Social media presents a tremendous opportunity for all kinds of ventures, and that includes freelancing. Freelancers can leverage the power of social networking sites to reach more clients, reaffirm their existing relationships with clients, get gigs, and provide excellent and timely customer service.
However, not all freelancers are using social media to its fullest potential. If social media is so important for freelancers, why hasn’t everyone already caught on?
Like other small business owners, freelancers must approach social networking as a fresh challenge, one that requires a tailored approach. This can be intimidating, in part because there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some business owners feel that they have to be represented on every platform, or post content all the time, even if they have nothing new to say. Some are unsure of how to engage clients or craft an effective presence. However, with a few pointers any freelancer can build an effective and genuine social media presence that doesn’t take up all their time.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the ways that social media can provide a boost to your freelancing business.
Social Media Can Make You Into A Customer-Service Pro
The key to customer service is providing timely, effective support to your clients in a way that is convenient for them. Your clients are increasingly comfortable with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, and other platforms. Are you meeting them on the platforms where they spend the most time? Are you receiving questions from clients on social media networks, where you can respond quickly and effectively? Remember, even the largest companies are now using social media as a first line of response for customer service issues.
Social Media Keeps Your Existing Clients Engaged
Social media is terrific for keeping your loyal clients engaged, and it’s especially good for turning occasional or one-time clients into repeat customers. That’s because a freelancer’s social media presence is so much more than an advertisement. At its best, your social media profile can serve as a place to provide valuable content to your clients, whether it is fascinating articles, great photos of your best work, or interesting peeks into your life. Through your profile, your clients stay engaged with you and your work. Read this post to see how social media affects all manner of freelancing professions, even celebrants.
Networking Has Never Been Easier (But You Still Have To Work At It)
Perhaps the most enticing reason that social media is crucial to freelancers is that it can bring in entirely new clients and forge valuable business connections. However, this can be challenging! Social media provides many of the tools for networking and places them right at our fingerprints. Regardless, networking still requires work, just like it always has. Social media, however, means that much of your networking can happen while you are behind your computer, and this adds convenience and flexibility.
Connecting with other businesses via social media, running advertisements, and developing shareable (even viral) content may all play a part in expanding your online social media footprint. In social media, valuable connections can happen anytime and in a variety of ways, and a wise businessperson is ready to take advantage of that fact. With all of the benefits to engaging on social media, today’s freelancers can’t afford not to get involved.
