So you’ve decided to become a freelance social media marketer. Maybe you’re looking to make some extra cash in your spare time. Maybe you want to be your own boss and set your own hours. Or maybe you just don’t feel like putting on pants this week, but still need some money coming in. Whatever the reason, it’s an exciting and ever-changing career!
Freelancing is great because it gives you the freedom to take control of your schedule and do what you love but it also means that sometimes, finding clients can be a struggle. You’ve got to put yourself out there, and it’s not always easy.
But we’ve got a few tips to help get you started. Here are our suggestions for how to find clients as a freelance social media marketer:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Building a personal brand is essential for freelancers. |
| 2. Showcase your expertise through a professional portfolio. |
| 3. Leverage social media to demonstrate your skills. |
| 4. Networking can lead to valuable client connections. |
| 5. Content marketing helps establish your authority. |
| 6. Offer value through blog posts and informative content. |
| 7. Engage in relevant online communities and forums. |
| 8. Consistency in branding across platforms is crucial. |
| 9. Use testimonials to build trust with potential clients. |
| 10. Highlight successful case studies in your portfolio. |
| 11. Provide tailored solutions to address client needs. |
| 12. Utilize video content to showcase your personality. |
1. Use Platforms That Connect Freelancers With Companies Looking For Work
There are plenty of websites out there where companies post requests for social media marketers like you and lots of them are looking specifically for freelancers! These kinds of sites also let you read through reviews from former clients, so you know what kind of experiences other people have had working with these companies before.
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2. Set Aside Time To Be Creative
In marketing yourself as a freelance social media marketer is to set aside time to be creative. If you have a day job, this could mean getting up 30 minutes early so that you can write down your ideas for the day or brainstorm new ways to get clients. Or, if you’re already working from home, this could mean taking an hour or two out of your workday to explore new ideas for accounts you currently manage or for potential clients.
The key here is that you need to set aside the time. It’s too easy to get sucked into your work and not leave room for creativity, so it’s important to make sure that you’re giving yourself enough space and time to really think through how you want to be presenting yourself in the market.
3. Learn How To Craft A Compelling Story
Crafting a compelling story is the most important step in getting new clients. But what makes a compelling story?
First, it must be true. There is no sense in making up a story to get clients—it will eventually catch up with you and only hurt your credibility. Your story should be based on a real experience that happened to you. It can be an experience from your professional life, or from your personal life—the key is that it’s true.
Second, it must demonstrate your value as a social media marketer. If you’re going for an interview for a job as a writer, but the story you tell is about how you saved someone’s life by performing CPR on them, that’s going to confuse the interviewer. Try to choose stories in which you show off your skills as a social media marketer.
Third, it should have an element of intrigue or surprise. Sure, maybe that CPR story isn’t the best example of your skills as a social media marketer… but it certainly gets attention! Think about how to grab someone’s attention right at the beginning of your story, so they want to keep listening to see what happens next!
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4. Make A Website
You need to do is make a website to market yourself. Don’t worry if you’re not the best with computers—you can make a simple website for free using Wix or Squarespace. All you need is an account and some pictures of your work.
Prospective clients want to know what your work looks like before they hire you, so it’s important that you have as much of it on your website as possible. Make sure it’s clear which posts belong to you because people won’t hire you if they think it was someone else who made the posts that blew them away.
If you don’t have any work to show off, that’s fine! You can use sample content from social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.
5. Make A Blog
Of course, the first tip on this list is to write a great blog! This post is part of our ongoing series on how to market yourself as a freelancer if you’ve read any of our other posts, you know that we love blogging. It’s an easy way for prospective clients to get a better idea of who you are and what your professional style is like.
You’ll also want to include some posts about social media marketing itself—what makes it special, how different industries use it, and so on. Finally, make sure that your contact information is prominently displayed on your blog. That way, if someone has questions or wants to hire you, they don’t have to go searching around the site for it!
