Social media is the giant in today’s attention and entertainment world. Billions of people across the globe use the different channels and the number only grows year after year. Consumers spend hours a day on this medium and marketers and advertisers know they have to go where the eyeballs are. Every company, from local small businesses to national companies to international conglomerates, must focus their creative and marketing energy there.
Freelancers who are seeking contracts that pay well and also let your work from anywhere at any time are finding that becoming a social media consultant is a great career path. Smaller firms simply don’t have the know-how to tackle all the activities that are necessary to get your name out there. Even larger companies can find they need to bring in a talented consultant who specializes in specific platforms they want to engage with and run campaigns on.
Sign Up for the Education You Need
If you are going to be successful as a social media consultant, you are going to need a strong background in business, marketing, advertising even consumer psychology. You’ll want to know what motivates people and you’ll also need to be able to interpret statistics so you can gauge the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Taking advanced business and psychology courses will help give you the knowledge and skills you need. University programs can be costly, so when you apply for and get accepted you will need to make sure you can finance your education too. One of the best ways to pay for your undergraduate degree is to take out private student loans. These loans, from banks, credit unions, and financial companies, give you the money you need to invest in yourself and sign up for your degree program now.
Get Your First Local Clients and Showcase Your Work
When you are just starting out as a social media consultant, you’ll want to focus on getting your first paying clients locally. Small businesses are a great place to start and this type of customer will really appreciate the personalized attention you can give them since you live in their area. In order to attract your first clients, you’ll need a great web site. You should also offer insightful marketing advice on your own branded accounts. In working with clients, seek out prospects for whom you can do great work that showcases your talents and produces phenomenal results. It also helps to offer top-notch, professional customer service, and if you overdeliver by providing even more value than they were expecting. Stellar customer reviews and testimonials will help you promote your work and will do a lot of the selling for you.
Decide on Your Business Niche
There are a lot of directions you can go with your social media consulting business. You’ll have to decide if you will specialize in specific platforms. Some consultants will focus on Pinterest while others might position themselves as experts on Facebook or Instagram. Whichever platform or platforms you choose, it’s important to understand that you are going to have to commit yourself to a path of constant learning in order to keep up with the ever-changing technologies.
It’s also critical to decide whether you are going to be a generalist who works with many different local businesses or you are going to focus on a niche market and work regionally or nationally. There are pluses to each one of these approaches. If your focus is local, you can get your name out there through networking events as well as your own local social media channels. If your aim is to be the best consultant in a vertical market, you’ll be able to quickly hone your marketing pitch and will know exactly how to build campaigns that appeal to your client’s existing and potential customers.
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