Alexis Grant is a journalist and social media strategist. She tweets as @alexisgrant and recently launched an e-guide, How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business.
Inside the social media bubble, it seems like everyone knows how to use Twitter, Facebook and Google+. But the truth is, while most businesses and organizations realize they would benefit from having an online community, many don't know how to grow one or lack the time to do it.
If you're awesome with online tools, this is a huge opportunity. Whether you already have a job and want to earn some cash on the side, or need a stop-gap income while you look for the right position, this demand for social media help can work in your favor — if you're bold enough to step up to the plate.
Here are a few tips for how to start making money using your social media skills.
Put a Value on Your Skills
Don't be one of those clueless "gurus" who have given social media consultants a bad rap. But don't underestimate yourself either. This is often a bigger problem for people who have ideas and skills that deserve a price tag. If you know how to use social media strategically, work it. Chances are somebody out there wants to tap into your knowledge.
Work for Free (But Only Once)
To prove you're awesome at growing online communities — both to yourself and to potential clients — find a cash-strapped small business or non-profit organization and offer to do it for them for free. Not only is this a great way to build your resume, self confidence and knowledge, you'll also grow your network, and hopefully come out on the other side with a client who's willing to recommend you.
The best part? No one will know you did it for free.
Land Your First Paying Client
Use your experience working for free to solicit paid work. This is most difficult at the beginning, but once you have one client, you'll be able to land others more easily. Hopefully, each client will tell her friends, who will tell their friends. If you do a great job for your clients, they will market your business for you.
So how do you sign that first client? It usually happens through your existing friends and contacts. That's how it happened for me, and that's what my readers tell me works for them. Tap your networks via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and your blog. If you're just starting your career, check out your parents' networks, too. Those can be gold mines for this type of work. Tell everyone what you're available to do. You never know where the first few leads may come from.
Don't feel bashful about asking your friends and network to help you spread the word, especially in the beginning. They'll likely be more than happy to do it. After all, your friends want to see you succeed.
Determine Your Services
Define your offerings beyond saying you "do social media work." Do you teach people how to use Twitter and Facebook? Or create blog strategies for companies to implement? Maybe you even grow online communities for your clients. That practice is sometimes shunned, but there's often a case for outsourcing social media, especially when the client doesn't have the know-how or the time to do it herself.
Then consider what types of clients you want to work for. Individuals? Businesses? Organizations? Can you narrow those groups down by topic? The more specific you can be, the better your chances of connecting with the right people.
When a new acquaintance asks what you do, be prepared to explain in layman's terms, using examples. "Social media" can sound vague and even daunting to newbies, and your target client may not be social-media savvy. Explain your services succinctly, and word will spread quickly about your offerings.
Decide What to Charge
Prices for social media consulting run the gamut, from free to several hundred dollars an hour. No matter what you decide to charge, some people will think you're too expensive, and others will think you're a steal. The challenge is finding the sweet spot for your skills and experience.
The beauty in figuring out what to charge, especially when you're just getting started, is that it can vary from client to client. Think one client can afford to pay more? Offer a higher per hour or project quote. If you're worried a potential client will lose interest once you reveal your prices, offer several tiers of service with different price tags attached.
Figure it out as you go. Whenever we leap into something new, we have hesitations. But you will learn by doing, so long as you have the guts to get started.
SEE ALSO: Creative Social Media Resumes, by Brian Hernandez
1. Put Your Best (QR) Face Forward
At first glance, Victor Petit's resume looks similar to any other text-based CV. But flip the document over and you'll find a full-page image of his face as well as a QR code where his mouth would be.
Once a recruiter scans the QR code and places his or her phone on top of it, a video pops up revealing Petit's mouth, ultimately completing the full-page image and allowing the recruiter to hear Petit's voice.
QR codes are easy to make and can help you get noticed, especially if you ditch the standard black-and-white QR code and opt to add some pizazz to your design.
2. Sell Yourself ... Literally
Shopify, an ecommerce platform, says the best resume it has ever received is this one from Mike Freeman, who wanted to work at Shopify's marketing department.
