How to Become a Freelance
Social Media Manager
Title: How to Become a Freelance Social Media
Manager
Author:
Published by:
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the author, except for the
inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Copyright © 2015 by (Kim Matheson):
First Edition, 2014
Published in (Australia)
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Disclaimer
This book is designed to provide information on social media only.
This information is provided and sold with the knowledge that the
publisher and author do not offer any legal or other professional
advice. In the case of a need for any such expertise consult with the
appropriate professional. This book does not contain all information
available on the subject. This book has not been created to be
specific to any individual’s or organizations’ situation or needs. Every
effort has been made to make this book as accurate as possible.
However, there may be typographical and or content errors.
Therefore, this book should serve only as a general guide and not as
the ultimate source of subject information. This book contains
information that might be dated and is intended only to educate and
entertain. The author and publisher shall have no liability or
responsibility to any person or entity regarding any loss or damage
incurred, or alleged to have incurred, directly or indirectly, by the
information contained in this book. You hereby agree to be bound by
this disclaimer or you may return this book within the guarantee time
period for a full refund.
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Introduction
Being a freelance social media manager
enables you to earn what you are worth and
negotiate for the most you can get and has
terrific benefits besides earning you a desirable
income:
 You can work from home or anywhere you
can connect to the Internet. Your clients
can be local or from anywhere on the
planet.
 You can work your own schedule that
bests suits your lifestyle. You can be your
own boss.
 You can experience a great sense of
satisfaction when you launch successful
campaigns that make your clients ecstatic.
You can work alone and still be part of a
very large community and make friends
from everywhere.
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 You can become respected and
recognized for your work and write a book
or even teach others.
 There is a great opportunity now to be a
Social Media Manager. Most every
business needs social media and you will
be in demand.
 You can learn as you go and all online.
 The barrier of entry is low with very little
start up cost.
When you can help businesses increase traffic,
customers, and profit through social media, the
sky’s the limit for you.
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................... 5
1. What does a Social Media Manager Do? .. 10
Developing Strategy .................................... 11
Content Creation ......................................... 11
Community Management ............................ 11
6
Audience Building ........................................ 12
Customer Service ........................................ 12
Record Results ............................................ 12
Reporting ..................................................... 12
2. Becoming a Social Media Manager ........... 14
The Demand ................................................ 14
Social Web Demographics .......................... 14
Facebook ..................................................... 15
Google+ ....................................................... 16
Twitter .......................................................... 16
Tips for getting Business as a Social Media
Manager: ..................................................... 18
Top 5 Tips for Social Media Managers ........ 19
3. The Basic Skills Needed to Become a Social
Media Manager .............................................. 21
Fundamental Skills: ..................................... 21
Marketing Knowledge................................ 21
Experience ................................................ 22
Sociable .................................................... 22
7
Project Management ................................. 22
Technological ............................................ 22
Interpersonal Skills: ..................................... 23
Communication ......................................... 23
Responsiveness ........................................ 23
Motivated................................................... 23
Diverse Tasking ........................................ 23
Organization .............................................. 24
Strategic Development .............................. 24
4. The Wider Skill Set Beneficial to You as a
Social Media Manager ................................... 24
Copywriting ............................................... 24
Graphic Design ......................................... 25
Advertising ................................................ 25
Public Relations ........................................ 25
Math and Reporting................................... 25
SEO........................................................... 26
Video ......................................................... 26
8
5. Be Prepared for These 21 Client Questions
....................................................................... 27
6. Social Media Manager Resources ............. 43
9
1. What does a Social Media
Manager Do?
Social media marketing (SMM) includes
creating original high quality and relevant
content that inspires readers to share the
information on social networks.
A social media manager markets a brand,
product, service, individual or business through
social media such as Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and more. This takes creativity and
the ability to follow methodologies. The skills
needed also include being detailed orientated,
strong communication ability, persistence, and
organizational. The knowledge needed
includes, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
methods, familiarity with social media
platforms, and outsourcing techniques.
Some of the diverse and specific activities and
responsibilities of a social media include:
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Developing Strategy
You will need to determine the client goal and
outline a campaign with specific platform
strategies to achieve those objectives. Create
as exact of a plan as possible that incorporates
a time line, the exact activities, and how all
results will be measured.
Content Creation
Content is included in social media market as
content is the foundation of most media.
Whether you create content or outsource the
work you will need to mange this aspect for
your clients.
Community Management
Managing communities so that you represent
brands in social to continually reinforce social
relationships is vital to obtaining long-lasting
followers.
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Audience Building
Learning how to increase followers and readers
by influencing communities will make your
clients successful and ultimately your business.
