What to brief a social manager so posts bring in enquiries

You've hired a social manager, shaken hands or signed a contract, and now you're staring at an email asking "What would you like me to post?" It's a moment many business owners face unprepared. The difference between a social manager who generates real enquiries and one who posts into a vacuum often comes down to what they know on day one. Getting this handover right takes an hour or two, but it shapes every post that follows.

What they need to know about your actual business

A social manager cannot sell what they don't understand. Before they write a single caption, they need to know what problem you solve and for whom. Not your mission statement—your reality. Tell them: Who calls you with a need? What does that conversation sound like? What misunderstanding do people often have about what you offer?

If you're a plumber, they need to know you specialise in burst pipes in Johannesburg's older suburbs, not that you "provide comprehensive plumbing solutions." If you're a bookkeeper, they need to know your ideal client is a salon owner drowning in admin, not a generic description of bookkeeping. The more specific you are, the more their posts will attract the right people—the ones likely to become paying clients, not just followers.

Share your last few enquiries with them too. What questions did prospects ask? What brought them to you? This tells a social manager what's actually prompting people to reach out, which is far more valuable than a website's "About Us" page.

The briefs and guardrails that matter

Good social managers ask for your brand guidelines, pricing, service boundaries and recent client wins—but not because they're being tick-boxy. They ask because posts that drive enquiries are specific and credible. Do you have case studies? Screenshots of testimonials? Photos of your work? Hand them over. These become the bones of posts that convert curiosity into contact.

Set clear boundaries too. If you don't want posts about a certain topic, say so. If you never discount, tell them—it shapes how they position your value. If you use WhatsApp quotes instead of fixed rates, they need to know so posts invite the right next step. The more they understand your non-negotiables, the fewer posts you'll have to ask them to redo.

Access, logins and what gets tracked

They'll need admin or editor access to your business accounts so they can post and respond to comments. Make sure you set this up cleanly from day one—don't share personal passwords; use business account settings that let you grant access properly. Ask your provider how they'll handle messages and engagement; will they respond to enquiries, or flag them for you?

Before they start posting, agree on what success looks like for your business. Not vanity metrics—real ones. Are you tracking clicks to your WhatsApp? Enquiries that mention "saw you on Instagram"? Website visits from social? Hand them a simple way to measure this. A spreadsheet, a shared note, even a Slack channel works. Without this baseline, you'll never know whether their work is actually bringing in business.

The competitor and seasonal context

Tell them what your competitors are doing—not to copy, but so they know the landscape. Are your competitors posting daily? Once a week? What tone do they use? This helps a social manager position you distinctly rather than blending into the noise.

Share your seasonal rhythm too. If you're busiest in December or winter, or if you have quiet months, say so. Posts that drive enquiries during your peak season need different messaging than posts meant to keep you top-of-mind during slower periods.

Once your social manager has this foundation—your client reality, your boundaries, your metrics, your competitive context—they can post with purpose. The result isn't just more followers; it's followers who actually reach out. When you're ready to hand the reins to someone who gets your business, Strove has verified social managers who know how to ask these questions and use the answers to build engagement that converts.