"He built an online store using Shopify where you can read about his background, experience, etc. and the ecommerce part is you can 'buy' an interview with him for '$0.00,' " said Mark Hayes, Shopify's manager of marketing and media. "We get an infinite amount of resumes here. Yes, he got the job."
3. Leverage Facebook Pages
Henry O'Loughlin took to Facebook to showcase his "Social Resume," including a video in which he describes how to navigate his resume on Facebook.
"I work with mostly small businesses doing social media, so I am demonstrating through this resume all of the tools out there that can be utilized without an ad budget."
Using Facebook's Page feature, O'Loughlin was able to showcase his skills as well as show potential clients what he can offer them.
4. Video Killed the Resume Star?
Video resumes can be a clever complement to your existing job-search materials (i.e. print resume, cover letter and website).
Graeme Anthony ditched his print resume altogether and created a fun, interactive video where viewers can click on words (see 0:34) linked to an "about me" section, portfolio, skill page, timeline and contact information.
If you decide to make a video, be sure not to just rehash what's on your print resume. Have fun with it and show your personality. Anthony sure did.
5. Gather Online Networks in One Place
Alisha Miranda used Flavors.me as an online hub for all of her social media networks. Her profile, which essentially acts as an abridged online resume, caught the eye of her eventual employer.
"Before approaching Alisha, I monitored her social Flavors.me profile for about three weeks and saw what she was doing on Tumblr, Twitter, etc. to evaluate her marketing effectiveness and if her style matched what I wanted," said Tracy Brisson, CEO of The Opportunities Project. "Once I saw that she had all the goods, only then did I contact her to talk. As a career coach and recruiter, I can't emphasize the importance of creating something clients and employers want, which is results and evidence."
You can employ sites like Flavors.me or About.me to showcase all of the social media websites you use. Your existing website or blog are also good spots to place your social media icons.
6. Add Personality to Your Print Resume
HAMSTER? Hired! It's hard to take your eyes away from Katie Briggs's visually pleasing resume, which pimps her "fancy hamster," Belafonte.
"I wanted the first thing that people notice about my resume to be that it's a little fun, but still pretty much all-business," Briggs said. "In any creative field, at least, I think it's important to make your resume a testament to your work ethic. It shouldn't look forced but it should give the impression that the work you put into constructing your resume is an indicator of the kind of dedication and hard work you'll bring to the job."
Takeaways: Make sure your resume shows your personality and represents who you really are. Also, don't bore job recruiters.
"I can say that I haven't been turned down for anything I've applied for with this resume," Briggs added.
7. Think Outside the Box ... or On It
In 2D form, Omondi Abudho's resume goes beyond the standard text-driven resume. It even adds extra "creative juice" with a nutrition label-inspired skills column.
However, the resume can be folded into an actual three-dimensional box. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Think Outside the Box."
Using a resume design or structure that strays away from the typical printer paper size is a surefire way to get noticed.
8. Pitch Electronically
Beyond Credentials believes that "finding talent based solely on a resume is fundamentally flawed." Its service allows users to build "personalized pitch pages."
For example, Nadia Kouri's pitch page lists everything she would have on a print resume as well as her story, an enlarged quote, accomplishments, personality, a Q&A and writing samples. The page also includes icons linking to her LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles.
9. Highlight Recommendations
While Jenn Pedde was revamping her full, multi-page resume, she used this one-page resume "teaser" on her blog. The resume puts major emphasis on the recommendations people left on her LinkedIn profile.
"The one page got so many compliments and it was so right to the point and social," Pedde said.
It's an effective way to translate your online presence to an offline print form.
Pedde's recommendation-focused resume led to her current job at 2tor where she works as community manager for the Master of Social Work program at USC.
10. Let Them Read Your Back
Even as a social media person, you'll have to interact with the offline world.
For those instances — if you are job hunting — you may want to make a resume T-shirt, which would have your resume on the back and something silly or informative on the front. The T-shirt pictured is from Blackbird Tees.
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