Do you have a degree in marketing and an interest in writing? Are you looking for a flexible career that allows you to work from home? Becoming a freelance social media manager might be the perfect job for you.
I’ve been working as a social media manager for the past few years and love how it has given me control over my schedule and allowed me to work with some amazing companies all across the globe.
However, becoming successful as a freelancer does take time and skill, so I am going to give you all of my best tips on how to become one yourself. You’ll learn everything from what equipment is needed (hint: not much) to finding clients and making sure they pay on time every month.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Acquire a solid understanding of social media platforms, content creation, and analytics. |
| 2. Develop strong communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. |
| 3. Leverage your professional network and use freelancing platforms to find clients. |
| 4. Create a compelling online portfolio and actively market your services. |
| 5. Price your services based on your skills, market demand, and the value you provide. |
| 6. Utilize social media management, content creation, and analytics tools. |
| 7. Stay organized and manage multiple clients and projects effectively. |
| 8. Continuously learn and adapt to the evolving social media landscape. |
Decide What You Want To Offer
The first step to becoming a freelance social media manager is deciding what you want to offer. You need to make sure that there are enough clients out there willing to pay for your services and that the services you provide are actually valuable. To do this, you should ask yourself some questions:
- What services do I want to offer? Do I have any unique skills or experience that not many other freelancers have?
- What can I offer that other freelancers don’t already provide? If people already have access to someone who can help with their social media marketing strategy, they aren’t going to pay you for it unless they need something specific from your work (e.g., writing blog posts on behalf of their company).
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Register As A Business And Get Your Finances In Order
You will need to register as a business and get your finances in order before you can start working on the side. To do this, you will need to get a good accountant, lawyer, and insurance broker.
The last thing that you want is for something unfortunate to happen because you didn’t have the right coverage or information about how to set up your finances correctly.
Update Your Resume
Your resume is a document that helps you present your skills and experience in a way that makes you look good. It’s important to update it regularly so that it reflects the type of work you want to do, or have been doing recently.
Your resume needs to be up-to-date and relevant, easy to read, error-free (otherwise your potential employer will think twice about hiring someone who can’t even spell their name correctly), and professional!
Join Social Media Manager Groups
Joining social media groups is a great way to get more knowledge about what you’re doing. You can learn from other people and share your experience with the community. These groups can also help you find clients, so don’t hesitate to join them.
If there are not any available in your country, don’t worry you can look for international ones that have members from all over the world (I know there are many).
Find Your First Clients
Ask your friends, family, and colleagues if they know of any companies looking for social media management or social media marketing help.
Reach out to the companies in your network who could potentially benefit from a social media manager’s services and ask them if they are looking for someone like you!
Reach out to previous clients and contacts you made while working at other jobs/companies etc., especially those that were impressed with your work, but didn’t have the budget available.
At the time or felt that hiring an in-house employee was too expensive for what it was worth for their small business operation (you can always offer a discount now that cost isn’t an issue).
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Automate Processes Where Possible For Clients
In the early days of your freelance business, you might find that you have to do everything yourself, but as your business grows and becomes more sophisticated, it’s worth considering if any processes could be automated. This will save time and money and make life much easier for everyone involved.
If you’re running multiple social media accounts on behalf of a client then one of the best ways to streamline the process is by using a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer which allows you to schedule posts in advance so they go live at the right time without having to log in to each account manually each day or week.
They also make it easy for multiple people (including whoever is running customer support) who may not be able to access all accounts but still want regular updates about what’s happening on them essential if there has been an emergency that requires immediate attention!
Gather Testimonials And Reviews From Current Or Previous Clients
The next step is to gather testimonials and reviews from past, current, or potential clients. If you are looking for work as a social media manager, this will be the first impression that potential clients have of your skills and they may very well base their decision on whether or not they like what they read.
When requesting a testimonial from a client:
- Make sure to ask them clearly about what was accomplished during their time working with you (i.e., “What did we do together?”)
- Also make sure that their response doesn’t sound too generic by asking open-ended questions that require more than just one-word answers (i.e., “What did I do best?”).
Build Your Portfolio
The best way to show off your skills and experience is by building a portfolio. This is like showing off your resume, but in text form, for people to read through on their own time.
It’s important to figure out how you want to present yourself and what kind of content you want to include before setting up your portfolio site. Do not copy other freelancers’ sites make sure yours reflects who you are as a professional.
Here are some tips:
- Make it clear what type of work you do, e.g., social media management or writing/editing content for websites
- Include examples of work you’ve done (e.g., social media posts, blog posts) and reviews from clients/customers if possible
- Showcase any awards won (and by whom).
Offer Ongoing Support To Current Clients To Keep Them Coming Back
This can be done by offering free advice, tips, or training. You could also offer a monthly newsletter that provides useful information for your clients to utilize as well as gives them an idea of what you’re working on.
Finally, providing a free consultation where you meet with the client in person and discuss their needs will help them see how much you care about their business and provide valuable insight into how they can improve their social media presence moving forward.
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Create A Blog Or Website That Showcases What You Do
You can start a website or blog for free with any hosting service.
When you start your website, it’s important to make sure that you are using a domain name and hosting service that is not associated with any other businesses or websites.
You will want to make sure that the content on your site is something that showcases everything that you do for clients in the past and what they loved about working with you.
Once people see the quality of work that comes from your website, they will be more likely to hire you as their Social Media Manager.
Include links on your site where visitors can find out more information about how they can hire you as their Social Media Manager if they are interested in working with someone who has experience doing this type of work before.
