So you’ve heard that freelance social media managers live the “laptop lifestyle” where they get to be their own boss, make their own schedules, and work from anywhere with a wifi signal -- and you want to know if this could be a successful career path for you.
You’ve come to the right place! Our mission at The Social Media CEO is to help you start, systemize and scale a sustainable, profitable social media management business.
To help you get started on the right foot, we’re sharing everything you need to know in order to become a social media manager--from the skills you’ll need to succeed, how to market your business, and even where to go to find your first client.
One thing all social media managers can agree on is that there’s a lot to juggle--so you’ll need to be comfortable wearing a lot of different hats. The good news is, as a business owner, you get to decide exactly how you want your business to operate, which services you’re going to offer, and what platforms you want to manage. The hats you wear are totally up to you!
Here’s what you need to know if you want to become a social media manager…
1 | You’ll Need a Business Model
There isn’t just one way to be a Social Media Service Provider. There are 3 common business models you can choose from!
One of the first (& most popular) ways to be a social media service provider is to offer full service, done-for-you options as a social media manager or agency owner. If you’re just starting your career in this industry, and/or your client workload is fully manageable by yourself, working strictly as a social media manager is a great way to build up your portfolio & gain more on-the-job experience.
Once you’re ready to step away from doing it all yourself, you might decide to scale your business, by shifting to an agency model.
2 | You’ll Need to Clarify Your Services & Price Them Accordingly
One of the best things about starting a social media management business is that it gives you the option to offer a variety of different social media related services. When you’re first starting out we recommend picking one or two services to offer that closely align with your skill set & what you enjoy doing most.
Here are 7 services to offer as a social media manager.
Once you’ve decided what you’re doing to offer, you’ll need to determine what to charge for those services. To hep get you started, check out these social media services ideas at every price point!
3 | You’ll Need Skills to Pay the Bills
Once you’ve determined which services you want to offer, it’s time to build up your skill set. While there are a number of (free!) specialized courses on a variety of topics like copywriting, graphic design, or video production, we also recommend social media managers brush up on other skills such as:
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Becoming a master of social media strategy
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Effectively reporting & analyzing the data of the platforms you’ll be using
Here are 10 skills to cultivate as a social media manager.
4 | You’ll Need Social Media Marketing Tools & Templates
When you start your social media management business, you’re going to need a variety of tools to help you manage client accounts, build reports and communicate with your clients and team.
A few of our favorite resources include:
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Slack for client & team communication
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The Boutique Lawyer for all your legal paperwork
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The Client Experience Bundle - which includes easy to customize templates for proposals, client onboarding, social media strategies and reporting!
5 | You’ll Need to Attract Ideal Clients
If creating a highly profitable social media management business is the goal, then your ability to consistently find new ideal clients is critical to that success. When it comes to where to look & how to attract these new clients, there are plenty of options.
6 | You’ll Need to Market Your Services Consistently
Marketing your business doesn’t end the moment you’ve gotten a few clients on your roster. Nope! You’ll want to ensure you are consistently marketing your business & the services you offer in order to attract new clients on a regular basis.
Of course, balancing client work with home life can be tricky. Our advice is this: plan your business’ marketing first in order to ensure you have a stream of leads flowing in. That way, if you ever lose a client or open up more space on your roster, you won’t be left scrambling!
Becoming a social media manager can be an extremely rewarding way to build your own business. You have the opportunity to use both your creative and strategic skills to support clients and help them reach their goals.
The best part is it’s relatively simple for just about anyone with a passion for social media and a little bit of creativity to get started -- there’s no degree, fancy website, or serious financial investment required for you to begin.
DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER?
ENROLL IN OUR FREE CHALLENGE: KICKSTART YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT BUSINESS!
During this free 5 day challenge you will learn how to start a rewarding, work-from-anywhere business providing social media services! We’ll show you the simplest way to get started with this step-by-step business blueprint.
