A Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Freelance Social Media Strategist

What is a social media strategist?

A social media strategist is someone who creates and implements marketing strategies using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. This could be for their own business or for clients.

In the 21st century, there are many options for making a living as a freelancer. One of these is a social media strategist. This is a job that allows you to work with clients in many different industries and on many different projects. It also gives you the opportunity to work remotely and independently, or to work with an agency.

But before you dive in, there are a few things you should know. Here are our top 17 tips for becoming a freelance social media strategist that will help you succeed without all the headaches:

How to Become a Social Media Manager With No Experience

Takeaways
1. Skill Development: Focus on building essential skills like content creation, platform management, and data analysis.
2. Online Learning: Utilize online courses and tutorials to acquire social media management skills even without prior experience.
3. Portfolio Building: Create a portfolio showcasing your work and projects to demonstrate your abilities to potential clients.
4. Niche Expertise: Developing expertise in a specific niche can help you stand out and attract clients with similar interests.
5. Networking: Utilize freelancing platforms, networking events, and social media to connect with clients and expand your reach.

Table of Contents

1. Start With A Business Plan

You should always have an idea of what kind of professional you want to become before you attempt to launch your own business, but this is especially true when it comes to social media strategy. You need to know what kind of services you’ll offer, who your target market is, and how much time/money it will take for you to get started.

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2. Develop Your Knowledge Base

The first thing you should do is ensure that your knowledge of the space is really solid. Social media strategy is a huge field, so it’s important to know what your expertise is. Are you an expert in all areas of strategy? Or do you prefer working with certain platforms or for certain audience demographics?

3. Do Your Research

Depending on where you live, there might already be hundreds of other people offering the same services as you—how will you differentiate yourself? Do some digging online to see who else is out there and what they’re doing. Look at their websites, and read through their blog posts (if they have one) to get a sense of their voice and style.

If they have reviews or testimonials, read those too! This will help you figure out what you’re up against, but it will also give you ideas for what to do differently. In most cases, clients aren’t looking for the exact same thing; they just want something that works for them.

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4. Create A Brand For Yourself

Just like any business, your freelancing career needs to have a professional-looking brand that you present to clients and use in all communications. This should be something that you establish before you even start looking for clients so that when they come along it’ll be easy to present yourself as a polished and professional expert in social media marketing.

5. Understand SEO

In today’s world, it’s important that your social media content is optimized for Google search results. This means that when someone searches for keywords that are related to your service or product, your content should appear as one of the first results. In order to make this happen, you’ll need to learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Start by getting familiar with SEO terms like “keywords” and “search volume.” You’ll also want to learn about something called “long-tail keywords,” which are keywords that have less competition than their more obvious counterparts.

6. A Passion For Social Media

It’s important to have a passion for social media in this field because strategists need to be up to date on all of the latest trends. You will also need excellent writing skills—social media is an art form, and figuring out how to present yourself on each platform is key. People want to connect with your brand online, so being able to write in an engaging tone and finding the right words is critical

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7. Understand How Social Media Works

It’s important to understand how social media works. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are built on connections between people. A social media strategist is a person who helps companies use these platforms to strengthen their relationship with their customers.

In order to do that, you need to know what motivates your clients’ customers, who those customers are, and what makes them tick. You need a deep understanding of how the platform you’re working on functions and how the relationship between the content you post and your users develops over time.

8. Create Social Media Profiles For Your Business

Once you have a brand for yourself, create social media accounts for your freelancing business on the platforms most relevant to what you do. If you’re going to be managing Facebook pages, of course, you need a Facebook profile, but don’t forget about Pinterest if that’s also relevant to the work you’ll be doing.

When you do this, make sure that the accounts are tied closely to your brand identity which means using the same name and branding colors across all channels so they’re easy to identify as part of the same company.

9. Connect With Other Freelancers And Social Media Professionals

You’re not going to be able to go it alone if you want to become a successful freelancer. That’s why the first step is connecting with other freelancers and professionals in the industry. You can do this at in-person events or online through social media groups like this one.

This has a couple of benefits: first of all, it ensures that you’re not just doing what everyone else is doing you’ll have an idea of what’s working for others and what isn’t.

10. Creating A Strategy

Every business needs one of these, so figure out what the business’s goals are and how they relate to social media. If they want more followers, focus on making content that will make people follow them. If they want more sales, make content that will draw people into buying their products or services.

If you’re a beginner looking to enter the world of freelance social media marketing, check out our guide: How to Become a Freelance Social Media Marketer: A Beginner’s Guide. This resource provides step-by-step insights to get you started on the right path.

11. Get Yourself Out There

Now that you have some clients under your belt, it’s time to start networking. You’ll need connections in order for your business to grow. You can attend conferences or join professional organizations for social media strategists—just make sure that you have business cards! This is also a good time to start blogging about your experience as a social media strategist so that potential clients can read about your skills and expertise before reaching out to you specifically.

12. Set Up Some Guidelines For Your Work

One of the most challenging parts of becoming a freelance social media strategist is making sure that you set guidelines for yourself and your work. You don’t have the structure of an office job anymore, so it’s important to set up rules for yourself when it comes to communication with clients, completing work, and charging them.

What are the hours that you commit yourself to work? When are you available to communicate with clients? Do you charge by the project or by the hour? Are revisions included in your price? These are all questions that need answers before you start working.

13. Start Small & Think Big

Ideally, you’ll want to work with a few clients at the same time, but when you’re just starting out, it’s better to focus on one client at a time. This way, you can really get to know the person behind the business and what makes them tick. You’ll be able to become part of their team (or even their family).