Keep Up With The Latest Trends In Social Media And Digital Marketing
Keeping up with the latest trends in digital marketing and social media is essential to staying ahead of your competition. Social media platforms, like Facebook, focus on being user-friendly for people of all ages and backgrounds, but it doesn’t mean that they won’t change their algorithms every once in a while.
Keeping up with these changes means learning from industry experts who have been there before you and can help you better understand how to stay relevant within this ever-changing industry.
If you want to be a successful freelance social media manager or consultant, then it is critical that you understand those who are using these platforms and how they use them so that you can create better strategies for them based on what they want/need rather than what you think they need out of their engagement experience online!
Consider Specializing In One Area Of Social Media Marketing
If you want to become an expert in this niche, it’s important to focus on one area of social media marketing. This will allow you to charge higher rates and attract higher-value clients. For example, if your specialization is Facebook advertising, then you’ll be able to help companies with their paid advertisements on Facebook.
The benefit of this is that it allows companies who don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to social media marketing specifically for Facebook (and other platforms) to hire someone like yourself who does specialize in this area.
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Take On Smaller Projects To Start Building Experience As A Freelancer While Still Having Regular Income From Your Day Job
In the beginning, it’s best to take on small projects and gradually build up your experience as a freelancer while still having regular income from your day job.
You will be able to establish a portfolio of work that demonstrates all the skills required for this job, including social media management, writing, copywriting, and editing. You will also be building up your reputation as an expert in this field by working with companies who are impressed with the quality of your work.
Surely there are people out there who just want to focus on one specific area of expertise? Sure! But if you can offer multiple services at once then you can attract more clients than if you only offer one thing at a time.
Join Freelance Platforms
As a freelance social media manager, you will be responsible for managing social media platforms as well as implementing marketing strategies that can help your clients grow their businesses.
To start working on a freelance basis, you need to have your website or blog where you showcase and sell your services. You might also want to join some freelance websites such as Fiverr or Upwork so that people can find out about the services you offer and decide whether they would like to hire you.
Once a client comes in contact with you through one of these platforms, there is no guarantee that he/she will become a long-term client, but at least it allows him/her to see what kind of work you do before deciding for hiring someone full time.
Upwork is a popular freelancing platform, but it’s important to understand how to navigate potential challenges. Check out our guide on how to avoid getting suspended on Upwork to discover essential tips and best practices for maintaining a positive reputation, delivering quality work, and avoiding potential pitfalls.
Final
We hope this guide has helped you learn how to become a freelance social media manager! You can now start your career as a successful freelance social media manager. Don’t forget that you need to be consistent in your efforts and take things one step at a time.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further explore the topic of becoming a freelance social media manager:
Indeed Career Advice: How to Become a Freelance Social Media Manager: This article provides insights and tips on how to start a career as a freelance social media manager, including steps to get started and essential skills to develop.
Hootsuite Blog: Freelance Social Media Manager: Hootsuite’s blog post offers guidance and best practices for aspiring freelance social media managers, including tips on finding clients, pricing services, and building a successful freelance business.
Sked Social Blog: Freelance Social Media Marketer: Sked Social’s blog provides valuable insights and advice for freelance social media marketers, including tips on managing client relationships, optimizing social media strategies, and staying organized as a freelancer.
People Also Ask
What Is The Average Price For A Social Media Manager?
The cost of hiring a freelance social media manager will vary depending on your needs and the skill set of the person you hire.
If you are looking for someone with extensive experience in the field, they will likely charge more than someone who is just starting. If you’re looking to hire someone who can create content for your company’s blog, that may be included in their price or it might be an additional fee.
What Are The Qualifications To Become A Freelance Social Media Manager?
You need to be good at social media. You also need to be able to manage time well and work independently. Some of the helpful skills include copywriting, marketing, and copyediting.
How Much Does It Cost To Become A Freelance Social Media Manager?
The cost of becoming a freelance Social Media Manager varies depending on where you live, how much experience you have, and what tools you use. If you’re just starting, your costs will likely be pretty minimal even if you’re working from home in your pajamas.
However, if you’re looking for something more advanced or specialized (like managing social media accounts for high-end brands), then those expenses may start adding up.
What Does A Freelance Social Media Manager Do?
As a freelance social media manager, you’re responsible for creating and posting content on behalf of your clients to promote their companies.
You’ll also be tasked with responding to messages from users and making sure that the accounts are being managed properly for example, by checking for spam and deleting inappropriate posts. You may also be asked to update the company’s profile information and manage the company’s online reputation.
What Do I Need To Become A Freelance Social Media Manager?
To become a freelance social media manager, you’ll need some experience in the field.
This will help you get started with clients, as they’ll be able to see your work before hiring you. You’ll also need some knowledge of different platforms and how they work (e.g., Facebook vs Twitter), as well as basic SEO skills (search engine optimization).
Finally, you should have good communication skills and be able to collaborate with other team members on projects.
What Are The Best Places To Find Jobs As A Social Media Manager?
Many websites offer freelance work, but you should also consider applying directly through the employer’s website or LinkedIn page if you are looking for full-time employment.
How Many Hours A Day Do I Need To Work To Be Successful?
It depends on your goal. If you’re just looking to make a little extra money, then you could probably get by working just one or two hours per day. If you’re looking for a full-time career doing social media management, however, we recommend putting in at least five hours per day and more if possible!
Is It Possible To Make Enough Money Doing This?
Absolutely! Social Media Managers who work with clients and agencies report making anywhere from $30/hour up to $500/hour (or more). It all depends on your level of experience and the types of clients you choose.
Should I Try To Take Other Jobs On The Side?
That’s up to you! You’ll find that many freelancers offer their services for free simply because they want exposure or connections with other people in the industry. Others charge very little or nothing at all because they are just starting and don’t have much experience yet.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.