FabJob Guide to Become a Social Media Consultant · and participating in marketing campaigns for individuals, businesses, nonprofitorganizations and anyone else who wants to have

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Get paid to help companies with social media!

FabJob Guide to

Become a Social Media Consultant

Visit www.FabJob.com

Laura Schopferand Sarah Matzke

FabJob Guide to Become a Social Media Consultant

Copyright © 2018 FabJob Inc. • www.fabjob.com • 2

ContentsHow to Use This Guide .........................................................................3

About the Authors ...........................................................................8Acknowledgements .........................................................................9

1. Introduction to Social Media.............................................................101.1 What A Social Media Consultant Does .....................................111.2 Social Media Case Studies ...........................................................12

1.2.1 Social Media Success Stories .............................................121.2.2 Social Media Disasters .......................................................13

1.3 The Social Media Industry ..........................................................151.4 BenefitsofBeingaSocialMediaConsultant ............................161.5 Inside This Guide .........................................................................17

2. How to Be a Social Media Consultant .............................................192.1 Your Role as a Social Media Consultant ....................................19

2.1.1 Your Responsibilities ..........................................................192.1.2 Who Your Clients Are ........................................................202.1.3 OverviewofPopularSocialMediaPlatforms ...............222.1.4 MeetingPotentialClients ..................................................28

2.2 SocialMediaConsultationProcedure .......................................292.2.1 Initial Consultation: Social Media Audit .......................292.2.2 SecondConsultation:SocialMediaStrategyPlan .........33

2.3 Post-Consultation:ExecutingtheStrategyPlan ......................352.3.1 Use a Content Calendar ....................................................352.3.2 StandardsandPractices .....................................................392.3.3 Using Local Social Media and Review Sites ...................412.3.4 False and Compensated Reviews .....................................432.3.5 Monitoring the Internet .....................................................462.3.6 Responding to Customer Reviews or Online Criticism ..47

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2.3.7 Constructive Criticism .......................................................482.3.8 Five Steps to Manage a Social Media Crisis ....................49

2.4 Targeting and Reaching Audiences ...........................................502.4.1 Content Creation Strategies ..............................................502.4.2 ElementsofaSocialMediaCampaign ............................512.4.3 Social Media Management Tools ......................................542.4.4 Blogging and Social Media ................................................562.4.4 PaidSocialMediaMarketing ............................................602.4.5 InfluencerMarketing .........................................................612.4.6 Video Content ....................................................................64

2.5 Measuring Results ........................................................................642.5.1 Social Media and Digital ROI ...........................................652.5.2 Monitoring Social Media ...................................................662.5.3 Analyzing Metrics ..............................................................67

3. GettingReady .......................................................................................693.1 Skills and Knowledge You Will Need .......................................69

3.1.1 Social Media Skills ..............................................................703.1.2 Interpersonal Skills .............................................................723.1.3 Business Skills .....................................................................75

3.2 Hands-OnExperiencewithSocialMedia .................................763.2.1 Volunteer to Manage Social Media ..................................763.2.2 Internships ...........................................................................793.2.3 Part-TimeJobs .....................................................................83

3.3 LearnFromOtherSocialMediaExperts ...................................843.3.1 InformationInterviews ......................................................843.3.2 Mentoring ............................................................................873.3.3 Associations .........................................................................89

3.4 EducationalPrograms ................................................................913.4.1 DegreePrograms ................................................................91




3.4.2 CertificatePrograms ...........................................................933.5 ResourcesforSelf-Study ..............................................................94

4. GettingAJobInSocialMedia ..........................................................974.1 How to Find Job Openings .........................................................99

4.1.1 AdvertisedPositions ..........................................................994.1.2 UnadvertisedPositions ....................................................1034.1.3 Create a New Job ..............................................................104

4.2 Job-HuntingMaterials ...............................................................1084.2.1 Your Resume .....................................................................1084.2.2 CoverLetters .....................................................................1134.2.3 Other Materials .................................................................116

4.3 Job Interviews .............................................................................1184.3.1 HowtoPrepareforanInterview ...................................1184.3.2 Interview Questions .........................................................1224.3.3 Following Up.....................................................................127

