Social Media and Your Freelance Career

Social media is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s not just for â€Å"the kids† anymore. According to Pew Research Center, 69% of adults are on the social media platforms. From Twitter and LinkedIn to Instagram and Facebook, social media is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to communicate. If your freelance business isn’t taking advantage of social media, you’re losing money. Whether you’re promoting your services or networking with colleagues in your field (or other industries), your business has a lot to gain by opening a social media account. Ready to get started? Here are a few tips you can use to make the social media platforms work for your business. 1. Keep it clean Just as you would in a traditional workplace, you should always strive to keep your social media profile clean. Steer clear of religion, politics, racism and other potentially inflammatory subjects. Posting hateful posts or engaging in cyber bullying is a great way to lose business. 2. Keep it separate You should never combine your personal and your business social media accounts. Your clients don’t care about your broken water heater (unless it puts you out of commission for a week). Conversely, your friends probably don’t care about your business methods. Keep them separate to avoid unnecessary drama. 3. Keep it social! Social media is, in a word, social! You don’t have to talk just about your business on your business account. For instance, it’s perfectly fine for a personal injury attorney to talk about last night’s Sox game. Stay focused on your business, but throw a bit of personality in there, too. 4. Be responsive Because social media is becoming a preferred means of communication, many customers and clients are now taking to the platforms to reach out to you. Unfortunately, they’ll also take to the platforms to air their complaints. Be sure to always respond promptly, professionally and publicly. Others will see this and your reputation will benefit. 5. Know when to take it offline Sometimes, a client or a customer will incite drama online. If you’ve taken the necessary steps to address the issue online, it’s time to reach out off the web. Publicly ask that the customer send you his contact information, then follow up with a direct message. Then, take it offline. No one wants to read that and arguing with clients online only serves to make you look bad. 6. Don’t try to do it all If you’re just beginning on social media, begin with one platform, two at most. For example, choose LinkedIn to publish your blog post and communicate with others. You may also choose to use Instagram to share your portfolio. Sticking to just one or two platforms allows you to properly monitor your accounts, and also prevents you from spending too much time on social media when you should be working! 7. Have fun! Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other platforms are extremely valuable resources. Social media can help your business grow, and the platforms are also a great way to network and make new friends in the business. Keep it light, professional and â€Å"relatively relevant,† but most of all, have fun!