6. Build A Personal Brand
You have to walk the walk before you can talk the talk—so make sure that your own personal brand on social media is as well-curated and effective as possible. If you don’t have an audience, start building one. If you do, keep cultivating it and growing it by doing things that are proven to work on social media, like posting consistently at optimal times of day and responding to comments quickly.
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7. Understand Your Audience
As a freelance social media marketer, your ability to understand what different audiences want and need will be crucial in helping businesses create personalized content that speaks directly to their customer base. You should know how to target different types of people with different types of content, and how to use analytics tools like [tool name] or [tool name].
There’s a lot of information out there about how to market yourself as a freelance social media marketer. But don’t be overwhelmed! The basics are pretty simple, and we’re going to break them down for you here.
8. Specialize
Marketing, especially marketing on social media, is not one-size-fits-all. You need to develop your own unique brand and identify who your target audience is. Think about what you can offer that no one else can. What are your specialties?
For example, if you know a lot about local businesses and what makes them tick, you can target your marketing efforts toward small business owners in your area and help them build their customer base through marketing on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
9. Make Social Media (Personal) Profiles On Every Platform
First and foremost, if you want to be able to market yourself as a social media marketer, then you need to have a strong presence on social media yourself. This means having active accounts on every platform that your potential clients are on and having clearly-defined profiles for each of them (that match your personal brand).
Why does this matter? Because being present on multiple platforms shows that you know how to effectively use each platform for its own purposes, which is one of the most important skills for any aspiring social media marketer. You should also make sure that all of your profiles have some good content on them, so people can get an idea of what kind of work you do before they even contact you.
10. Make Social Media (Business) Profiles
This may seem obvious, but establishing a presence on social media is essential for anyone trying to launch a career in this field. The first step is to create your own business profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These are not only great places to share content in your field, but they also give potential clients a way to learn more about you when they look you up online.
A LinkedIn profile is especially important because it lets people see how much experience you have and what your credentials are (more on that later).
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11. Join Groups And Forums And Go To Events
You’ll want to make sure you’re seeing what’s happening in the industry, as well as networking with peers and potential clients. There are tons of groups on Facebook and LinkedIn where you can see what other marketers are working on and share your own projects, as well as opportunities for getting in touch with people who might need what you’re offering, for example, there’s a group called “Freelance Social Media Marketers” that’s specifically for social media marketers looking for jobs or partnerships.
12. Start Networking
You can’t get work as a freelancer if you don’t have any clients! It’s all about putting yourself in front of the right people and letting them know what you can do for them. Reach out to people who have social media accounts with large followings and tell them you’d be happy to help them manage their accounts.
Make sure they know that you’ll handle everything, from posting engaging content to responding promptly to comments and direct messages. You’ll also want to let them know that they can expect an increase in followers and engagement on their social media platforms once you start working with them.
13. Don’t Be Afraid Of Selling Yourself
When you’re trying to build your business, it can be hard to make yourself stand out in a very crowded marketplace. One of the best ways to do this is by focusing on your strengths and selling yourself as someone who can do what others can’t. Don’t be afraid of being direct and saying, “I’m good at X, Y, and Z,” or “I have experience with A, B, and C.” This will help potential clients narrow down their search for freelancers by identifying who will meet their needs most effectively
14. Make A Portfolio
Clients want to see what you’ve done before they hire you, so it’s important to have a portfolio ready when they ask for it. The best thing about being a freelancer is that you don’t need much experience just some examples of good work that make someone else look great! A portfolio doesn’t have to be extensive or expensive either; it just needs a few pieces that show off your skills as a social media market
15. Get Glowing Reviews From Clients
One of the best ways to sell yourself as a freelancer is through reviews from clients. Make sure that you ask for reviews every time you complete a project successfully! This will not only give potential clients an idea of what working with someone like you is like it’ll also bump up your profile in search results when people are looking for freelancers just like yourself!
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16. Track Your Goals
This step may seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook the importance of having a goal in mind!
Once you have a goal, you can start looking for ways to achieve it. For example, if your goal is to increase sales by 30%, then you might want to consider using Facebook ads or running an email campaign.