4.4 TheJobOffer ...............................................................................1284.4.1 Salary ..................................................................................1294.4.2 Deciding Whether to Take the Job ..................................131

5. StartingYourOwnSocialMediaBusiness ...................................1325.1 GettingStarted ............................................................................134

5.1.1 CreatingaBusinessPlan .................................................1345.1.2 Choosing a Business Legal Structure .............................1425.1.3 Choosing a Business Name ............................................1485.1.4 Choosing Your Location ..................................................150

5.2 FinancialMatters ........................................................................1535.2.1 Start-upandOperatingExpenses ..................................1535.2.2 Start-upFinancing ...........................................................1595.2.3 Taxes ...................................................................................1635.2.4 Insurance ............................................................................165




5.2.5 SettingYourFees ..............................................................1685.2.6 GettingPaid .......................................................................1755.2.7 KeepingTrackofYourFinances .....................................182

5.3 WorkingwithSupportStaff ......................................................1865.3.1 EmployeesversusContractors .......................................1865.3.2 BeforeYouHire .................................................................1885.3.3 FindingSupportStaff .......................................................1905.3.4 TheInterviewProcess ......................................................1915.3.5 References ..........................................................................193

6. BuildingAClientBase .....................................................................1946.1 Choose Your Target Market ......................................................1956.2 Marketing Tools ..........................................................................197

6.2.1 PrintedMaterials ..............................................................1976.2.2 YourPortfolio ....................................................................2036.2.3 Your Website ......................................................................2066.2.4 Social Media .....................................................................212

6.3 Marketing Techniques ...............................................................2156.3.1 Advertising ........................................................................2156.3.2 FreeMediaPublicity ........................................................2196.3.3 Networking .......................................................................2246.3.4 YourElevatorPitch ...........................................................2266.3.5 PromotionalEvents ..........................................................230

6.4 Selling Your Services ..................................................................2326.4.1 Responding to Inquiries ..................................................2336.4.2 Contacting Corporate Clients .........................................2366.4.3 MeetingwithaProspectiveClient .................................2416.4.4 PreparingaProposal ........................................................245

6.5 Client Contracts ..........................................................................250

7. Conclusion .........................................................................................255




1. Introduction to Social MediaTheconceptofacommunityistimelessforhumanity,butthetoolsweuseforcommunicationhavechangedwithadvancesintechnology.Socialmediaanditsmanyplatformshavebecomethelateststaplesinonlinecommunication,allowingbusinessesandindividualstoestablish and nurture virtual communities across the globe. As a social mediaconsultant,yourprimarytoolsofthetradearesocialmediaplatforms.Asocialmediaplatform,suchasFacebookorTwitter,isessentiallyatoolusedtobuildanonlinecommunitythroughuser-generated conversation and content.

AsaSocialMediaConsultant,itisimportantforyoutoremainupdatedonthelatestsocialmediaplatformsandthestandardsandpracticesassociatedwiththem.Socialmedia,likefashiontrends,arealwayschanging.MySpace,forexample,wasthehighest-rankedsocialmediaplatformin2006.In2008,theadventofFacebookstirredthemigrationof tensofmillionsofusers fromMySpace to thenewestvirtualhangout.Facebook’scommunityhasonlycontinuedtogrow,andithasconsistentlyrankedasoneofthetopfiveleadingsocialmediaplatformssinceitsinception.Bybeingopentofollowingthetrendsand




acceptingchangeintheonlinecommunity,youcanbecomevaluabletoyourclientsasasourceofknowledgeinthemarketingindustry.

In this chapter you will read more about what a social media consultant doesaswellasseveralcasestudiesofsocialmediasuccessstoriesandsocialmediadisasters.Intheremainingchaptersofthisguide,youwilllearnyourroleasasocialmediaconsultant,howtoperformsocialmedia consulting and how to get a job in social media or begin your new social media business as an entrepeneur.

1.1 WhatASocialMediaConsultantDoesA social media consultant provides advice and assistance in planning andparticipatinginmarketingcampaignsforindividuals,businesses,nonprofitorganizationsandanyoneelsewhowantstohaveanonlinepresenceandutilizesocialmediaasatoolforcommunicatingwithothersor selling products and services.

