Freelance Writers: How to Earn $60,000 a Year Offering Social Media Marketing to Businesses

If you're a freelance online writer, offering social media marketing to your existing clients is an ideal way to make more money - pretty easily.

Opportunities in Freelance Writing: Why Social Media is a Perfect Fit for Online Writers and Related Fields

In order to understand why offering this service to your client base is so lucrative, let's take a look at some statistics in this niche as of this writing (April 2011). The reason this is important is because it's what clients you will be targeting know. In short, they know that this form of online marketing can make them a lot of money. Hence, they're willing to pay the right social media specialist (you!) a lot.

Social Media Statistics of the 3 Biggest Players: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Facebook. Facebook is not even a decade old (it was launched in February 2004). Yet, it has over has 500 million users worldwide (some stats cite 600 million), and half of its active users log on every day.

Twitter. Like most sites in this genre, Twitter is a baby compared to older advertising outlets (e.g., TV). It's only five years old as of this writing. The first tweet was sent out on March 21, 2006.

LinkedIn. This site is the oldest of the three largest sites like this. At the time of this writing, LinkedIn had more than 100 million users, with some one million new members joining every week.

How to Get Social Media Business: Start Landing Lucrative Consulting Jobs Almost Immediately

If you freelance as a writer (blogger, web designer, internet marketer, etc.) and probably already know how to interact on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Hence, it can be pretty easy to parlay this knowledge into a lot of money. For example, did you know that the average rate many freelancers charge to manage social accounts for clients is $200-$300 per HOUR? Proof?

A report published by the website ReadWriteWeb way back in 2008 showcased an interview with the top bloggers and consultants on this niche... NONE of them were making less than $150 per hour for consulting and the average rate was around $ 300.00 per hour. Some commanded fees of $2,000- $4,000 for 20-40 hours worth of work. [Article Title: How Much Do Top Tier Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Get Paid? We Asked Them!]

Bringing in the Social Media Business: What It Takes to Earn $60,000 Per Year as a Consultant

Ok, now that you know why social media business is there for the taking, let's crunch some numbers and show you how easy it is to bring in $60,000/year as a consultant in this niche. If you break it down, it looks something like this:

$60,000/12 Months= $5,000 Monthly

$5,000/4 weeks=$1250

$1250/5 days=$250

250/8hrs= $31.25

So, when you break it down, you think your hourly rate would be $31.25, right?

Getting Social Media Business the Easy Way

An easier way to do it is to double or triple your fees and work with less people. Then, you can still bring in the same daily income, but with less work.

Can you really double or triple your fees? Yes, absolutely! The demand is there like never before. One freelance writer who kind of fell into this form of internet marketing reports being so busy because she "only" charges $125 an hour that she's raising her rates.

Why Getting Social Media Business Is So Easy Right Now - Capitalize

Many freelancers are already on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook - for their own businesses. Why not leverage this knowledge to earn thousands more per month? Who knows, you may even what to phase out your primary freelance business (e.g., writing, web design, internet marketing) to focus exclusively on this form of internet marketing.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black heads New Media Words, an SEO writing company that offers social media marketing to clients. Did you know that social media specialists earn on average $200-$300 per hour? You can learn how to start commanding these fees in just a few short weeks. Many freelancers report getting busy so quick offering these types of services that they raised their rates just to keep low-balling clients at bay. This can be you too!

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Why Social Media is Important For Small Businesses!

Business is changing and the internet and social media offer opportunities only dreamed of years ago. Businesses are backing off aggressive advertising campaigns in favor of directly connecting with their customers and the general public. Small businesses really benefit from social advertising, which expose you to a worldwide audience at very little cost.

It's important to become involved in social media both for exposure and to interact with your customers. Twitter and Facebook have many businesses, big and small, that use that media to provide customer service, product education and to forge a more personal link with their clients.

When you interact with people on social media sites you can get immediate feedback on your products, the way you do business and even your employees. Since social media is fast becoming a daily part of our lives, maintaining an online presence can be a very cost effective way to put your business out there where people can see it.

The secret to a successful social media presence is to put your product aside and interact with people. They already know you own a business and they can familiarize themselves with your product through your website. What your website can't do is put a human face and personality forward. In this impersonal world, people are more apt to do business with someone they know than a stranger. When you interact with the public through Facebook, Twitter or other sites you become human and accessible.

Social media also allows you to speak directly to your customers. Many large companies are now parking their customer service departments on Facebook and Twitter for good reason; people are increasingly impatient with long waits and time consuming attempts to get hold of someone to help them. Being available on social media lets them contact someone immediately-instant gratification!

Social media will also allow you to answer questions about your product, educate people on how to use it or keep them advised of new uses and developments in the field. Some very successful entrepreneurs use social media sites to talk less about their product and concentrate on helping the people know the company and its people. For instance, you can twitter about a cause you care about and link to a relevant website. The people who support that cause will give you their business because they feel a kinship with you.

You'll also be able to find out what people think of your business and your product or service. People will often post a message on the internet when they would not call on the telephone or write a letter or email. Knowing how the public views your business will clue you in on what you're doing right, things you should change and what you should do more of.

Twitter can be used to advertise your brand to a world-wide audience. Not only that but your twitter username will appear in search engines and gain you even more exposure. Sites like Yelp let you create a local listing for your business so people can find you. Local social networks like this are great for business. And businesses in North Georgia and Western North Carolina are no different. Businesses in these areas from Murphy, NC to Cartersville, GA, Blairsville, GA, Gainesville, GA, and everywhere in-between should be taking advantage of these social media outlets. There are companies that can help you with your social media in North Georgia and Western North Carolina. Find one you like and have them help you with your social media campaign.

