As a freelancer or as a business owner, it is advisable to use different methods for finding clients or employees. One method for this is social media. Therefore, in this article, we are going to show you how to do it and how important social media is worldwide.

Social media has become an inevitable part of our lives. According to the statistics of Statista, in 2017, daily social media usage of global internet users amounted to 135 minutes per day, up from 126 daily minutes in the previous year. So overall people spend over two hours per day of their lives on social media. Knowing its huge impact on users makes more and more professionals joining these platforms.

As it is a time-consuming process and there are many social media platforms, it is hard to know what social media platform you should use as a freelancer and a business owner. So, which social media platform should you choose?

Our team have researched the most suitable social media platforms:

1) Youtube with 74%
2) Facebook with 73%
3) Instagram with 35%
4) Pinterest with 27%
5) Google+ with 22%
6) LinkedIn with 22%
7) Twitter with 21%

Although Youtube and Facebook seem to be used the most, Facebook and LinkedIn are the social media platforms which most freelancers and their clients utilise (for B2B) according to Payoneer’s report. That is why we suggest you to be active on Facebook and LinkedIn professionally.

If you do not know how to use social media for your marketing tasks, here are some suggestions for you.

Suggestions for freelancers

1) Groups: There are specific groups created for specific types of people on social media platforms. One of them is the groups which are created only for freelancers. In these groups, there are not only freelancers but also clients who are looking for contractors. Try to become a member of these groups which will increase the chances of finding a client.

2) Create content: You have to use your social media page effectively and professionally. Sometimes being part of groups is always enough to find clients. Therefore, you have to show your experience by creating contents and sharing them on your page as a freelancer. Here are some tips as you should be careful when creating your content. Your content should answer the questions below:

a) What kind of content will you share?
b) How often will you share content?
c) What will be your target segment for each piece of content?
d) How will you share content?

3) Invest in advertisements: Although many people see advertising on social media as redundant, it is the easiest way to reach your target group. You can increase your number of clients by directing them to a page where they can get information about your services or you can wait for the right freelancer to apply for your job advertisement.

4) Review your clients’ and competitors’ accounts: One of the reasons you are on social media is that both your clients and your competitors are actively using these platforms. Therefore, it is paramount that you consider both your clients’ and your competitors’ business accounts when creating your social media marketing plan. It is a crucial indicator to know what kind of shares your competitors receive and what kind of posts your clients prefer. This way, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors while offering products and services to meet your clients’ expectations.

Suggestions for business owners

1) Set your social media goals and objectives: Try to follow the SMART framework while setting your goals and objectives for social media. Be specific, measurable, assignable, relevant and time-based.

2) Try to learn from your competitors: What do your competitors do? Try to learn from what others have done successfully thus far. Try to evaluate your competitors strengths and weaknesses relative to your own. A competitor analysis can give you insights about what is working and what is not working for similar businesses.

3) Decide which platforms are right for you: You can use the data above to decide about the right platform for your business but remember, these statistics are just an overview. It’s important to understand how to reach your specific audience. In order to reach your specific audience, you have to know your audience better than anyone.

4) Know your audience: Identify your audience by asking questions like:

a) Which age groups do you reach?
b) What are their common values?
c) What is their common pain point?
d) What are the solutions?
e) Which type of content works best?

You can increase or decrease the number of questions you would like to answer. The point here is to reach your target group by asking specific questions about them.

5) Create a calendar: Plan your social media activities monthly for solid results. Create strategies in order to get better results with less time and effort.