Customer Service
You might be the first contact customers have
with your client and will need to know how to
represent their brand, manage customer
perceptions, and the client policies.
Record Results
Measure everything you do. Use client Google
Analytics to record data.
Reporting
When your work has been recorded and
measured, you will need to explain the results
to your clients in terms they understand. You
might need to produce visual graphics to make
your point. How you report results will
determine your value to your clients.
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2. Becoming a Social Media
Manager
The Demand
Most every business type needs social media.
Social Web Demographics
1
Social media is a blur of tweets, shares and
content. No longer is it just used by the young
and the restless. It is global and embedded in
every corner of the web.
So some questions. Which age groups are
using social media, what countries are big
Facebook users and what percentage are using
mobile to access social media?
This is the who and the where of social media
users.
1
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/01/17/20-social-media-facts-and-statisticsyou-should-know-in-2014/
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 72% of all internet users are now active on
social media
 18-29 year olds have an 89% usage
 The 30-49 bracket sits at 72%
 60 percent of 50 to 60 year olds are active
on social media
 In the 65 plus bracket, 43% are using
social media
 Time spent on Facebook per hour spent
online by country. Here are the top three.
USA citizens get the top gong at 16%
followed by the Aussies at 14 minutes and
the Brits at 13 minutes.
 71% of users access social media from a
mobile device.
Facebook
 There are now over 1.15 billion Facebook
users
 One million web pages are accessed
using the “Login with Facebook” feature
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 23 percent of Facebook users login at
least 5 times per day
 47% of Americans say Facebook is their
#1 influencer of purchases
 70% of marketers used Facebook to gain
new customers
Google+
 There are now over 1 billion with Google+
enabled accounts
 It has reached 359 million monthly active
users
 Google+ is growing at 33% per annum.
 The 45 to 54 year old bracket increased
its usage on Google+ by 56% since 2012
Twitter
Twitter has to be taken seriously.
 There are now over 550 million registered
users
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 34% of marketers use Twitter to
successfully generate leads
 Twitter was the fastest growing network
with a 44% growth from 2012-2013
 215 million monthly active users
Other social media channels include Pinterest,
Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tumblr, Vine,
Slideshare and more.
Pinterest has 20 million active monthly users
and Instagram 150 million active monthly users.
71% of consumers receiving a quick brand
response on social media say they would likely
recommend that brand to others
93% of marketers use social media for
business
In terms of difficulty of execution, nearly half
(49%) of B2B marketers put social media
marketing at the top, followed by content
marketing (39%), SEO (26%) and mobile (25%)
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77% of B2B marketers use a blog as part of
their content marketing mix
On average, 25% of marketing budgets are
now spent on content development, delivery
and promotion
78% of small businesses attract new customers
through social sites
Yet only 12% of businesses using social
marketing believe they are able to execute
effectively.
Tips for getting Business as a Social
Media Manager:
 Join freelance sites such as elance
 Actively manage your own social media
profiles and blogs.
 Build networking lists
 Continually created my own content on my
own sites
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 Be proactive and ask people if the need
help with their social media
 Guest blog and write featured articles
 Ask clients for referrals
Top 5 Tips for Social Media Managers
Here are five tips from marketing expert TJ
Corruthers for all aspiring social media
managers:
Tip #1: Knowledge is a MUST!
It's not enough that you know or use Facebook
and Twitter. You must be able to identify which
social networking websites are most useful to
your company and what they offer. A social
media manager must also know which features
of each social network can be used. Features
include Facebook Chat, Twitter hash tags, and
many more.
Tip #2: Be Sociable!
You have to start conversations and join in and
contribute to the conversations of the
community. You should also know where your
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target audience or else, you'll miss out on what
they're talking about. Social network is also a
great outlet to promote and provide customer
service. This is a great way of developing
relationships and building on your company's
reputation.
Tip #3: Develop Your Writing Skills!
Majority of your work will be online. This means
you'll have to write articles, write short
messages, write blog posts, and write updates.
Social networks love content, so the more often
and the more original your content is, the
better. Great writing skills will present your
company in a more professional manner, but at
the same time become a lot more
approachable to your audience.
Tip #4: Be informed and aware!
Companies who only post about themselves in
their social network are less successful
compared to those who provide added value by
providing their audience with relevant
information. Stay up to date on news in your
industry by scouring the web for interesting
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content which is related to your company and
useful to your audience.
Tip #5: Be Passionate!
