8 Social Media Advertising Specialist Business Success Stories [2024]
A social media advertising specialist uses social media platforms to promote a product or service. Advertisers often use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok to reach new customers and engage with the current ones.
To become a social media advertising specialist, get the skills you need to discover essential concepts in modern social media marketing. Choose an appropriate social media platform and design your unique advertising plan.
In this list, you'll find real-world social media advertising specialist business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a social media advertising specialist business that makes money.
1. Ignite Social Media ($6M/year)
In 2006, Jim Tobin had an epiphany while sitting in church and the idea of a social media agency was injected into his brain. Despite the lack of social media platforms at the time, Tobin launched Ignite Social Media and became one of the first agencies in the space. Since then, the company has grown and attracted clients through their blog and website, focusing on client success and sharing knowledge.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 37
Learn how the founder of Ignite Social Media launched the first-ever social media agency in the US, attracting big-name clients like Microsoft and Intel through organic leads and referrals, and stay on top of the constantly changing industry by focusing on one area of marketing.
2. The Creative Collective ($2.4M/year)
Yvette Adams, founder of The Creative Collective, came up with the idea to start her marketing agency out of both ambition and necessity. With a diverse background in marketing and media, she saw the potential in offering a one-stop-shop for creative services on the Sunshine Coast. She began by offering her services to people she knew and quickly gained clients and referrals, positioning her agency as a pioneer in the industry.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 20
The Creative Collective is a full-service marketing agency that has grown its revenue and doubled its team in the past year, with around 100 active clients and responding to an average of 160 inquiries each month.
3. Vivid Candi, Inc. ($840K/year)
Chris Wizner, the founder and CEO of Vivid Candi, came up with the idea for his digital tech agency at the age of 16. He started by selling graphic design services to neighbors and locals and gradually grew his client base. Through networking events and his willingness to work hard, he was able to land prestigious clients like Pepperdine University and build his business into a successful venture.
How much money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 11
Founder and CEO Chris Wizner started Vivid Candi, a full-service digital tech agency, at age 16 with only a $300 Taco Bell paycheck as capital, and now the agency has been running for over 22 years with 10+ employees and an impressive clientele, thanks to networking, Google Adwords, SEO, and selective, quality relationships with clients.
4. Agent C. Advertising ($240K/year)
David Caruso, the founder of Agent C Advertising, was motivated to start his own agency after disagreeing with the way the other partners ran the business. He felt that their focus was on creating work that could win awards rather than creating work that would benefit the client. He wanted to build an agency that valued customer relationships and created work that solved the problems the clients needed to have solved.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 4
Agent C Advertising is a full-service ad agency, emphasizing content creation for print ads, social media, and video productions, that started with just two clients in 2018 and now has more than 35 clients who are active at least quarterly and generates over $20k per month, all through word of mouth referrals, thanks to the agency's focus on building and maintaining strong relationships with its clients.
5. Good Chance ($240K/year)
to my old office to pick out a few things I forgot, and I treated myself to - you guessed it - a venti Starbucks iced coffee. I posted on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn that Good Chance Creative was starting to take on clients. I used some of the photos I had taken previously as examples of my work. I sent text messages to friends whose businesses I thought could benefit from my services. And then I waited. Not for long, though! I received my first client inquiry within a couple of hours. It was a friend of a friend who had a small online boutique. She loved my photos and wanted to hire me for product photography and social media management. From there, it was a domino effect. Word spread, referrals came in, and I started to build my client list. It was a slow and steady process in the beginning, but I was grateful for each and every client who trusted me with their social media presence. As the years went by, I continued to refine and expand my services, and here I am today, running a successful full-service social media creative agency.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1
This case study follows Kelsey Chance and her creative agency, Good Chance Creative, which specializes in social media content creation, and in just 3 years she has grown her one-woman business to make $20,000 in monthly revenue through a niche in small in-house marketing teams and start-ups managing their social content, with key services including lifestyle brand photography, social media account management, copywriting, and eCommerce strategy consulting.
6. Social Burro Inc. ($156K/year)
Frank Kecseti, the creator and data nerd behind Social Burro, came up with the idea for the business after being laid off and receiving negative feedback about his overthinking and non-traditional approach to marketing. He walked up and down Main Street sharing his ideas with business owners, and within 48 hours, he secured his first two clients. Since then, Social Burro has grown and helped 37 brands increase their revenue by 235.3%.
How much money it makes: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $125
How many people on the team: 2
Social Burro Inc, a social media agency founded during the pandemic, has increased its revenue by 235.3%, averaging $13,000 per month, and has helped 37 brands gain momentum, clarify their purposes, and rally their offline communities.
7. Arizona Filmworks ($144K/year)
Ken Brantingham came up with the idea for Arizona Filmworks while working on video projects for Sprint PCS. He saw a need for high-quality video production and digital marketing services, and decided to start his own company. By offering a range of marketing services and implementing a subscription model, Brantingham was able to generate revenues of over $12,000 per month.
How much money it makes: $144K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Ken Brantingham, founder of Arizona Filmworks, shares how he evolved his video production company into a full-service digital marketing company with a subscription service generating over $12,000 in monthly revenue by targeting small businesses, understanding their needs, and creating tailored marketing plans.
8. Wealth Lead Generation ($120K/year)
Maria, the founder of Wealth Lead Generation, came up with the idea for her business through her experience as a freelancer and her passion for marketing. After successfully helping a fintech startup raise 7 figures through social media advertising and PR, she realized the potential of digital advertising and decided to start her agency. She focused on creating specific offers that addressed the pain points of her target audience and spent time listening to the market to refine her services. Through hard work and perseverance, Maria's agency quickly scaled to a team of 5 and achieved impressive revenue growth.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 5
"Wealth Lead Generation grew from a side hustle to a 6-figure business in 2021, generating an average of 250% increase in revenue for their clients through digital advertising campaigns on social media with a team of 5 people."
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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.
