According to a report by Sprout Social in 2023, there were an estimated 4.89 billion social media users globally and nine out of 10 consumers will buy from brands they follow on social media. Creating and sustaining an engaging social media presence is essential for businesses of all sizes, entrepreneurs and celebrities. Social media management side hustle opportunities involve being hired for a certain project with specific objectives. Responsibilities include creating content, increasing brand visibility, driving engagement with potential customers, growing brand loyalty and monitoring campaign performance. Becoming a social media manager can be a great side hustle and provides the opportunity to earn extra income.
What do freelance Social Media Managers do?
Freelance social media managers plan and deliver social media strategies for clients. Requirements include developing and implementing a content strategy to increase engagement across social media platforms, analysing the performance of social media campaigns, utilising data to optimise campaign performance and moderating comments on social media platforms. Social media managers are required to help brands establish their tone of voice and brand identity across the different social platforms. Your success will depend on your ability to be adaptable and innovative because the social media industry is constantly evolving.
Skills required for Social Media Management
Creativity
Social media platforms are saturated with businesses trying to stand out. You will need to be able to create unique ideas for social media strategies and design creative content to resonate with the target audience.
Copywriting
The objective of copywriting is to compel the reader to act. Writing persuasive copy that retains the attention of the reader is an essential skill for social media management. Expertly crafted, action-driven social media posts can motivate readers to take a particular action. Proofreading skills are also essential to ensure the content is grammatically correct and accurate.
Design skills
Visual content incorporating videos, images and photos is crucial to drive engagement on social media. Design skills are required to create platform specific social media content that resonates with the target audience and is aligned with brand guidelines. To create social media content, knowledge of design software tools including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Canva is beneficial for creating high-quality graphics for posts.
Video editing
Videos are dominating on social media platforms for a variety of reasons including their shareability, the higher engagement rates they can achieve and their ability to help brands reach new and extended audiences because social media algorithms prioritise video content. Video content provides the opportunity to tell a story and create an immersive experience for those watching.
Here are several key video marketing statistics that demonstrate the power of video content:
- Users retain 95% of a message when they watch videos, compared to only 10% when reading text
- 98% of consumers have watched videos to learn about a product or service, while 87% have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a video
- Video posts on social media platforms receive 48% more views than other posts, illustrating the impact of video content
Video content creation is therefore a fundamental element of social media marketing. Videos provide the opportunity to drive brand awareness, increase engagement, and sales. It is important to decide how you will offer video content. Are you interested in creating content? Or would you prefer to share content provided by the brand you are supporting? If you are creating content focus on creating short clips, optimised for the specific platform where you will be sharing the content. Include a call-to-action at the end of the video, add music and use high-quality visuals to drive engagement.
Social media scheduling
From creating and publishing content to analytics and reporting, as a social media manager you will have a variety of tasks to complete. Social media scheduling and management tools can help streamline workflows, save time, and ensure your content reaches the target audience.
Some of the best social media management tools:
- Intuitive and trusted by freelancers to achieve results, Buffer is an excellent social media management platform
- Schedule and publish content, monitor effectiveness and optimise the best performing content, Hootsuite is an effective option
- For social media scheduling, reporting and analytics, Sprout Social provides tools to enable you manage your workflows efficiently
Reporting and analysis
Monitoring and optimising campaigns, analysing data and creating regular performance reports are important skills to achieve success. You will be required to provide your clients with campaign reports showcasing audience growth, engagement rates and sales or conversions.
Starting your Social Media Management side hustle
Consider your niche
Determine the types of brands and businesses you want to work with and position yourself as an industry expert. Consider the services you will offer as a social media manager. Will you create content or only work with clients who provide it? Will you take responsibility for responding to complaints or enquiries? Deciding your services and identifying elements of the social media strategy you will expect a client to manage is essential to achieve success.
Decide which social media platforms you want to manage
Every social media platform has its merits and choosing the platforms you will manage is personal preference. If you are creative, you might want to consider Instagram or TikTok. Alternatively, if you prefer community engagement and conversation, Facebook might be best. Social media platforms require an individual approach with tailored, platform specific content, to resonate with the target audience.
Training and courses
Whilst you do not need formal qualifications to be a social media manager, you will need to understand how to develop a social media strategy. You will need customer service skills and the ability to interpret data and create client reports. Hubspot Academy offer a free Social Media Marketing Certification Course that covers how to develop an effective social media strategy including how to create engaging content and measure performance.
Create a portfolio website
Online portfolios provide you with the opportunity to attract clients and display your social media management skills and expertise. Showcase your work, include client testimonials and a contact form with an email address and ensure your portfolio is cohesive and easy to navigate. Include an about page to provide information about yourself, skills, and any awards and recognition received. There are various platforms available to choose from that provide portfolio templates including Wix, Squarespace and Canva. To promote your portfolio and attract clients, create a professional online presence on LinkedIn and advertise on freelance websites including Upwork and Fiverr.
Launch your Social Media Side Hustle
Did you know that 63.9% of the world’s population use social media and the average daily usage is 2 hours and 21minutes? In the UK, the social media user base is 79% of the total UK population. From increasing engagement to amplifying brand awareness and driving business outcomes, social media provide extensive brand and business opportunities.
To succeed, it is important to remember that social networks will continue to evolve to preserve their revenues. Remaining aware of these changes and being willing to adapt to the changing landscape will be pivotal to ensuring you stay ahead of the curve. However, if you have the skills and passion, social media management is an excellent side hustle to earn additional income.