How To Get Started As A Freelance Social Media Manager - Even If You Are Just Starting out!

Working from home or anywhere else in the world is something you can do as a freelance social media manager and even if you are just starting out, at the end of this article you know what action steps to take.

Step 1: Get organized with tools

Step 2: Find your niche

Step 3: Expand your knowledge

Step 4: Create your packages and prices

Step 5: Find your first client

But first, let’s see where you’re currently at…

• Are you looking into starting a side-hustle as a social media manager but you have no idea where to get started? 

• Working from home sounds amazing but you are not confident enough to pitch yourself to clients and you have no idea how to even find your first client?

• Maybe you’ve even read articles or saw a Facebook Ad about how to make a six-figure business online but let’s be honest no one tells you how to get started when you have no prior knowledge. 

If you said yes to any of those statements above, please know that it’s ok to feel this way because by the end of this blog post you’ll know the answers!

Today I am sharing the first five steps you need to take to get started as a freelancer. 

Or if you prefer, watch my YouTube video to help you get started!

Step 1 Get Organized with Tools

Before you even look into working with clients you will need a good onboarding system set-up. So that when that first client shows up you know exactly what email to send out, what tools to add them in and how to ask for passwords. 

Sharing passwords

Asking for passwords is the most crucial step in this process. No one wants to send you their Instagram password in an email or WhatsApp message - would you? To share passwords I only ever work with a tool called LastPass - the tool is free. You and your client need to sign-up and create your own accounts and then you can share the passwords securely. 

I also highly suggest downloading the chrome extension from LastPass which makes your life so much easier when working with different clients or just for yourself. 

Chrome browser

As just mentioned, LastPass has a chrome extension which brings me to my next point: Chrome. If you are still working with safari or firefox, now is the time to switch. Chrome has so many amazing features so let’s install that on your computer. 

Organize your computer

The next step is to organize your computer to work with clients. That means you either create a free login with Google Drive or Dropbox (I have both) and create different folders that you later use for working with your clients. If you have them already set-up now the onboarding process is going to be so much faster. 

Step 2 Find your niche

The majority of the freelancers or aspiring freelancers forget this step or skip it. But not you!

You need to have a specific target audience! You are not just a social media manager for everybody. You want to work with a specific type of business. 

Ask yourself these questions before you even pitch your social media services: 

• Who do I like working with? 

• What interests apart from social media do I have? (e.g food, fitness, spirituality, etc.)

• Do I prefer product-based or service-based businesses?

Write your answers on a piece of paper, or start journaling your ideas. Do some research if you don’t know.

For specific niche ideas and how you can choose one, watch my FREE Masterclass!

Step 3 Expand your knowledge

When working as a social media manager you need to know how to use the different social media tools for clients. This means you need to become an expert in this and stay on top of different algorithm changes. 

A good source to start with is to follow industry leaders on Twitter! They will share their latest findings on Algorithm changes and you can then adjust your social media strategies for your client. 

If you don’t follow Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook yet or Adam Mosseri (@mosseri), the head of Instagram, you are missing out on valuable information! Go on, go and follow them now.

Step 4 Create your packages and prices

The biggest mistake apart from not choosing a target audience is to charge hourly rates. This is because you will eventually run out of hours and can then not take on more clients or have to raise your prices. 

You also want to be creating different packages based on your target audience's needs. This highlights again why having a specific niche is so important. You don’t want to have twenty different packages. Rather have three main packages and a few add-ons. An add-on could be Writing blog posts or taking pictures.

Taking pictures is not a part of your job as a social media manager. But you can offer it as a paid add-on but it’s not included in your standard packages. Clients have to send you the pictures and videos you need to do your work. That’s why you’ve already prepared a folder in Google Drive or Dropbox so they can easily upload their pictures.

Step 5 Find your first client

If you have never worked with a client before and don’t feel 100% confident yet, then the best way is to start with a free one-month trial. 

That means you will do the social media for a client for one month and in exchange, you will get a testimonial (written or video) from that client so you can use this as a case study and pitch to more clients. 

After the first month, you and your client can discuss how to work together going forward, what this will look like and that it will be on a paid basis. 

The easiest way to find a potential client is to first ask everyone in your network. Usually, there is someone who would love your support in return for a free trial.

Once you’ve had your first client and feel confident, it’s time to pitch yourself to more potential clients. A great way to do that is to be active in different entrepreneurial Facebook groups. There are always posts from business owners who are looking for social media support! 

You can also go on Instagram and look for your target audience in location-based hashtags. Choose smaller hashtags for this. For example #SantaMonica rather than #LA and look through the posts on that hashtag to see what kind of businesses you will find. Then start engaging with those accounts and send them an email to pitch your services. 

These are my five steps to getting started as a freelance social media manager without feeling overwhelmed.

For more details on this process join my FREE Masterclass!