With the rise of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Stories, there’s never been a better time to get into social media management (especially as a freelance social media manager). Time and time again these platforms have proven to be kingmakers, but there are plenty of small business owners and mom-and-pop shops who simply don’t have the time, know-how, or budget to have a go. That’s where you come in!
Social media management doesn’t have to be a full-time career, in fact, it’s the perfect side hustle for stay-at-home moms, teens, and those juggling a full-time job. You get to set your own hours and choose your own clients. Better yet, you don’t even need a tertiary degree in computing, marketing or graphic design to get started; just a flair for design, a business mindset, and a familiarity with the platforms you’re working with!
I’ll let you in on a few industry secrets, and show you all the tools I use to manage my own client’s social media accounts! As, outside of blogging, I’ve been freelancing as a web developer/digital marketer for almost 5 years now. So, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about running an online business!
Jump To:
What Is A Social Media Manager
A social media manager is somebody who runs, posts to, and maintains the social media accounts for a business, brand or individual. They may also spend time replying to comments, writing blogs, filming or editing short videos, and taking pictures depending on the scope of their contract.
As a freelancer, the most common accounts you will be asked to manage are Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok. So, it is best to spend some time familiarising yourself with these applications.
Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn great add-on platforms to specialise in, however are unlikely to bring in quite as many customers as the ‘big 4″.
Services
Social media management can be as broad or specific as you like. With this being said, the broader your set of skills, the more clients you’ll attract. After all, very few of your customers are going to come to you with a folder full of professional photos, blog articles or content ready to publish. Those that do probably have the potential to manage their accounts in-house.
Some of the services I suggest you offer as a social media manager include:
Content Creation
I’ll admit, “content creation” covers a pretty wide variety of services. It encompasses everything from filming and editing tiktok video’s, to writing Facebook posts tweets.
Your primary job as a social media manager is to schedule and create content for your clients… so, expect to spend a large portion of your time doing this kind of work.
Photography / Product Photography
While nobody expects you to be a professional photographer, you’ll need some basic photography and photo editing skills to succeed as a social media manager.
Your clients often don’t have the time or want to do this sort of work themselves… so being able to offer a photography package as an add-on service is a real selling point.
If you’re really not comfortable taking/editing pictures, I’d suggest teaming up with a photographer. As, it’s near impossible to build an Instagram following for a business without any product or action shots!
Copywriting
Copywriting is a fantastic way to build up a backlog of blog content to post on your customer’s social media profiles (without needing their input, time or expertise). It involves re-writing content already available on the internet, and adding your own flair!
It’s an acquired skill that can take a bit of time to master… but it’s also one that will add a ton of value to your business in the long term!
Creating & Running Ads
Learning how to run ads on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter will serve you well as a freelance social media manager. It’s not as straightforward as you might think- and can take a bit of tweaking/practice to get it right. We suggest running a few ads for your own small business before offering this sort of service to your customers!
Replying to Comments / Messages
Depending on how much time you have to dedicate to your business, replying to comments and messages on your customer’s social media accounts can be a good way to rack up a few extra billable hours.
If you decide to take on this task yourself, it’s important to familiarise yourself with your clients business… as many incoming messages are likely to be product specific.
It’s also incredibly important that comments and messages are responded to in a timely manner, so expect to be replying to customers at all hours of the day and night!
Setting Up Social Media Accounts
Believe it or not… not everybody knows how to set up a social media account. There are plenty of business owners willing to pay good money for help setting up their accounts! As we mentioned above, the big ones are likely to be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok.
You should also be prepared to also help your customers set up email addresses, as you might be surprised to learn just how many small businesses function without them!
It’s arguably the easiest money you’ll ever make!
Best Tools/Software To Use
Canva
I talk a lot about Canva on this site, and for good reason! It’s incredibly user-friendly and easy-to-navigate graphic design software/tool that you can access from anywhere. You can even download the mobile app and create images, posts, and graphics on the go!
If you plan on using Canva to start a freelance social media management company, I’d highly recommend upgrading to a pro subscription. Not only will you’ll get access to thousands of additional templates, stock images, and graphics; you’ll also get access to their content planner!
I primarily use it to schedule Instagram and Pinterest posts, but it can also be used to post images to Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Slack, and Tumblr!
When it comes to actually creating the social media posts themselves, I also tend to use Canva (over tools such as Photoshop or Gimp), as I find their interface to be much easier to navigate.
Having direct access to thousands of free stock images and graphics is such a game-changer – as is the ability to work off templates. Creating engaging content has never been easier!
Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay
Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay are my go-to websites for stock photos.
Your clients aren’t always going to have the clearest or most attractive pictures… so it’s important to know where to go when you’re looking for something a bit more impressive!
Taking images from elsewhere on the Web can get you into all sorts of legal trouble, so it’s best to stick to stock websites like these ones… just to be safe!
Adobe Photoshop / Gimp
While Canva is fantastic for creating graphics, it’s not a particularly good photo editor. For that, I like to use photoshop. However, if you’re strapped for cash Gimp is an absolutely fantastic alternative!
While it doesn’t have ALL the capabilities of photoshop, it has most of them. Plus, it’s 100% free! What more could you ask for?
