Four Ways Freelancers Can Profit from the Growth in Social Media
By Nick Usborne

As I said in yesterday’s blog, there is a ton of opportunity out there for experts in the field of social media.

But what exactly can you do with social media expertise? How can you profit from that new knowledge? What kind of work would you actually do?

There are tons of ways … but here are four of them, just to get you started.

1. Write engaging, on-strategy content for social media sites.

The truth is, most companies just don’t know how to write for their social media sites. Sure, they know they should be active on social media. And yes, they created accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other sites. But then they grind to a halt, because they don’t know how to write tweets, updates, and posts that will actually engage their followers, friends, and readers.

This is a big deal. There are literally millions of companies out there, large and small, who need someone who can take over their accounts and write material that will help them grow their audiences and get some dollars flowing.

2. Write social content for websites.

A few years ago, writing web content was all about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Every company wanted their content optimized for Google so they could attract a ton of free, organic search traffic.

Well, Google has tightened the rules on the kind of content they are going to allow on page one of the search results. A lot. But over the same period, marketers have come to understand they can attract just as much traffic through social media.

So now there is a huge and largely unsatisfied demand for web writers who can optimize content for social media. That means writing content that is more likely to engage readers, more likely to be shared, more likely to attract comments, and so on.

This is a huge and largely untapped market right now. The future belongs to smart, trained social content writers.

3. Become a social media strategist and manager.

Many companies need more than just writers. They want to hand over the whole package and have an outside expert or consultant not only write social media content, but also create and manage their entire social media strategy.

This is a high-paying gig, involving strategic planning alongside their marketing people. You can show them how to integrate social media into their broader marketing and promotional plans. Honestly, most companies don’t have a clue how to do this. They seriously need outside help.

4. Use your social media expertise to grow your own business.

As a Social Media Expert, you not only get to use your expertise to help paying clients, but can also use those same skills to grow your own freelance business.

As you have probably seen, some freelancers are already using social media to establish their expertise and authority, get in front of a large audience of prospects, and convert some of those companies into clients.

With the right knowledge and skillset, you can do the same.

That’s just four of the ways you can make money with social media. And there are more, because this is a fast-growing, wide open market.

In fact, I look out at this social media market, and I see what I saw when I first focused exclusively on online writing over 15 years ago: A chance to help companies who were doing it wrong. And a vast opportunity to make money.

History is repeating itself today. Companies are doing it wrong and they just need some help from someone like you. Someone to show them how to engage and connect.

When I think of their needs and the countless opportunities, I want you to go out there and grab the business just waiting for you.