Organizations generally aren’t very good at social media.
Few understand the medium well enough to actually make it a productive part of their marketing plan. While many will just tack the duties on to some other marketing position, there is room if you take the time to learn the platforms, understand basic marketing, and practice making your case for why people should hire you to handle their social media accounts.
Read this post first, because there’s opportunity in using social media to connect with consumers and other businesses (which usually pays MUCH better.)
Example Freelancer Sites
TBD
Primary Contacts (who you should be marketing to)
Marketing Managers (also VPs, Chief Marketing Officers, Directors of Marketing)
Content Marketing Managers
CEO’s (smaller companies)
Where to Find Work
Upwork: This site can be dicey (so be selective), but it gets points for quantity.
Indeed: This site is a bit better than Upwork, but the same caveats apply (also, ask questions and work with a contract.)
Sites You Should Have a Profile On
Eventually, you’ll like need to broaden your search and start taking your own clients. Start here for help with that.
Skill Development Resources
Social Media Today: Good for keeping up with news and resources
Social Media Advertising: I’ve never tried any of these, but this is a topic you’ll need to learn and keep up with as a social media manager.
Getting Started: This post could be helpful.
Free Online Courses: Again, can’t vouch for any of these, but you might find a good place to start here.
Content Marketing Magazine: Social media is an arm of content marketing, so understanding the bigger picture is useful.
Copyblogger: Geared toward content marketing, but they do discuss social media.
Kapost: A LOT of resources for getting into, and growing into B2B content marketing (a very profitable niche.)
Kissmetrics: Social is heavily about numbers and this site will help you build that kind of focus.
Helpful Info
Seth Godin: Your job is all about finding and connecting with communities, and that’s Godin’s thing. Check out his TED Talk on the topic here and the (very short) book here.
You’ll need to learn multiple platforms, but especially LinkedIn if you’re interested in B2B. You should also get familiar with schedulers and other tools, as well as paid advertising options on multiple platforms.
