Wondering how to become a social media manager and work from home?

Read more to learn about my personal journey for starting my own successful social media management business.

When starting a business online, there are many options. One of those options is to freelance, where you provide other people and business with a service. It is probably the quickest way to make an income online and there are many options in which service you provide. You could freelance in graphic design, writing blogs, virtual assistant or social media manager. In this post, I’m going to outline how to become a social media manager. Just remember that everyone’s journey is very different and this is just my experience.

Within my business, I specialize in social media management for businesses in the beauty and creative space. The beauty and creative industry is where I’ve spent most of my working career and free time so it made sense to go down that path. Once I decided that was where I wanted to go, I set a plan into motion! I learned all that I possible could. The more in depth I went, the more I fell in love. It was actually fun and something that I excelled in!

You’re wondering exactly what social media manager actually does?

It can vary from business to business but most will create content (take photos, create graphics, source images and blog posts), create a strategy, schedule posts for months in advance, engage with followers and potential customers, reach out to influences, create email marketing campaigns and then report on what’s working and what can be improved on. It can vary quite a bit business to business and also within what month you are in!

Interested in becoming a social media manager? I would love to give you pointers! I started my business and within 3 months I was booked out and generating extra income for my family.

Recommended course: Social Monkey Business by Liz Benny. 
Liz’s free webinar is super valuable and I highly recommend it!

The steps that started social media manager journey:

Find your Niche and stay there.

Some will say that this isn’t necessary but I really believe that it’s what set me apart from other social media managers. Having been working in the industry for 4 years, I was able to provide my clients with a greater understanding of what they wanted and what was needed to leverage their business. It was where my expertise was. Of course, I was interested in and had a good understanding of social media but primarily, I am an expert in all things beauty and creative.

From the beginning, I had something to offer that was different from my competitors. I stood out and attracted ideal clients from the beginning. From a business point of view, it made it easier for me as well. It really cut down on time research and sourcing content for different accounts. You can imagine if you have a butcher and a neurosurgeon. They are very different and it would be difficult doing both amazingly!

Become the Expert in Your CRAFT

Once I decided exactly what I wanted to offer, I set about learning all that I could. I also enjoy social media and seemed to be the ‘go-to girl’ for friends but I still felt I had some holes to fill before doing it professionally. I searched for courses to help me gain a better understanding of how to use social media for business.

My research pointed me to The Digital Picnic and their workshops. This course was designed for business owners to take so they could learn more about how to use social media for their business. The course covers social set up, which platforms to use for your business, a run through the main platforms, email marketing and blogging. This course is more for business owners, not social media managers but I found it extremely useful to see what my clients would be seeing! It’s always good to get another prospective!

Running a Business as a Social Media Manager

It’s one thing to be an expert in social media, it’s another thing to run a social media management business. There are a few things to consider, your service list, your contract, payments and how you’re going to create systems to automate what you can to make your life easier.

I created a couple pretend clients to do a trial run through! When working on my practice accounts, I documented what was working and what needed to be improved on. I went through trials on different programs and apps. I created a workflow that is key to a well run and help my profitable business.

When conducting my research, I found that the Social Monkey Business training to be invaluable. The course helps you create a business and systems to make it work well. They have templates, contact emails, content calendars and other spreadsheets that you can use within your business. The course also gives you ways to increase your revenue by up-selling and creating other services and products that serve your clients well. This course is on the more expensive side but I made it back from one client in the first month. A no brainier really!

Determine your Rates and Packages.

This is a never-ending question that newbies ask. How much to charge and how to create packages. It’s so hard! Just remember to charge what you are worth from the beginning!

I found that packages were great because it was easy to communicate to the client. I do offer some hourly services too just depending on the case. If you do work on an hourly basis, make sure you’re making it worth your while. Don’t lower your price (or underestimate the time taken) because you want to win over a client. What you’re doing for your clients business is extremely valuable!

The main advice that I have for you here is to make sure you’re accounting for every minute you spend on a clients account. Get an app like Toggl and use it! You’ll probably underestimate initially but the quicker you get on it, the better and more profitable you’ll become!

Set Up Your Online Presence.

I had so much fun creating everything for my launch day! I kept everything in the same color pallet and mood so people would know it’s me from first glance.

You can outsource the website setup but if you’re on a budget it’s definitely achievable to DIY. My suggestions would be to use Showit or  WordPress. These site builders are by far the most cost-effective and will show your unique brand all through out the site. Reach out to me if you need some great recommendations for site creators! Having a website is one of the number one things needed to show your services and skills to potential clients!

Hello Clients!

Now it’s time to start taking clients!

The process of on-boarding a client can be daunting. You’re now putting yourself out there for business and working for other people’s livelihood! It’s a big deal. My favorite quote to remember in those times when I doubt myself is “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

Other places to look for clients are LinkedIn, Facebook groups and Instagram. Start connecting with people and creating proper relationships. You need to make sure that you’re giving value and genuinely contributing to the conversation. There’s no room for bots here! Create a spreadsheet of your leads and make sure you circle back to check in on them regularly! Someone might now need you when you first connect but they might be ready the next time! Some times it takes a little time for people to be ready and really see the value you can add to their business.

Under Promise. Over Deliver.

Once you have some clients, make sure you keep exceeding their expectations (whilst billing them accordingly). Under promise and over deliver!

I become a bit of a business coach for my clients. I take every opportunity I can to teach them all that I know so they can later “leave the nest” and fly solo! I am never afraid to suggest things to make their business better.

Before you know it, You’ll soon start receiving referrals, more than you probably know what to do with! When you get to this point, you’ll want to hire a team to help you with the workload! One tip I have for this step is to make sure you are systematizing your work! Make it easy to train someone to do what you’re doing, then you can focus on getting more clients, exposure and growing your own empire!

Rinse and repeat! And don’t forget to never stop learning as much as you can along the way!