Complete guide on how to become a Social Media Consultant

Everyone in this World must have fantasized at least one time about being his boss. To become a social media consultant, away from the daily work of the office, resorting to some beach, working fewer hours, and making double the money. Sorry to break it to you, but the life of a social media consultant is not too easy.

However, it is not too complicated either. If you want to become a social media consultant, and you don’t know where to start from, then this complete guide is going to be more than enough for you.

What does a Social Media Consultant do?  

There are about 3 Billion people or about 50% of the population which are using social media around the globe. [Ref]

With this number of individuals, this is the best time to become a social media manager. Generally, services provided by a social media consultant are:

• Helping website or start-ups to outreach their website.
• Increasing the flow of traffic on the website.
• Managing social media accounts.
• Creating content for the website.
• Marketing company’s products.

Advantages of becoming a Social Media Consultant

Becoming a social media consultant is not that easy, but when you do become, there are many benefits that you can enjoy. First of all, you are not compelled to spend the 7-8 hours of your day in a not-so-comfortable office, sitting on the same chair every day, but you as a social media manager can work from your home or any part of the World without any liability.

Moreover, with your own business, you can grow and learn more. You can also carve out a better future for you.

Disadvantages of becoming a Social Media Manager

The life of an entrepreneur is not so full of sparkle as people tend to think. A social media manager still has to answer his client and submit the work before the deadline. The biggest disadvantage is that in a self-own business, there is no one to motivate and encourage you. Self-motivation is the key.

How much a social media consultant makes?

It solely depends on your experience in that field. To put it in a nutshell,

• A beginner-level social media consultant can make up to $15-$50 per hour.
• An intermediate level can make up to $50-$100 per hour.
• An experienced one can earn up to $120+ per hour.

“The more you invest your time, the more you earn.”

If you have come this far, then let’s get started with our complete guide on how to be a social media consultant.

1- Become a Social Media Consultant by Researching

The first and foremost thing to do is research. My motto is “research, research, and research.” With a little bit of research, you can know how to get ahead of your competitor.

When working for your client, you ought to research his database, website, and followers, so that you can know where the hindrance lies. You also need to research the services which a social media manager offers.

2- The Art of Communication

To effectively preach an idea or a strategy, a social media consultant must have the art of communication. He should know when to speak and where to speak.

A social media manager has to communicate with his clients on different platforms ranging from Tumblr to Sprout. He/she has to communicate with his team. Therefore, a social media consultant must be good in communication.

3- Build your Portfolio

If you want to stand out from the rest of the social media consultants, then the most important thing you need to do is build a portfolio. No one wants to hire such a person who can’t showcase his skills.

Self-promotion is the key. If a social media consultant doesn’t have a portfolio to show, then it is useless. Writing on Medium is more effective than writing nothing.

4- Start with a few clients

At the start, try to pitch as fewer clients as you can. Don’t burden yourself with a lot of clients. In this way, you can get a better idea if you want to pursue being a social media consultant or not. I think it’s a safe bet, isn’t it?

If you are unable to find your first clients, then don’t worry and try engaging and finding some clients on meetup.com, twitter, built In, etc.

5- Creating Social media accounts

As a social media manager, you should know that the first impression matters a lot. You can make a fine impression on the client by creating some professional-looking accounts and pages.

For this, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest are the best bet. Try making some loyal followers and a catchy bio of yourself.

6- Become a Social Media Consultant by Dominating a Niche

Do you prefer to be a Jack of all trades, master of none? Or, do you want to specialize in a specific niche? It depends on your taste. Some prefer to offer services regarding all social media platforms. Others prefer to dominate a niche.

I think that you should try to learn the basics of all networks and then try to specialize in a specific field. If you can build a reputation on a platform, then you can even demand higher rates.

7- Learn by reading Blogs and Books

The most efficient way to learn something is by reading and writing. If we talk about reading, we have too much material on our hands. If you want to be a good social media manager, then you should start with learning about “social media marketing.”

After understanding the concept of social media management, the next thing you should do is to buy some books like Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, and The Art of Social Media. If you want to excel as a social media consultant, then “Contagious” is a must-read book for you.

8- Become a Social Media Consultant by Using Tools

Here are some tools which a social media consultant must have:

• Hootsuite monitors your client’s fans and followers.
• For scheduling updates, you should use Buffer.
• Agora pulse provides you with Facebook, Instagram. Twitter analytics
• Tailwind lets you create videos and images on Instagram, Pinterest.
• For running a Facebook advertisement, you should use Ad espresso.

9- Setting up Workshops

If you want to increase your chances of hiring, then you start speaking on workshops. Through this, you can train people from different sections about social media management. Moreover, you can even make money from speaking at workshops.

 So, I hope this will help you a bit or two.