Lastly, it is important that you love what you do
because it will reflect on the quality of your
content and work. Passionate social media
managers are more active and open minded
when it comes to interacting with their
audience. Even though its only online, your
audience can still feel just how dedicated you
are in your work based on your content. To be
a successful Social Media Manager, you have
to be customer-centric and enthusiastic.
3. The Basic Skills Needed to
Become a Social Media
Manager
Fundamental Skills:
Marketing Knowledge
Basic marketing principles are a must. Pick up
a good book online or take an online course so
that you understand the principles of marketing.
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Experience
Start by creating accounts and managing your
own social media profiles for a while.
Sociable
Be sociable, or in other words, communicate in
communities and be outgoing. Develop a
likeable and professional online personality.
Project Management
Project management skills are essential. Tools
such as a calendar, or calendar app, task
prioritizing aid, mind mapping software, and a
service such as Highrise can be very beneficial.
Technological
Computer literacy and familiarity with social
technology are a must. In addition you need to
stay up to date with the latest social trends and
advances.
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Interpersonal Skills:
Communication
Your business is communication in the social
media industry. You need to know how to
articulate with clients and client audiences.
Responsiveness
Because of the fast pace of social media you
must respond to most things immediately.
Failure to address a client’s customer service
issue could cost you a client and hurt your
business.
Motivated
You must be a self-starter to be a freelancer of
any kind.
Diverse Tasking
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You will need to multitask and wear a variety of
hats as a social media manager.
Organization
Organization will make or break your business.
Use every tool you can find to help you. (See
the Resource section at the end of this book.)
Strategic Development
You need to be able to visualize the start,
operation and end result of campaigns. While
paying attention to the details will be the lion’s
share of your work, being able to see the big
picture is critical for planning and strategizing.
4. The Wider Skill Set Beneficial
to You as a Social Media
Manager
Copywriting
Writing is the foundation of many tasks of
online marketing. Practice your writing if you
are not already a great writer. You will at the
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very least need to be able to communicate in
writing and this will be helpful for creating
quotes, reports, ads, blogs, sales copy and
press releases.
Graphic Design
Expertise with Photoshop or another program
can help you here. This is a great way to earn
additional income from your services as graphic
design is often a major role in social media
management.
Advertising
You need to know advertising from Pay-PerClick (PPC) to banner advertising.
Public Relations
Read up on public relations and branding.
Math and Reporting
Everything in marketing is measured and you
should be well versed with the tools to
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measure, what you are measuring, and how to
evaluate the results.
SEO
A social media manager needs an
understanding of how SEO works.
Video
While you can outsource many tasks, the more
you can do yourself the better, or at least know
how to do. Video creation and editing is one of
these skills.
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5. Be Prepared for These 21
Client Questions
Social media marketing guru, Stuart J
Davidson, gives you a Social Manager’s behind
the scenes look with the following 21 questions
businesses should be asking you before hiring
your services and what you need to know:
1. How do you define success?
The amount of followers isn't the only sign of
success in social marketing. As a social media
manager you should be able to define success
on a strategic and tactical level, in order to
support your larger marketing goals. If a social
media manager has a limited view of success,
or is unable to explain performance
measurement beyond the volume of audiences,
they won't be able to provide higher level
strategic solutions.
2. What sort of results can we expect?
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A good social media manager will manage your
expectations and let you know what results you
could achieve. Remember that social media
managers are not psychics. They should act on
your behalf using the best practices of the
industry, but there is a lot that is out of their
control. They should be able to give you a
rough idea of what they bring to the table based
on their previous results and experiences. If a
social media manager cannot communicate this
effectively to you, then they probably don't have
the level of experience you need.
3. How is ROI defined in social marketing?
Contrary to popular thinking, ROI can always
be measured in social marketing. But it can be
perceptual. What are your goals? Were they
achieved? If so, then you had a positive ROI.
Did your campaigns help your business in any
way or have any positive effects? If they did,
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then you were successful. Social marketing
ROI is not always tied to tangible business
benefits. Ask the social media manager which
factors can be measured and how they will be
reported to demonstrate the value they bring to
your business.
4. What social platforms do you specialise
in? Why would these particular platforms be
right for our business?
Different social networks have different
audiences and practices. Not every network is
right for every business or industry. For
example, how could a pharmaceutical company
possibly engage in drug marketing on Twitter?
The reality is that most businesses can take
advantage of the networks out there in some
way, but if there are limitations, you want your
social media manager to be aware of them.
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5. Should we be on every social platform?
A social media manager who has done their
research on your business should know your
target audience. How this is answered is the
key because it provides you with an instant
understanding of their perceptions of your
business. If a social media manager extends
your business visibility to many networks, then
your marketing efforts may spread too thin and
mean some of the campaigns might suffer.