North Georgia Small Business Blog was founded by Scott Rich, President of SirWebby Development and Optimization with the purpose to help inform and educate small business owners about the importance of a well developed website presence and social media marketing strategy.

Scott, having owned a small business of his own, began his quest to help small business owners with the transition from traditional marketing outlets to internet marketing. In today's economy it has become apparent that traditional media no longer holds the same value to the consumer as the emerging internet possibilities.

As Scott saw this transition within his own business he found it difficult to find someone knowledgeable in social media marketing. What started as a need progressed into a hobby, then a passion, then a business opportunity, leading to the decision to put his business up for sale and start SirWebby Development and Optimization.

Scott writes for the North Georgia Small Business Blog and welcomes any small business owner who would like too submit a story or post one of their own. Please visit http://northgeorgiasmallbusiness.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Businesses - Stay Away From Social Media If You Meet the Following Criteria

At least two or three times a week I am asked the question, "Do we really need to develop a social media strategy?  Can we really benefit from participating?" 

70-80% of the time my answer is yes, as almost any business can benefit long-term from participating in social media the RIGHT way.  It occurred to me today, however, that I rarely document the occasions when I advise businesses to steer clear of this form of marketing. 

After looking through some meeting notes, here are some common reasons for a business to stay away from social marketing:

1.  Your company and/or management team does not believe in social media.

This is always a tough one to handle.  On the one hand, if everyone followed this rule then this form of marketing would be dead already, as most proponents start out as non-believers.  On the other hand, if you are supposed to be the champion of the program and you don't even believe in the benefits of social media, you'll never sell it internally and if you do, you'll never execute with passion and consistency.

2.  You're not willing to build even a simple strategy for social media, or you're not willing to figure out how social media fits into broader marketing and organizational goals.

If you've been reading this blog long enough, I telegraphed this one for you.  Tactics without strategy will eventually fail.  Say it again.  Tactics without strategy will eventually fail. 

3.  Your business bases everything on strict cost-benefit analysis, and defined ROI is expected quickly.

Much of what you can expect to execute in this realm is going to be experimental initially.  Very few organizations have found a concrete way to tie social media investment directly to revenue increases or cost savings. 

If your CFO or Controller or even your VP of Marketing is going to treat an investment in social marketing like an investment in direct mail or pay-per-click search engine marketing, it's probably not going to work out for you.

4.  You or those you report to are going to base social media success on the number of followers, friends or connections you accumulate.

Pet peeve alert! 

Unless you are representing a universal or nearly universal consumer product, stop counting followers, friends and connections.  Do the smart thing.  Identify a segment of the audience that you want to reach, and make the focus of your social marketing program reaching as many members of that segment as possible.  Rinse and repeat with the next segment.

If the focal point of your strategy is to accumulate as many friends, followers or connections as possible, you'll fail in social media eventually.  Or you'll become very annoying to your audience, and they'll start tuning you out...which I suppose is the same thing as failing.

5.  Your company's executive leadership and/or thought leaders aren't part of the social media effort.

Certain types of social media are not inherently meant for corporate representation.  They were built for individual representation, with the obvious benefit of creating a platform from which you can share business interests and news.

Many companies abuse social media properties, and part of this abuse lies in the lack of participation from the real personalities that reflect the brand.  See Will's recent post on Zappos excellence in marketing and customer service, and in particular the involvement of their CEO in all social media efforts, for an example of the way this should be done.

There are some Twitter business users with massive followings that remind me of Paris Hilton.  Never accomplished much, famous for being famous, annoying as hell to listen to...and then the clincher comes when I hear that they have interns or assistants representing them on Twitter.  That's crap.  Plain and simple.  Ghostwriting is one thing, ghosttwittering is quite another.

6.  You can't write well and can't find someone that can write well.

Again, if you're a frequent reader of the Marketing Trenches, you know that we believe writing impacts the quality of everything.  This applies to social marketing as well.  Write poorly, and you give people reason to tune you out.  Write well, and you at least have a chance to reach and engage your audience.

7.  You don't have proprietary content, don't want to author proprietary content, and aren't willing to recommend or share others' content.

Like most marketing efforts, in social media content is king.  You're going to need web pages, blog posts, press releases, case studies, research reports...you get the point.  To really take advantage of social marketing, you need to either produce that content internally or be willing to share content from outside sources that you deem valuable.

8.  Your business doesn't have a tolerance for open, back-and-forth, sometimes unfiltered conversation.

Social media has a way of enhancing some strengths, and more importantly exposing some weaknesses.  Since social marketing does tend to represent a more open platform than the rest of your marketing programs, do a reality check first.  If your business can't handle the idea of some dirty laundry or even just some moderately dirty laundry being exposed, stay away.

9.  Your business is trying social media because it is viewed as a low-cost, low-effort marketing program.

First of all, if you're doing social marketing right it's not low effort.  It can be low cost as compared to the media dollars laid out for a search campaign or fees paid for a public relations effort, but that's only because companies tend to put cheaper junior staffers on the social media beat. 

There's nothing wrong with experimenting or "testing" social marketing.  If low cost or low effort is what finally moves you to try it out, it's probably not the right move to begin with.

10.  You're going to hand your social media program to an intern because you think social media is the domain of the young.

Will does a great job of explaining why this is a mistake in a recent post on Marketing Misconceptions.  While an intern may understand the ins and outs of each property better than you do, guess what?  They don't understand the business implications of your social media strategy better than you do, and if they do...maybe you shouldn't be sitting in the seat you're sitting in.

Mike Sweeney is Managing Partner of Right Source Marketing (http://www.rightsourcemarketing.com). You can view more articles like this one on the Marketing Trenches blog (http://www.marketingtrenches.com).

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.