How to Earn Money by Offering Social Media Services to Businesses
In addition to using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, companies who are fully engaged in social media also utilize blogging, podcasting, online video, social networking, message boards and wikis to get information out about their products or services. In 2009,Increported that more companies than ever before were familiar with many of these options and that most companies were engaged in some form of social media marketing.With the increase in popularity of social media marketing, companies are often interested in outsourcing the tasks that are involved. There are a number of reasons why outsourcing makes sense; social media marketing involves numerous aspects and not every company has employees who are skilled in addressing these needs.Freelancers and small business owners who have established themselves as social media experts have many unique opportunities to market themselves as providers of these services. Those who are willing to create individual plans for business owners, who can provide more than one specific service and those who are competitively priced can often find a strong market for their services. Landing social media specialist assignments can be challenging unless an entrepreneur is aware of some basic marketing hints.Establishing credentialsOne of the first things that will have to be done in order to sell a company expertise is to establish the credentials needed to be a social media specialist. These include having a strong social media presence including blogs, articles and a presence on social media sites. Not every person who is active on social media is an expert in all fields and they must ensure that they are not over-selling their skills.Social media specialists should make sure that they are actively promoting their services through popular social media sites, create a portfolio highlighting their marketing experience and whenever possible, obtain references from clients.Pricing to sellWhile companies may be in need of a social media marketing specialist, it is important to remember that in order to effectively sell this service, it must be priced to sell. Pricing must be competitive without compromising quality. One way to determine the right pricing for these services is to evaluate how other companies are pricing their social media marketing packages. Entrepreneurs who are interested in breaking into social media marketing full time will need to ensure that their pricing is competitive, not too low and will meet their basic needs. Time considerations, the cost of tools and any necessary outsourcing costs will need to be taken into consideration.Offering reasonable servicesOne of the dangers of offering social media services is over-promising results. Those who are interested in offering social media marketing services for a fee must be sensible in their approach. Make sure that customers have a realistic expectation of potential benefits, possible pitfalls and end results. It is often a good idea to under-promise and over-deliver. This approach can help build credibility as well.Social media customers need to understand that there are limitations as to what can be accomplished with social media marketing, in spite of the fact that many consumers report thatsocial media does influence buying decisions. Success does not happen overnight and too often, customers have unrealistic expectations. Social media specialists will be willing to discuss a complete approach to social media marketing with their clients and adjust those plans as the process unfolds.The social media marketing field will continue to grow as more consumers turn to the Internet to help them make their buying decisions. Entrepreneurs who have a solid understanding of various aspects of social media marketing can position themselves to make a difference for companies of all sizes. Those who understand the limitations of social media, have a basic knowledge of what an effective plan is and who are willing to communicate with customers and potential customers may find that they have the tools that are necessary to earn money by offering social media services to business owners.