They should pick where your target audience is
already situated and focus on maximizing
performance on those platforms.
6. Would Google+ be worth using for our
business?
This should highlight the extent of your
potential social media managers Google+
knowledge. Google indexes Google+ content
faster than content posted anywhere else. It's a
platform that has grown rapidly since its launch
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in 2011 and is now one of the main social
platforms. A social media manager should
know this and should understand whether your
target audience is present there, thus viable for
your business, and how Google+ can be
leveraged to fulfill your wider marketing
objectives.
7. Could you give us an example of a
limitation on a social platform that you have
experienced? How did you overcome this?
A social media manager should know that
social networks come with limitations; API calls,
bandwidth limitations, character limits etc... If a
social manager has never run into limitations
and hasn't experienced how to overcome them,
then this likely means that they are not very
experienced. In fact, they will probably be
completely new to the social landscape. Asking
how they overcome any hurdles with their past
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or current clients will give you a good indication
of how they respond to adversity.
8. Can we run a "Like and Share to Win"
style contest on our Facebook page?
If a social media manager does not know the
answer to this, then move on. Its imperative
you find someone who knows the rules and
guidelines of each and every social platform
and who will not have your business in violation
of any Terms of Service. As a heads up, on
Facebook you have to use a third-party app to
host the contest and cannot use the 'Share'
button, 'Like' button or require a comment in
order to be entered to win.
9. Have you ever had to handle a social
marketing crisis? If so, could you provide
an example?
Asking a social media manager to define what
that 'crisis' means to them can highlight their
level of experience. If their biggest crisis
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consists of miss-typing a URL on a Pinterest
pin and not noticing until their client asks why
there's so many messages about broken links,
then chances are they are vastly
inexperienced. It's also insightful to ask what
steps they took to resolve the crisis and how
the situation was handled.
10. Could you show us some of the clients
or projects you are currently working with?
Any reputable social media manager will show
you their client accounts. And be proud to do
so. Some profiles will probably be doing better
than others depending on each campaigns
goals and strategies. If they dodge the question
or cannot show you anything, then it should
rightfully lead you to think they are hiding
something. Social media managers who take
pride in doing quality work should want to show
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you their portfolio. Imagine turning up to a sales
pitch without a product sample. Clients would
never even think about placing an order unless
they can see what they are buying.
11. How would you allocate our social
marketing advertising budget?
A social media manager should be able to
describe a plan for how best to allocate your
advertising budget and how they would know if
it's successful. Specific metrics and KPIs
should be given, analysed and reported. The
choice of advertising platform will also allow
you to gauge their perception of where they
think your business should be promoted, in
what format and to what audiences.
12. What will our responsibilities be as a
client?
A social media manager doesn't operate in a
vacuum. They will need to be in the loop with
your other marketing activities. You'll also need
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to provide any necessary resources and wider
marketing information or materials. A social
media manager should have clear guidelines
for their role, and yours as a client. This should
typically be communicated to you prior to
establishing a working relationship.
13. What are our competitors doing in social
marketing?
Any social media manager who values your
work opportunity will do initial research before
sitting down with you. If they doesn't know what
your competitors are doing, it should raise
alarm bells. A social media manager should be
able to give you insight into the way your
competitors are using the major social networks
like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube
right from the offset. This can always be
researched fully later, but will give you an idea
into their proactiveness and organisation.
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14. How do you evaluate new social
platforms? How do you stay on top of the
latest updates and innovations in Social
Marketing?
The social landscape is always changing. Even
the most experienced social media managers
need to refine their skills, update their
strategies and practice new techniques. A
social media manager should have experience
with building engagement and showing results
across multiple platforms and with several
different tools. There are some platforms
considered to be the juggernauts right now, but
remember the days of AOL, MySpace and
eBay? Would you hire a social media manager
who pitched engaging your I.T customers on
MySpace? I doubt it. The point is that the social
landscape is dynamic and a social media
manager should be constantly evaluating new
platforms and making recommendations to you
on whether they are suitable for you to explore.
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15. Do you offer community management in
your Social Marketing services?
Social engagement doesn't end when you
publish your Facebook page. In fact, creating
profiles is often the 'easiest' part of the process.
The execution of the community management
strategies that follows is the more difficult (and
more expensive) element. It is important to
know how your social media manager
approaches community management and what
strategies and tactics they will use to interact
with your audiences. If you don't know this,
then you will have no clue on how they will
manage your brand online. You should have
guidance and offer feedback into how your
business is positioned and wants to be
perceived online.
