Social media was once viewed as a way to have fun with family and friends. It is now one of the most powerful tools that a business has to reach customers.
It is an important aspect of online marketing, and it continues to grow.
These statistics show how crucial social media is to businesses.
- Social media accounts account for more than half of the world (58.4%).
- Social media is used by 93.4% Internet users
- Social media is used by more people than ever before.
It’s easy to see why businesses are trying to improve their social media presence. Social media consulting is a highly sought-after profession.
There are several things you can do if you want to be successful in this field.
This article will provide tips and tricks for building your social media business and making the most out of your skills.
Let’s get started.
What does a Social Media Consultant do?
Social media consultants are responsible for growing your social media presence.
Each social media consultant has a different expertise depending on which platform they are working in.
Many social media experts offer expertise on specific platforms. This will depend on the niche they specialize in.
Many social media consultants offer a variety of services including:
Social Media Coaching
This is primarily to help clients optimize their social media platforms, increase engagement rates for your profile and take advantage of social networking to improve business marketing and operations.
Social Media Audit
Social media audits are a service provided by consultants who will help you determine what is working and what isn’t. This service typically covers profile optimization, reviewing social media metrics to assess your current strategy, as well as creating a to do list to help you strategize your next social media campaign.
Interesting read: How to run a social media audit in 7 simple steps (+ a free template)
Social Media Management and Strategy Development
They usually work on a retainer for their clients. They offer a complete service that will help you grow your social media profile. This includes content development, daily engagement, and social media advertising.
Let’s now discuss how to become social media consultants.
You don’t have to be a social media expert just because you are on it.
You need to have a wide range of skills to be a social media consultant. This includes content development, understanding algorithms, and knowing how to interpret metrics and statistics.
Let’s look at the top tips to become a social media consultant.
1. Enhance Your Social Media Profiles
You need an online presence that exudes professionalism if you want businesses to consider you a serious social media consultant. This starts with your social media accounts.
To understand your work, potential clients will search for your profiles. Potential clients may move on to another person if their profiles are lacking in detail, outdated or just plain unprofessional.
Talk the talk so that your potential clients see that you are knowledgeable about social media marketing.
It’s important to communicate your expertise and interest if you are targeting a niche market for your social media efforts. Do you have expertise in formal and corporate communications or can you create fun and engaging communities through your social media efforts?
Rachel Pedersen, for instance, is a social media consultant who claims to be “the queen” of social media. This is based on the metrics of all her social media profiles.
Over 1.5 million people have followed her on all platforms including Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram. You can also find her Facebook Group to connect with more than 80K experts in social media across all industries.
2. Create Your Social Media Portfolio
A good step to get started as a social media consultant is having your profiles updated. You also need to have a portfolio that showcases your work.
To impress clients, you don’t have to create a beautiful portfolio . All that is required is to ensure it loads quickly, is easy to use, and highlights your best work .
Avoid overwhelming potential clients by focusing on quality and not quantity.
These are some tips to remember when you create your portfolio.
- Share your experiences as a social media consultant. Tell us about your “why”. What motivated you to become a social media consultant? What is your story that makes you a good social media consultant?
- Display some of your most successful social media content campaigns and include a screenshot of the campaign metrics. Add case studies to show what you did and how you got the result.
- To showcase client testimonials, you can add positive feedback on your work via their social media platforms.
You can showcase the right things with a website builder.
It is understandable, however, that a website to showcase your portfolio can be very expensive if you are just starting.
Don’t let this stop you creating your portfolio. You can also use some free resources and tools like Canva or Google Drive to create a simple portfolio.
Imagine that you don’t have any clients in your portfolio. In this case, it might be worth considering pro bono work and showcasing past projects , even if these are personal ventures.
You can show off your talents and build a portfolio with great work.
3. Streamline Your Client Pipeline
Sometimes it is difficult to set up your own business. This applies equally to being a social media consultant.
You need to streamline your client flow when you offer social media consulting services.
This is so they have the best possible customer experience while working with you on the project. To streamline the communication between the client and you, this involves pitching your services and onboarding them as clients.
Google Forms and Google Docs are free tools that can be used to streamline collaboration. However, it is possible to invest in automation tools for managing projects, sending proposals, signing agreements, invoicing, and even invoicing.
A few tools can help you as a social media consultant to streamline your interactions with clients. These tools include:
- CRM (client relationships management) tools that offer various features, including the ability to create proposals and sign agreements for onboarding or offboarding clients such as Dubsado and HelloBonsai.
- Invoicing Tools to make sure you get paid on time and send invoices, such as InvoiceBerry
- Use project management tools to improve your client collaboration, such as Trello and Asana.
Interesting read: 17 Best Social Media Project Management Tools
4. Find great clients
You might find it tempting to accept every client who comes your way, especially when you are just starting out. It’s not always the best decision.
It is important to make sure you are working with clients who are a good match for you and can deliver great work.
Here are some things to keep in mind when searching for clients
- Are they able to afford the same rates as you?
- Do they work in a niche or industry that interests you?
- Are they well-respected?
- Do they have the potential to become long-term customers?
You can’t control all your clients. It’s impossible to control who your clients are.
You can start a small freelance project through Fiverr or Upwork if you are a complete beginner.
Search for social media consultants jobs at Upwork
5. Increase your network with other social media consultants
Social media consultants need to expand their network of social media experts, because the industry is fast-paced and algorithms change often.
By networking with experts, you can stay up to date with social media trends and changes to implement to your clients’ accounts.
Based on the work you do for clients, networking with other social-media experts can also help you scale and expand your business.
To bring more value to potential clients, you can work with other social media experts.
6. Social Media Consultants: Essential Tools
You can’t be a consultant without your tools. Choose your tools carefully.
There are so many social media tools out there, you need to take your time to get to know them all.
We have some fantastic suggestions for you.
1. SocialPilot
SocialPilot can be a great tool for managing your social media consulting company.
SocialPilot can help you manage your social media schedules, calendars, curation, and automation, no matter if you’re flying alone or with a team.
It’s a cost-effective and simple social media management tool that agencies and consultants can use to increase their brand presence on all major social media platforms.
You can try it for free for 14 days.
2. Biteable
Biteable is an excellent tool to create engaging videos that draw attention on any social media platform. Biteable will help you make great video content that will set you apart from the rest.
You can get a free 7-day trial, and your monthly plan starts at $49
3. Canva
Canva is an excellent tool to create visuals for social media content. You can use it to create static, animated, and even video content.
Canva can be a great tool for social media consultants. Canva has many benefits, whether you are using it to create a proposal for your clients or to develop a social media template that you can sell to them.
4. Google Drive
A great file-sharing tool is essential if you are focusing on social media strategy and management.
Google Drive is one the most cost-effective and efficient tools as it allows you to store multiple files (photos, videos, documents, etc.) under one platform.
If your business expands, you can upgrade to get more storage so you can share more files.
5. Trello
Trello can be used as a client portal by your social media clients. Trello is an excellent tool for creating a social media calendar and allowing you to discuss the whole project with your team.
There are many boards that can be used by social media consultants. You can also create your own boards, and you can customize it based on the responsibilities of each member. You can also connect the platform with other tools that will support your role in social media consulting.
Last Thoughts
It’s a creative and rewarding job to help businesses and brands with their social media presence. You can take your social media consulting company to the next level by following the tips provided in this article.
Always be open to learning and exploring new strategies and platforms to provide the best service possible to your clients.
With a little effort, you can create a successful social media consulting company that you love.
Best of luck!
SocialPilot’s first article, 6 Great Tips to Be a Successful Social Media Consultant, appeared first on SocialPilot.
Leave a Reply