We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Klingman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were starting over in my business and I wanted to fast-track the success of it, I would have hired a business coach to help me navigate setting up the foundations of my brand. I DIY’d the majority of my branding, messaging, marketing strategies and materials, and more. It was a great learning experience, but it took tons of time, research, and trial & error. Because I didn’t hire experts to create these pieces for me, I’ve had to go back and recreate a lot of the work I did in the beginning to make it more focused and professional. I could’ve gotten where I am today much faster and easier if I had hired experts to do what they do best while I put my energy elsewhere!

Hannah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started HKVA as a sophomore in college studying for a Bachelor’s in Business and Marketing at the University of Minnesota. I knew I wanted to be self-employed at some point in my career, but I never imagined my part-time college side gig was going to turn into a full-time small business by the time I graduated.

Social media marketing was a no brainer when it came to choosing what services I wanted to offer my clients. Instagram has always had my heart and I was learning marketing strategies in my classes, so pairing the two made perfect sense. In the beginning, I helped my clients with a range of administrative tasks, but eventually found a passion for social media and ran with that.

What started as a solo entrepreneur venture is now a digital marketing agency with a team of talented, resourceful women. We support small business owners who are craving the ability to focus on scaling their business but know they need a social media presence.

My team specializes in done-for-you social media marketing services that include everything from content creation to network building. Our goal is to connect you with your target audience, increase your brand awareness, and generate leads for you to build with.

The reason we love partnering with small business owners is because they are just as passionate as we are… about helping other people, working towards achieving goals, and creating the lives we want.

I’m most proud of the fact that we partner with all different kinds of small businesses to provide them with customized, holistic strategies that bring their brand to life online. My clients are able to focus on what they love to do while their brand continues to reach their audience on a daily basis.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building your social media presence takes strategy, time, and consistency. A lot of people are under the impression that social media can be a “quick fix” to a slow sales month or that results should come overnight. That’s just not the case, especially with organic growth strategies (my favorite kind)! You start off with building a custom strategy based on your business goals, and then you create a marketing plan, and then… you keep executing it, over and over again. Social media marketing is a marathon that will provide you with an online audience, warm leads, and great connections if you give it time and consistency. You only get out what you put in!

I started my business Instagram account two years ago and have found most of my clients there, thanks to regularly putting out great content written specifically for my audience, taking the time to engage with them on a daily basis, and looking over my Insights to see what I can do better. After giving it time, it’s become a reliable source of hot leads!

For those just starting out… my best advice is to find an expert that you trust to manage it for you, unless you want to commit to the time it takes to become an expert and then continuously execute your marketing plan. If you’re the type that loves to DIY and you have the time, great! If not, solidify your business foundations and then hire a professional.

Any advice for managing a team?

First and foremost, be sure you have outlined your company mission, values, and expectations before looking for people to join your team! It’s so important for your team members to be a good fit and for everyone to be on the same page.

My best advice for once you have your team put together is to communicate regularly. My team members feel comfortable coming to me with any questions as well as any concerns they might have. Having open communication has allowed us to understand each other, squash any sort of negativity, and be sure that our clients are taken care of in the best way possible. I also check in with my team regularly about how they feel the work is going, if they feel taken care of as a part of my team, and if they feel anything could be going better and how. I often include them on the calls with our clients as well so they know their input is valued.

Ultimately, make sure everyone is taken care of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hannahklingmanvirtualassisting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahklingmanvirtualassisting/

Image Credits
Kate Morris Creative