Expertsinsocialmediacandirectpeopleawayfromfalsesourcesofinformation,connectingthemwithbusinesses,professionalsandnonprofitsthroughbuildingeffectivesocialmediacampaignsfortheseentities.Socialmediaconsultantsspendthemajorityoftheirtimeperformingsocialmediaauditsandbuildingsocialmediacampaigns,whichconsistofestablishingaplanusingaclient’smostappropriatesocial media accounts to spread awareness on the internet and gain customers or clients through customer conversion.

Beyondplanningandperforming socialmedia campaignsandexecutingsocialmediaaudits,yourdutieswillconsistofseveralothertasks as a social media consultant:

•Judgingwhichsocialmediaplatformswouldbebestforaclient

•Preparingacontentcalendar

•Aggregating(gathering)contentforpublishingonvarioussocialmediaplatformsforclients

• Staying up to date on current standards and practices in social media




•Assisting clients indetermining thebest content for theirmarketing campaigns

•Analyzingandtrackingresultsfrommarketingcampaigns

• Building reports and advising clients on what can be improved in their marketing strategy

1.2 Social Media Case Studies

1.2.1 Social Media Success Stories

KFC’s“Hidden”TwitterCampaign

InSeptember2017,KFC(KentuckyFriedChicken)quietlystartedfollowingjust11peopleonTwitter:thefiveoriginalSpiceGirlsandsixindividualsnamedHerb.Afteraboutamonth,Twitteruser@edgette22tooknoticeofthisoddity,realizingtheconnectiontoKFC’ssecretrecipeof“11herbsandspices”.

MikeEdgetteofTallGrassPublicRelationstweetedouthisobservationstotheworldinOctober2017andthisproducedhundredsofthousandsofretweetsandlikes.ThetweetgeneratedaburstofcommotiononKFC’sTwitterfeed.TheinitialTweethasbeenfavoritedbyover700,000peopleandcollectedover300,000comments.

ThenKFCwentfurthertomakethemostofthepublicitybypostingaportraitofEdgetteridingonColonelSander’sbackholdingupachickendrumstick.Thishumorousportraitwasthensharedfortensofthousandsofadditionalretweetsandsharedacrosstheinternet.

KFC’slow-keycampaignwasatriumphbecauseitplayedintotheideaofTheColonel’s“secretrecipe”byallowingthepublictodiscoverthelittlestuntontheirown,likeapieceofapuzzle.Thecampaignwasnotannouncedorpromoted,itwasallowedtobeslowlydiscoveredforasubtle approach.

#MeToo

Social media campaigns and hashtags also play a huge role in collective movements such as the #MeToo campaign that has increased society’s




understandingofsexualharassmentandassault.FollowingtheJanuary2017Women’sMarch,themovementgrewonsocialmedialeadingtotheemergenceoftheMeToohashtaginOctober2017inpartduetoactress Alyssa Milano’s call to action tweets.

Thatmonth,MilanoaskedTwitteruserstocomment“metoo”onhertweetiftheyhadbeenvictimsofsexualharassmentorassault.Inthefollowingmonthsof2017andinto2018,millionsofindividualsweredisclosingtheirexperiencesandcallingoutwell-knownpublicfigureswhileusingthehashtagonTwitterandFacebook.

Everyonewasabletohaveavoiceintheconversationbytheiruseofsocialmedia.Othercelebritiesalsosharedtheirpersonalexperiencesinresponsetothemovementwhichleadtothedisgracingofhigh-levelindividuals such as Harvey Weinstein.

1.2.2 SocialMediaDisasters

U.S.DepartmentofEducation

Socialmediasnafuscanhappentoanyone,includinggovernmentagencies.ThisisexactlywhathappenedinFebruary2017whentheU.S.DepartmentofEducationtweetedoutaquotebyW.E.BDuBois,butmisspelledhisnameas“Debois.”DuBoiswasacivilrightsactivistandalsoco-founderoftheNAACP.

Astonishingly,theblunderswentevenfurtherwhentheagencytweetedtheirapologyfortheerrorandmistakenlywrote“deepestapologizes”intheirtweet.LooksliketheU.S.DepartmentofEducationcouldusesomeEnglishmajorsintheirranks.AfteralotofcriticismfromTwitterusers,theagencycorrectedbotherrorsandofferedaproperlyspelled“apology”.Neverunderestimatethevalueofdouble-checkingsocialmediabeforeitgoeslive.

