What do you do if you're a social media manager in your late career and want to freelance or consult?

1 Assess your skills and goals

Before you jump into freelancing or consulting, you need to have a clear idea of what you can offer, what you want to achieve, and what you need to learn or improve. Start by reviewing your social media skills and experience, and identify your strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and interests. Then, set some realistic and measurable goals for your freelancing or consulting career, such as how much income you want to earn, how many clients you want to work with, and what kind of projects you want to take on. Finally, create a plan to update or acquire any skills or tools you need to succeed, such as new platforms, software, or certifications.

2 Build your brand and portfolio

To attract and retain clients, you need to establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy social media expert. This means building your own brand and portfolio that showcase your value proposition, personality, and results. Start by creating a professional website, blog, and social media profiles that highlight your skills, services, testimonials, and case studies. Then, use content marketing, networking, and referrals to promote your brand and portfolio to your target audience and generate leads. You can also leverage platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, or Fiverr to find and bid on projects that match your skills and goals.

3 Set your rates and terms

One of the biggest challenges of freelancing or consulting is figuring out how much to charge and how to negotiate with clients. Your rates and terms should reflect your skills, experience, value, and market demand, as well as cover your expenses and taxes. You can research the average rates for social media freelancers or consultants in your niche, location, and level, and use them as a benchmark. You can also choose between different pricing models, such as hourly, project-based, or retainer. Additionally, you should have a clear and detailed contract that outlines your scope of work, deliverables, deadlines, payment terms, and expectations.

4 Manage your time and projects

As a social media freelancer or consultant, you need to be able to manage your time and projects efficiently and effectively. This means setting and sticking to a schedule, prioritizing and delegating tasks, tracking and reporting your progress, and communicating with your clients regularly. You also need to balance your workload and avoid taking on too many or too few projects. You can use tools like Google Calendar, Trello, or Asana to plan, organize, and monitor your work. You can also outsource or collaborate with other freelancers or consultants if you need extra help or expertise.

5 Keep learning and growing

The social media landscape is constantly changing and evolving, so you need to keep learning and growing to stay relevant and competitive. This means staying updated on the latest trends, tools, and best practices in your niche and industry, and applying them to your work. You also need to seek feedback, measure your performance, and identify areas for improvement. Moreover, you need to invest in your professional development, such as taking online courses, attending webinars, reading books, or joining communities of other social media freelancers or consultants.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?