency. In short, I’m delivering some great results for my initial clients. But I need more. The long story? Well, that’s what these updates have been about. The journey through my start-up.

My previous updates have looked at earlier failures, frustrations, and early goals I have set for myself. I still only have a handful of clients, mainly bars and restaurants in the Lancashire countryside. Expanding this whilst building on my client’s early successes will be key to growing my business.

For some people, the jury is still out on whether social media has any validity in marketing. The majority of large businesses have adapted and use social media in some way, whether for customer support or to meet wider marketing objectives. However, for smaller businesses, who often can’t invest in taking a chance with the relatively new and ever-changing platforms. It’s easy to see why they might not fully utilize the opportunity at hand. For their ability to optimize social media use is often limited, stunted because of other commitments. That’s the problem I’m trying to solve, giving smaller businesses the opportunity to fully optimize their social voice and achieve the greatest returns on investment.

Lyfe Social isn’t a typical marketing agency, well for one I’m the sole person working there. But it also differs in that I see myself as an extension of the client’s business. The weekly visits I make to each client ensure I get to know the business, their staff and customers, whilst guaranteeing the best content is curated. This won’t change, whether it’s just me, or a whole team of social media managers.

Some of the early successes have been a Monday Club I recently started, drawing a lot more customers into the gastropub on a typically quiet night. Also boosting their engagement by 310% and adding over 300 new Facebook likes in the last month. The metrics across their social accounts are great and show a large increase since Lyfe Social took over, but I’m focused more on the real ROI. Receiving immediate feedback from one client saying how busy they were on Monday after posting the ‘secret’ password to an exclusive discount at the bar was a real boost. This was confirmation of what I am trying to achieve and shows what I am doing is having a real impact. Providing an ROI and getting more people through the door are some of the key measurements I look at.

Secret Monday Club – I turned Monday night into a Friday night.

First month with one client – now I am focused on building on this for month two.

Over the next couple of months, my focus will be to continue the success my initial clients have had. Whilst promoting Lyfe Social and developing new leads. Back in May, I set myself a goal of 10 clients by the end of the year and I’m still on target to do that.

As for this blog and my Beyond the Palms Instagram account, I want to balance telling the story of my business and my photography. I will be doing a new series of posts about people, sights and stories from the heart of Manchester. I also have some travel coming up this autumn which I am excited about!