16. Do you have your own blog? Do you
currently write content for various Social
platforms?
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Social media managers should practice what
they preach. You can ask to see their blog in
action and see if they are posting regularly.
Being a social media manager is about so
much more than updating Facebook and
Twitter. Content should be balanced, otherwise
your social streams will either be giant
advertisements or lists of interesting articles
that they came across. A good social media
manager will be able to write effectively,
allowing you to have a constant stream of
interesting and engaging articles. They will also
be SEO savvy and content will be optimised to
have the right keywords in the right place,
ultimately linking back to your business. You
can ask to see what articles they have already
written so you can determine whether or not
their style of writing would fit your business.
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17. What blogs or social sites do you
regularly read?
Social marketing is always evolving and
effectively marketing on social platforms can be
a bit like trying to hit a moving target. Google+,
for example, had become a commonly used
tool for 40% of marketers within only a year of
launch. That is a huge gain in such a small
space of time. This is just how social marketing
works. New blogs and social sites come and go
within the blink of an eye. A good social media
manager should stay on top of these changes,
which means a lot of reading. They should be
able to list multiple reputable social sites and
explain why it is they follow them.
18. What is your understanding of
Edgerank?
Social media managers that know their trade
will be able to explain about Edgerank to you.
39
Edgerank is basically what runs Facebook
posts. Without knowledge of this, they will have
little insights into how to properly optimise
Facebook campaigns. Edgerank determines
who sees what, when they see it and how often
it's seen. It also provides a good picture into
their technical knowledge and understanding of
social marketing.
19. What do you think is the most important
thing a Social Media Manager should be
doing?
A solid answer you should look for would be
something along the lines of 'monitoring' and/or
'listening' to your audiences within your social
domains. It's quite an ambiguous question, but
the answers will provide insight into their
general thinking about managing your social
campaigns. The key word many fail to
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incorporate is social. If answers are not
somewhat geared towards a social dynamic,
then they have missed the point completely.
20. Could you tell us a story?
These types of answers are commonly used in
interview processes to see how someone
reacts to a random question. In this instance,
it's actually a well-thought out question for two
reasons. Firstly, if a social media manager has
the ability to tell a compelling story that will give
you a huge advantage in all levels of your
social marketing activities. Secondly, it puts
them under pressure and you are able to gauge
how they handle something unexpected.
21. Why should we hire you?
I honestly don't like this question but I think it is
fair to ask a social media manager this directly
before hiring in order to see how they can sell
themselves. This could have strong
implications if your campaigns are tuned
41
towards sales and lead generation. A social
media manager should demonstrate how
valuable they can be to you and what makes
them different or valuable in your situation.
There are definitely more questions you might
be asked. Be prepared with answers that fit
your experience, skills, and target industry.
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6. Social Media Manager
Resources
Social Media Sizing Sheet
LunaMetrics helps you size photos for different
outlets. See the social media sizing sheet for
Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube,
LinkedIn and Pinterest.
Social Media Publishing Template [EXCEL]
Hubspot has created an brilliant template for
Social Media Publishing Schedule for Twitter,
Facebook and Google+. for your social media
editorial calendar.
Community Management Playbook
Yammer has released a Community
Management Playbook which can be very
helpful to evaluate a community.
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Facebook Community Guidelines
To set the tonality and how your community
members would behave in your Facebook
community, it's essential to establish the House
Rules or the Facebook Community Guidelines.
Social Media Tactical Plan
Marketo has provided a simple
downloadable Social Media Tactical.
Free Press Release Submission Sites
Avangate has put together a list of 50 websites
that you can submit your press releases for
free.
HootSuite
If you’re looking to manage multiple networks
and profiles, HootSuite allows you to add up to
5 social profiles, schedule messages, and
offers free quick reports on social media
success. From Twitter and Facebook to
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WordPress and LinkedIn, you can easily
manage all your social networks.
PeopleBrowsr
PeopleBrowsr is a social media measure of
personal influence and social media
communities connected by interests.
You can identify influential people and track
conversations in real time.
Postling
With Postling you can monitor what people are
saying about your client’s business and can be
managed from your iPhone.
CoTweet
CoTweet can monitor customer responses,
track engagement, and analyze results across
most social communities.
TweetDeck
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TweetDeck is a free tool for managing social
media profiles. Connect across Twitter,
Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Myspace,
Foursquare and Buzz. Update all with the same
status, or individually.
Spredfast
The Spredfast management system helps with
organization to analytics and reporting.
Engage121
Engage121 uses social media to innovate,
advance customer relations, facilitate
conversations, and get more Facebook fans.
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