Ultimate Guide to Being a Social Media Freelancer in 2021 (+Advice from Freelancing Pros)
Freelance work really came of age in 2020 for two obvious reasons.
- Many people lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and needed a way to make money. Naturally, people took their talents to the freelance market and began building their client lists.
- With the acceleration of remote work, people have more time on their hands, which allows them to focus on side projects and freelance work outside of their main professions.
More people are expected to dip their toes into freelance work in 2021. In fact, 68% of remote workers said they would explore freelancing amid the pandemic. The same study from Fiverr also found that more companies are now open to do business with freelancers than before the pandemic.
It’s a ripe time to begin your social media freelance career, but how do you get started? For those with little-to-no freelancing experience under their belts, this article is for you.
Bonus: I personally surveyed some freelancing pros for this article and asked for their best tips for freelancing newcomers. You’ll find them quoted below.
Getting started as a freelancer
To kickstart your career, you’ll likely need prior experience before seeking out clients. For this reason, I highly recommend updating your resume, but more importantly, your portfolio. Clients will request work samples prior to signing with you.
They’ll want to see your work in action: which social media accounts you managed, which campaigns you executed, and believe it or not which campaign management tools you used. If they learn of a new tool you used to save time and money for one of your past clients and they see how it might impact their bottom line you might have a leg up over other freelancers they’re considering hiring. Your portfolio will give them this opportunity.
How do you get started with a portfolio? Freelancing professional Rebecca Reynoso says “Get active online. Your LinkedIn and Twitter aren’t enough. Your resume isn’t enough. You need a website to promote yourself and your services and to showcase your accomplishments.”
Some free and freemium website builders to help you get started include Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and Webflow. These builders have easy-to-use templates and drag-and-drop capabilities, making them great options for beginners.
Where to look for freelancing opportunities
With a website built and your portfolio on display, it’s time to look for work. Freelancing professional Devan Ciccarelli says platforms like ProBlogger and We Work Remotely are good ways to get your foot in the door. Upwork, Toptal, and SimplyHired are other options that can help you get up-and-running quickly.
An example of a freelance social media manager’s profile on UpWork
With a little work under your belt, you can begin expanding your options for finding new opportunities. For example, Reynoso says Google is where she found her first opportunity, but after sharing her work on LinkedIn, people began messaging her and other opportunities arose.
Freelancing professional and co-founder of …read more
Source:: Social Media Explorer