DoveBeauty

InOctober2017,DovedistributedaFacebookadfortheirbodywashwhich“missedthemark”astheylaterstatedinanapology.The3-secondGIFwasliveontheirpageforlessthantwodaysbeforegoingviralandbeingremoved.ThatwaslongenoughforFacebook




and Twitter users to voice their concerns that the ad had racist undercurrents.

Thevideoclipfeaturedanimageofablackwomanremovingabrownt-shirttouncoverawhitewomanwhothentakesoffherlightbeiget-shirttorevealathirdwomaninatant-shirt.

Totheircredit,Dovehasbeenmakingstridesformorethan10yearstoshowcasemodelsofdiversebodytypes,skintones,andages.Agreatreminderthatevenwiththebestofintentions,socialmediamessagescan miss the mark with the public and should be vetted by people outside the organization.

TIP: Theexamplesofsocialmediafailsandsuccessesinthissectiondon’tevenscratchthesurfaceofthetopic,andthere’saspectacularnewfail--andanewsuccess--tolearnfromeverysingleweek.AsattributedtoGrouchoMarx:“Learnfromthemistakesofothers.Youcanneverlivelongenoughtomakethemallyourself.”Keepaneyepeeled.Takeafewminutesweeklyormonthly(putonyourcalendarifnecessary)touseyourfavoritesearchenginetolookfor‘socialmediafails’(settingthedaterangeaccordingly)andalso visit the resource websites provided in section 3.5.

1.3 TheSocialMediaIndustrySocialmediaisastapleofcommunicationintoday’ssociety.Asourworldgrowslouderinvirtualcommunication,themoreimportantitisforourvoicestobeheardoverthenoiseofinformationstreamingovertheinternet.Theneedforsocialmediaexpertshasbeensteadilyrisingand is predicted to continue rising according to the U.S. Department ofLaborby9%by2026(BureauofLaborStatistics,U.S.DepartmentofLabor,OccupationalOutlookHandbook,2016-17Edition,PublicRelations Specialists.

Socialmedia isnot onlyused inmarketing, it is alsoused forcommunicationbetweenfamilyandfriends.Originallythesolicitedpurposeofsocialmedia,connectingwithfriendsandfamilyhasbecomeonlyoneofseveralreasonstousethesetoolsforonlinecommunication.




Accordingtoa2017studybythePewResearchCenterinassociationwiththeJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation,two-thirds(67%)ofAmericansreportthattheygetatleastsomeoftheirnewsonsocialmedia–withtwo-in-tendoingsooften.In2013,52%ofTwitterusersand47%ofFacebookuserskeptuponworldnewsviatheplatforms;by2015,thisincreasedto63%and63%respectively.

Socialmediaalsoconnectsuswithinterestgroups,celebrities,religiousfigureheadsandgovernmentofficials.AccordingtoTwiplomacy,theleadingglobalstudyofworldleadersonTwitter(conductedin2017byleadingglobalpublicrelationsandcommunicationsfirmBurson-Marstellerf),5.2milliontweetshavebeensentoutbyworldleaders:

Twitteristhesocialmediachannelofchoiceforgovernmentsandforeignministries,judgingbythenumberofgovernmentsontheplatform.Burson-Marsteller’sresearchteamidentified856Twitteraccountsbelongingtoheadsofstateandgovernment,andforeignministersin178countries,representing92percentofallUNmemberstates,withacombinedaudienceof356millionfollowers.

Whilethemajorityofyourclientswillbeinbusinessesandnonprofitorganizations,itisimportanttorealizethatsocialmediahasbecomeanimportantfacetofcommunicationinoursociety—inallaspectsofour society.

1.4 BenefitsofBeingaSocialMediaConsultant

Therearemanybenefitstojoiningthesocialmediaindustryasasocialmedia consultant right now.

Fast-Paced,Cutting-EdgeCareer

Asasocialmediaconsultant,youareenteringaveryexciting,fast-paced industry where new trends develop every year with our advancingtechnology.Everydayyouareworkingyoucancelebratethesmallaccomplishmentsleadingtoasuccessfulsocialmediacampaign.