You’ll need at least one metric that shows how far away from your goal you are: revenue per user and customer lifetime value (LTV) are good ones to start with. If these metrics aren’t available, try signing up for Google Analytics or HubSpot’s free analytics tool. These tools will give you insight into what people are doing on your site so that when they come back again next week they’ll be more likely to buy something this time around!
It may also be helpful if there’s a way to track who’s visiting your site and how often especially if they’re coming from referrals like friends who shared links on their own personal pages (e.g., social media profiles) or links posted on blogs about similar topics.”
Final Thoughts
Overall, If you are an SMM freelancer, you have to be disciplined and always think of ways how to market yourself. We may not be able to control the economy, but we can control our own success it is up to you to proactively create a world-class brand for yourself. The first step starts with taking time to know your target market and start building relationships with them.
Answer their questions, share their articles, and accept them into your community or group allowing them to learn more about you and your expertise. And if they listen to your advice and follow through? That’s when they will start trusting you, even referring other people in their network who might need services like yours.
It’s a multi-level business approach that will help your company grow in a positive direction and eventually reap the rewards for the work involved.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of freelance social media marketing and self-promotion:
How to Market Yourself as a Freelance Social Media Manager Short Description: Gain valuable insights and strategies on effectively marketing yourself as a freelance social media manager in this insightful LinkedIn article.
How to Promote Yourself Online as a Freelancer Short Description: Discover practical tips and techniques for promoting your freelance services online and building a strong online presence as a freelancer.
The Freelance Social Media Marketer’s Guide Short Description: Dive into a comprehensive guide tailored for freelance social media marketers, covering key aspects of the industry and how to succeed as a freelancer in this field.
People Also Ask
How Do I Market Myself As A Freelance Social Media Marketer?
It’s all about networking! The first thing to do is to post your own social media content and make it good. Post about your experience working as a social media marketer, how long you’ve been doing it, what you’ve done, and your successes. Then put yourself out there: get on social media help groups or ask friends to share your posts. You want to get yourself into conversations with people who are looking for someone just like you!
How Much Should I Charge For My Skills As A Freelance Marketer?
Check out the going rates; that’s always a great place to start. But if you know some people who are in the same industry, talk to them and see what they’re charging. You don’t have to charge just because others are charging it’s up to you! If you’re happy with what you’re making, then there’s no reason to raise your rates.
If you’re not happy with what you’re making, it might be time to consider raising them. And remember: when clients know they’re getting great work at a good price, they’ll be glad to pay it!
How Do I Get Hired?
It’s a crowded field out there, with lots of people vying for the same jobs. The best way to get noticed is by being creative. Don’t just tell people what you can do show them! For example, if you’re looking for work in website design and development, start your own blog or apply for a job as a contributor at a tech site like Lifehacker or TechCrunch. You’ll get paid for doing something you love, and you’ll be able to include those contributions in your portfolio when you’re pitching yourself for full-time positions.
What Is The Most Important Element To Getting Started?
Networking! Don’t be shy about talking to people about what you do. Send them an email, follow them on social media, or reach out via LinkedIn. When you find someone who could use your services, don’t hesitate to ask if they are looking for help with their social media.
If they aren’t at the moment, they may know someone else who is. If someone asks me if I need help with my social media accounts now and I don’t have any projects, I still thank them and connect on LinkedIn because maybe later on down the road I will need some help.
What Is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing, according to the American Marketing Association, is: “the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites.” It’s about using social media platforms to promote your brand or a product you’re selling. That could mean posting content on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, You name it!
What Do I Need To Know Before I Can Freelance As A Social Media Marketer?
You don’t need to go to school for this social media marketers are usually self-taught. The primary thing you need is a solid understanding of different types of brands and what kind of content resonates with their audience. If you’re not sure where to start, remember that every company’s online presence is going to be a bit different. But eventually, you’ll get a feel for what kind of posts work based on the company’s industry, services, and target demographic.
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.