Grammarly
Grammarly is a cloud-based chrome plugin that replaces your browser’s native spell checker. But in addition to spell-checking your work, it also offers grammar and tone suggestions, which can help improve your overall writing style.
While I mainly use Grammarly for proofreading blog articles or copywriting, it’s also proved to be helpful for spell-checking content on Canva, Facebook and emails!
How To Become A Social Media Manager
The 4 Step Overview
- Register Your Business/Register as a sole trader
- Set up a portfolio website
- Print business cards
- Start marketing your services
Do You Need A Degree To Work As A Freelancer?
No, absolutely not! In fact, a lot of social media managers don’t.
While you might want/need to get a further education if you ever want to work in a firm or pursue Social Media Management full time, it’s really not necessary as a freelancer.
Cost & Profit Breakdown
Start-Up Costs
To really succeed as a Social Media Manager, you’ll need to set up a portfolio site. I also recommend getting a few business cards printed to help market your small business.
Website hosting and domain fees will set you back about $7 a month (through someone like Bluehost), while 100 business cards will cost somewhere between $10 and $50.
Additional costs could include the price of a Canva Pro or Adobe Suite subscription, or the cost of hiring a professional photographer/web developer to help you build your website.
How Much To Charge As A Freelance Social Media Manager?
Personally, I recommend charging your clients by the hour/half hour. As, inevitably, the scope of your work will change over time; and you don’t want to be stuck doing work for free! Not only is it bad for business, but it’s also bad for your finances and mental health.
In the early days, while still building up my digital marketing/social media portfolio, I charged clients $30 an hour. Nowadays, I charge closer to $50-$60 depending on the scope of the work.
Some social media managers prefer to charge their clients per post or platform… however, this doesn’t leave you much room to upsell additional services such as photography or copywriting.
*Prices In AUD
How To Brand Yourself / Market Your Services
Creating a brand for yourself/your business is important in every industry, but especially so in the online realm. It’s an uber competitive space, so you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd!
Start out by creating a vision/brand board, and designing your logo. From there, you can start promoting yourself and your services:
Related Reading: How To Design A Logo In Canva
Social Media
As a social media manager, you’ll need to have an online presence… there’s unfortunately no way around it. Whether you want to create entirely new profiles under a company name, or re-brand your personal account is totally up to you (and how you want to market your business), but just be sure to remain active on all your own accounts… even after you’ve landed your first few clients.
If you have a decent following on your own socials, it can also be a good way to promote brands you’re working with! Give them a shoutout, and watch their followers grow!
Portfolio Website
A portfolio website is somewhere you get to humbly brag about your work. Think of it as an extension of (or replacement for) your resume!
Tell prospective clients about the value you’ve brought to other companies, and back it up with statistics. How many followers did they gain, how much did their profits increase by, how much post traffic did they see? These are the kinds of questions new customers are going to ask you, so it’s best to beat them to the punch!
Make sure your website is fun and visually appealing. Create a brand board for yourself, and make sure you design your website to match!
Business Cards
Unless you’re an SEO whiz, finding clients for online business organically can be difficult. So, you’re likely to find the majority of your customers (at least in the early days) through word of mouth.
This is why it’s SO important to get professional business cards printed. They cost next to nothing to print, but are going to be invaluable to your marketing strategy.
Any time somebody asks you what you do for a living- give them a business card. While it might feel unnatural to begin with, you never know when or where you’ll meet your next client!
Where To Find Clients
Networking
Networking is the number 1. way I land clients for my own online business. Make yourself known within a specific community, and really cater your services towards them.
Think about niching down/specialising to match your social circle. For instance, if you dad/partner owns a law firm, you might want to think about marketing to lawyers. Or perhaps you are an avid dancer with lots of friends in the same community- do any of them need help with their social media presence?
Letterbox Dropping
Dropping your business cards in letterboxes around the neighbourhood is a great way to find clients outside of your immediate social circle. It works even better if you’re willing to offer a special first time discount or free trial!
In addition to letterbox dropping, you might also want to considered hand delivering your business cards to local shops and stores. Or perhaps sending them an introductory email!
Fiverr
While I don’t reccomend using fiverr as a primary source of income (as it can quickly burn you out), it can be a fantastic way to build up your portfolio. Take small jobs designing instagram templates or setting up companies social media accounts. It’s a good way to get acquainted in the space and build up some experience, graphics and data to put on your portfolio website/resume!
Google Ads
Winning top ranking spots on Google for online businesses organically is NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. Unless you have hours and hours to spend creating backlinks to your site, you’re fighting a losing battle.
You will have far more success running Google ads than you will trying to rank organically. Just make sure to target your local area first and foremost with your keywords, as customers in your town/city should make up the majority of your client base!
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Become A Social Media Manager As A Teenager?
Yes absolutely! Social media management is the perfect side hustle for teenagers and college students, as it doesn’t require a huge time commitment. It’s an extremely profitable side-job that can you can work on weekends/after hours.
It’s also something that looks extremely favourable on college admissions and resumes!
About The Author
Madie W. is a 27 year old freelance Web Developer/Digital Marketer.
When she’s not writing articles here, working her day job or running her Home Building Website, she loves writing, cooking and crafting!
Want to get in touch? You can find her on Pinterest!