Be in the Know-How

Aspartofyourwork,yougettokeepupwiththelatesttrendsincommunication,learningnewthingsabouttheindustriesandthepeopleyouassociatewith.Asaconsultant,youhavetheopportunitytospecializeandfindclientswhoworkinservices,forcausesandareasoflifeyouareinterestedinlearningmoreabout.Youmayfindyourselfgivingadvicetofriends,referringthemthroughyourassociationwithawidegroupofprofessionalsandorganizations.

BeYourOwnBoss

Whodoesn’twanttobetheirownboss?Yougettosetyourownwages,workwhereveryoucanfindaninternetconnectionforyourcomputersuchasthelocalcaféorlibraryorseasidecabin.Yourabilitytochoosewho you are going to work with can come in handy too. You can choose whereandwhentomeetyourclients,oryoumightcommunicatewiththemsolelyviaelectronicmeans(suchasemail,text,Skype,ortelephone).Youcanmeetpeoplefacetofaceandenjoyinteractingwiththemasyouplantogetherhowtoexpandtheirreachacrosstheglobe.

Good Source of Income

Youcanchoosehowmuchyoupayyourselfinthiscareer.Byfindingagoodrangeofclients,youcanmakequiteabitofmoneyforyourself.Youcanworkfor$75uptoover$200anhouronaverageasasocialmedia consultant and you can choose however many clients you want toworkfortocreateyourdreamsalaryrange.

1.5 Inside This GuideBypurchasingthisguide,youhavetakenthefirststepinmakingyourdreamofbecomingasocialmediaconsultantareality.Inthepagesthatfollow,youwillfindoutexactlywhatyouneedtodototurnyourpassionfororderintoasuccessfulbusiness.Youwilllearnhowtopackageandmarkettheskillsyoualreadyhave,andhowtoacquirethe skills that may be new to you.

In Chapter 2: How to Be a Social Media Consultant,wedelveintoexactlywhat you need to know to become a social media consultant. You are givenformsforassessingyourclient’ssituation,toolsforbuildingsocial




mediacampaignsandforusingyourtoolsofthetrade:socialmediaplatforms.Wealsogointodetailabouttheprocessofclientinteractionandhowtofindandresolvecommonproblemsfacedbysocialmediaexperts.

In Chapter 3: Getting Ready,weexploretheskillsneededforbeingasocial media consultant as well as where you can learn them through self-study,work,volunteering,andcoursework.Theseresourceswillhelpyoulearnhowtobecomeanindustryexpert.Wewillalsodelveintohowyoucanbecomeacertifiedsocialmediaconsultant.

In Chapter 4: Getting a Social Media Job,youwilllearnhowtogethiredbyprofessionalsintheindustry.Wewilllookathowtofindoutaboutjobopenings,howtoprepareaneffectiveresumeandcoverletter,andhow to do well in an interview. You will also learn how to create your ownjobthrougheffectivecommunicationtechniques.

In Chapter 5: Starting Your Own Social Media Business,youwilllearnhow to establish your own small business as an entrepreneur. Whether youchoosetoperformbusinessinahomeoffice,rentanofficespaceorinhabitthenearestcafe,youwillneedtolearnaboutcreatingabusinessplan,choosinganameforyourcompanyandlegalissues.Inthischapter,wedelveintotheseimportanttopicsandmore.

In Chapter 6: Establishing A Client Base,youwilllearnhowtoidentifyyour target audience and use marketing tools and techniques to obtain aclientbase.Youwillalsolearnhowtogainfreepublicityandnetworkwithotherprofessionalsandbusinesses.Youwillalsofindadviceaboutsellingyourservicestoclientsandcreatinglegalcontractsandlettersofagreement.

In Chapter 7: Conclusion,wewrapthingsupwithabriefdiscussionofthebenefitsofthiscareerinthefinalchapteroftheThe FabJob Guide to Become a Social Media Consultant.

YouhavereachedtheendofthefreesampleoftheFabJob Guide to Become a Social Media Consultant. To order and download the completeguidegotohttps://fabjob.com/program/become-social-media-consultant/.


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FabJob Guide to Become a Social Media Consultant · and participating in marketing campaigns for individuals, businesses, nonprofitorganizations and anyone else who wants to have

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