9 Social Media Management Business Success Stories [2024]
Similar to virtual assistants, social media managers offer various services, including but not limited to:
- Developing a marketing strategy based on clients’ goals
- Setting up social media accounts
- Posting on behalf of their clients
- Coming up with strategies for increasing client’s social media following
- Marketing analysis.
To become a social media manager, know the various platforms and understand how they work so you can develop strategies that help clients reach their goals.
The beauty of working as a social media manager is that you can define your work schedule and choose what niches to work on.
In this list, you'll find real-world social media management business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a social media management business that makes money.
1. Qnary ($6.6M/year)
Bant Breen, the Founder of Qnary, came up with the idea for his business while working as the CEO of a paid search and social media agency. He noticed that there were no tools available to help individual executives optimize their online presence, so he set out to create a platform specifically tailored to their needs. Since its launch in 2012, Qnary has grown to have thousands of clients and offices in New York, Barcelona, and Sydney.
How much money it makes: $6.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.2M
How many people on the team: 25
Qnary founder Bant Breen built and grew the executive reputation management and talent branding solutions company, now with thousands of clients globally, with a monthly revenue of $550k by developing a tech-enabled solution that optimizes an executive’s online presence, generates thought-leadership content, and grows followers and engagement.
2. Dux-Soup ($4.8M/year)
Will van der Sanden, the Founder and CEO of Dux-Soup, came up with the idea for his business after his wife expressed frustration with manual lead generation for her publishing company. Recognizing the potential in LinkedIn scraping, Will saw a gap in the market for a product that offered more value at a lower cost than existing options. The result was Dux-Soup, a LinkedIn automation tool that now has over 70,000 users and nearly $5 million in revenue.
How much money it makes: $4.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 20
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
3. Postoplan.app ($840K/year)
Alex Bozhin, founder & CEO of Postoplan, came up with the idea for his automated marketing platform for social media and messengers after working with various social media instruments in his marketing agency and feeling that something was missing. He saw an opportunity to revolutionize the market and create his own instrument for working with social media. After months of research and interviews with potential clients, he launched Postoplan and attracted over 1,000 users, including paying ones, through a Product Hunt launch.
How much money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $11K
How many people on the team: 27
Postoplan, an automated marketing platform for social media and messengers, has reached over $1M in revenues and boasts 112,000 users in 147 countries with an average annual revenue growth of +25% MoM, making it among Estonia's Top 5 most promising startups in 2020, a finalist for the Global Business Owners Startup Awards in 2021, and placing 2nd at Seedstars Tallinn in 2020, all while being the only marketing platform that enables automated posting to WhatsApp.
4. Advertisemint ($600K/year)
Brian, the founder of AdvertiseMint, came up with the idea for the business after seeing the launch of Facebook's advertising platform. He realized the enormous potential it had in the world of advertising and decided to specialize in Facebook ads, becoming a leader in the industry. Through hard work and determination, AdvertiseMint has grown to manage close to $100 million in digital media buys for clients such as Coca-Cola and Viacom, making it the number one Facebook advertising agency on Google.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 10
This case study is about how the founder of AdvertiseMint, a Facebook advertising agency, started the company with just one employee and has since grown it to 25 employees, managing close to $100 million in digital media buys for clients such as Coca-Cola and Viacom.
5. Conversion Perk ($540K/year)
Devjeet’s journey began during the Great Recession when he couldn't land a traditional tech internship, leading him to discover digital marketing. With just ₹2.5 lakh (USD 3,500) and a vision to make digital marketing the main focus, he founded Conversion Perk in 2018, now generating many times the initial investment and recognized as one of India's top PPC Management Agencies.
How much money it makes: $540K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3K
How many people on the team: 26
This case study article showcases the journey of Devjeet, the founder of Conversion Perk, a digital marketing agency. With an initial investment of just ₹2.5L, the company has achieved impressive milestones, becoming partners with industry leaders like Google and Amazon and generating a monthly revenue that is many-fold more than the initial investment. The article also highlights their strategies for customer attraction and retention, including mastering the digital landscape, focusing on SEO, utilizing platforms like Upwork, and employing personalized email marketing campaigns.
6. Social Media Manager Society ($240K/year)
In her previous career as a social media manager, Amanda Shepherd developed a strong reputation in her niche and realized there was a gap in the market for aspiring social media managers who needed guidance on starting their own businesses. After conducting extensive market research, Amanda created the Social Media Manager Society, offering a program that teaches women how to run successful social media businesses. In just one year, she made nearly $100,000 while working an average of four hours per day, and continues to attract new students to her program.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
A social media manager turned entrepreneur created a program that has brought in almost $100,000 in one year, designed to teach women how to run successful social media businesses in less than 30 days.
7. SocialBu ($144K/year)
Usama, the CEO and co-founder of SocialBu, came up with the idea for his social media management platform while freelancing as a developer and managing social media accounts. He saw a need for a more powerful and affordable solution, so he built a simple tool that gained traction and eventually led him to create SocialBu. Since its launch, the bootstrapped company has made $300K in revenue and has plans for future improvements and features.
How much money it makes: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 6
Social media management platform SocialBu is 100% bootstrapped and has made about $300K since its launch, and CEO Usama shares his process of building a social media management tool that solved a real problem and attracted users through online communities and organic traffic.
8. NextWave Social ($36K/year)
Samuel Gordon, the founder of NextWave Social, got the idea for his boutique-styled digital marketing agency after realizing the outdated websites and social media struggles of wedding vendors while attending a wedding. With a background in marketing and a fascination with the data behind ads, Samuel identified a problem and a need within the service industry and decided to provide a solution.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
How many people on the team: 1
NextWave Social, a boutique-styled digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, social media management, web development, and Facebook ads for service and product-based industries, hit six figures in revenue for 2021 since launching in January 2020 with only $1,500 in startup costs and a team motto of "Under promise and Over deliver."
9. BT Neil Consulting ($1.2K/year)
Cornelia "Miss Co" Malloy came up with the idea for her online consulting business, BT Neil Consulting, after reflecting on her desire to have her own business and her skills in creating documents and navigating the internet. Her experience working in a long-term care facility as the Director of Social Services also inspired her to focus on providing resources on long-term care placement in a nursing facility. Despite not yet making significant profits, Cornelia remains consistent and is using social media and affiliate marketing to build awareness for her business.
How much money it makes: $1.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1
BT Neil Consulting founder, Cornelia "Miss Co" Malloy, shares how she started her online consulting business and the struggles she faced when trying to build awareness and gain customers while highlighting the importance of consistency and not giving up.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
