How to Start a Social Media Management Business

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Ready to turn that love of all things social media from “hobby” to business? This post is for you.

Social media is powerful, no doubt about it. And freelance social media mangers have a really unique opportunity - we get to work with a variety of clients, which keeps things fun, and we also get to help companies grow and add value to the digital space, which is super rewarding.

Because we don’t come with the overhead of an in-house employee - we are sought after as a major money saver for a company. Your clients will save thousands of dollars a year by opting for a freelance SMM as opposed to an in-house employee, and you are able to work with 4-5 clients a time - meaning you get to earn.

It’s the kind of set up we like - win/win.

Whether you eventually want to jump into a full-time social media role with a company, or you want to build out your own digital agency - becoming a freelance social media manager is the perfect start. The fact that it is very lucrative is also a plus.

So how do you start?

  1. Hone your skills - what services do you want to offer specifically? Which skills are you really good at, start with those. If there are some services you want to offer but you’re lacking the skill, invest in yourself. Go jump into that eCourse, read that book, sign up for that mentorship, it will pay off big time. Plus it’s a tax write off.

  2. Get serious- your potential clients are only going to take you as seriously as you take yourself. You need a business license, branding, website, and systems in place. This part can seem overwhelming and comes at a price- but we’re going to break it down.

    • License: Getting your business license on LegalZoom takes about an hour and is less than $500.

    • Branding: Investing in a branding package is so worth it, but you can also check out Creative Market for really affordable logos that are already done. They won’t be custom, but you can always invest in a re-brand down the road.

    • Website: You can set up a simple SquareSpace website in a few days. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated or fancy, just a place to send potential clients to learn about you and what you offer. Just because you can’t invest in your dream website yet, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one!

    • Systems: How do you onboard a client? How do you send them content? How do you manage clients? (if you’re unsure how to do this, we go through all of our systems in our Social Media Manager 101 eCourse (enrolling starting Aug. 1).

  3. Fill your client roster- Advertise your services.

It can be overwhelming, I’ve been there. But how do you eat an elephant? One bite at time ;-).

You have value to add here. We need your experience, your insight, your ability to see things only the way you can. So if you love the idea of being a social media manager, what’s stopping you? And if you’re wanting the insight and the know-how, we walk you through exactly how to be a happy, well-paid, sought after social media manager in our masterclass so go snag your seat!

Brooke Apffel