Account management is mostly rhythm. A defined social media account management workflow makes the relationship predictable, so the client is not deciding whether things are going well based on how recently someone happened to call.
Three rhythms, not one
Weekly contact handles operational matters: approvals outstanding, anything urgent, what is publishing. Monthly covers performance and decisions. Quarterly covers direction — whether the plan still matches what the business needs.
Collapsing these into a single monthly call means operational issues wait weeks and strategic questions get squeezed out by them. Separating them keeps each conversation short and appropriate.
The workflow
- Weekly: short written update, outstanding approvals, anything blocked.
- Monthly: report, decisions, next period's plan.
- Quarterly: direction, scope, whether the cadence still fits.
- A written record of every decision that changes scope.
- One named owner per account, with a documented deputy.
- Escalation route agreed on both sides.
- Handover notes kept current, not written at departure.
Handover notes are the item that always seems optional until someone leaves. Kept current, a change of account manager is a mild disruption; written retrospectively, it is a month of rediscovery paid for by the client.
Write scope changes down
Scope creep in social work is gradual and verbal: an extra platform here, a few more posts there, each agreed in passing. Six months later the team is delivering considerably more than the contract and nobody can point to when that started.
Record every change, however small, in a place both sides can see. This is not bureaucracy; it is what makes the eventual conversation about capacity a factual one rather than a disagreement about memory. The delivery process sits in the agency workflow guide, and reporting in the campaign reporting workflow.
Common questions
How much contact is right?
Enough that the client never wonders what is happening. A short written weekly note achieves that cheaply.
Should every call have an agenda?
Yes, even a two-line one. Agenda-less calls expand and rarely produce decisions.
What if the client goes quiet?
Continue delivering and keep writing the updates. A silent client is often a busy one, and the record protects both sides.
Who should handle difficult conversations?
The named account owner, early. Difficult conversations get harder the longer they wait.
How should decisions be recorded?
Briefly, in writing, visible to both sides. Verbal decisions are remembered differently. See the FAQ.
How should escalations be raised?
Early and factually, with the record attached. Escalations raised late tend to arrive alongside an accumulated grievance, which makes them harder to resolve.
Should the weekly update be a call?
Written is usually better. It takes less of everyone's time, creates a record, and lets the client read it when convenient rather than attending another meeting.