14. Set Up A Website Or Portfolio Page That Explains What You Do And Why You Do It

Here’s where you build trust with potential clients by showing off your previous experience and outlining exactly what services you offer—and the benefits those services will deliver for your client’s businesses.

15. Hone Your Voice

Write down what makes you unique as an individual, and then figure out how to turn it into something valuable for clients. Businesses want someone who can represent them well—and that means having your own “voice.” Think about what yours is.

Understand that each platform is different.

LinkedIn is great for connecting with other professionals and honing in on your expertise; Instagram is great for telling a visual story; Twitter can be good for finding or connecting with influencers, and Facebook is perfect for staying in touch with friends or posting updates about your business. You don’t have to be on every platform—in fact, it may actually be better for you if you focus on one or two platforms that are most suited to your work.

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16. Be Prepared For Rejection Early

This is an important time for building experience and getting comfortable pitching your services. Remember that it’s not about you; it’s about what the client needs at this stage of their business. You’re only being rejected from this one project, not from being a social media marketer overall! (This is also a good mental mantra when things do get tough.)

17. Always Be Professional

No matter what kind of job you’re looking for, always remember that professionalism is key. This is doubly true for the freelancer who must hustle for their next project and make sure their name stays good with those they’ve already worked for.

To this end, make sure your social media accounts are only posting content that’s safe for all eyes; check your privacy settings on Facebook and LinkedIn, and set Google alerts to email you whenever your name comes up online (this way you can respond to anything negative as soon as it crops up).

Final Thoughts

If you’re considering becoming a freelance social media strategist, I sincerely hope that this guide helps you reach your goals. Social media is an important part of today’s business world, and having an expert on your team is imperative to its success.

If you do want to get started as a freelance social media strategist, my first piece of advice is to be prepared for lots of hard work, long hours, and a significant workload. However, the rewards for doing so can be great. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun.

People Also Ask

How Do I Get Clients?

Getting clients as a freelancer is all about networking. Try targeting local businesses and getting in contact with their owner/managers to set up meetings. When you’re in your meetings, let them know that you are very knowledgeable about the market in that area and you can get them more customers.

You’ll want to ask what they’ve been doing on social media so far and then let them know how you can help them do it better. If they say no, don’t worry! Keep trying different things until you find something that works well for both you and your clients.

Why Should I Become A Freelance Social Media Strategist?

If you’re looking to work from home or make some extra money on the side, then being a freelance social media strategist might be a good fit for you. It’s also great if you love working with people because this job requires lots of communication skills!

What If I Don’t Have Any Experience?

That’s okay! There are many resources available online that will help teach you everything about social media marketing without having prior experience. These include blog posts, videos, and more! Just start reading up on how businesses use these platforms successfully so that when an opportunity comes along.

How Much Do Freelance Social Media Strategists Make?

The short answer is a lot. How much, exactly? Well, that depends on a lot of factors. But we can tell you that Freelance Social Media Strategists (FSSMs) typically charge up to $50 per hour for their services. Because of this, FSSMs make an average of $5,200 per month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What Does A Freelance Social Media Strategist Do?

Freelance social media strategists help businesses and brands with their social media strategies. They work with the brand to identify its goals, plan a strategy, and then implement it. Being a freelance social media strategist is great if you love working with people, have strong communication skills, and are typically on top of social media trends.

How Do I Become A Freelance Social Media Strategist?

To be a successful freelance social media strategist, you need to be familiar with the basics of marketing and promotion. Understand how to create an effective content marketing strategy and use various tools to help you manage your client’s account and monitor its growth. You should also know how to use analytics tools in order to effectively measure your success.

In addition to these skills, it’s important that you have strong interpersonal skills so that you can communicate effectively with your clients–you’ll need patience as well as an ability to explain things clearly without being patronizing or condescending (both of which are easy traps!).

What Skills Do I Need To Be A Successful Social Media Strategist?

Social media strategists need a few core skills to succeed. The first is the ability to identify, research, and understand target audiences—the people you are creating content for and talking to. The second is the ability to plan, execute, and measure social media campaigns across multiple platforms. Lastly, social media strategists need strong communication skills so they can contribute effectively in team settings and with clients.

Why Do I Need A Formal Education To Become A Freelance Social Media Strategist?

The more education you have under your belt, the more likely it is that you will be able to secure higher-paying clients. This is because clients want to know that the people they are hiring are serious about their profession and have invested in their education. Having a formal education in marketing or communications tells them these things about you.

What Is The Benefit Of Hiring A Freelance Social Media Strategist?

A freelancer will be able to design a customized strategy that suits your business needs and goals. Also, by helping you create content, manage your channels, and develop engagement strategies on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other platforms, I’ll free up valuable time for you to focus on running your business.

How Much Money Can I Make As A Freelance Social Media Strategist?

Everyone’s going to be different, but the average salary for a full-time social media strategist is about $50,000/year. You can work as much or as little as you want, so depending on your availability and how many clients you have, your income will vary quite a bit.

If you’re new to this freelancing thing and are nervous about making enough money, we recommend that you get your first few clients through an agency like [company name] (find out more here). That’ll give you some experience under your belt and show potential future clients what kind of work you can do.

Why Freelance Social Media Strategy?

Well, you are passionate about social media. Your friends and family would tell you that it’s a hobby but what if it could be more than a hobby? What if it could be your full-time job? When you freelance, you can define your own schedule and workload — which means that YOU can decide how many hours a week you want to work.

And if you don’t want to work weekends? Then don’t! You can spend your weekend watching Netflix or going for a hike. That’s the beauty of a freelancer’s life: you get to choose. (For help figuring out what lifestyle is right for you, check out my free How To Become A Freelancer).

Costantine Edward

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.