How To Start A Social Media Management Business – An Interview With Michelle From Making Sense Of Cents

Earning extra income online does not mean you have to create a product or even sell affiliate products but rather you can offer a service as well.  In fact today I have a great interview for you with Michelle from Making Sense of Cents on how she is making a pretty good living doing just this.

Just to give you an idea of exactly how much she earns, in the month of July she earned $14,937  with her freelancing services and $6,350 was from helping people manage their websites and social media profiles.

To put it lightly there are a lot of people looking for these types of services and this could be a great revenue source for you to capitalize on  and earn extra money to help you improve your financial situation.

So check out my interview with Michelle below and see if this the right online opportunity for you.

Q1: What Inspired You To Get Into Helping People Manage Their Websites & Social Media Profiles?

I started out freelancing by blogging on my own website and offering staff writing services to other bloggers.

One day, a staff writing client of mine asked me if I managed websites and social media for others as well. They needed help with their website, and they were already enjoying my staff writing services so they asked me first.

I had never thought about providing this service before this point in time, but since I was already managing my own website and social media, I already knew what to do.

While I had that website client, I realized that I really enjoyed managing websites and social media for others. I started to promote these services to other website owners and it grew quickly from there.

Q2: What Are Some Of The Tasks You Help Your Clients With?

I offer many different services with the website and social media management position I provide. These can vary, and it’s really all up to the website owner.

Some have me do it all, whereas some still like to be in control somewhat with their social media profiles.When it comes to website management: I manage and approve comments, reply to e-mails, make sure websites are always live, ensure articles are published on time, write articles, manage the editorial calendar, manage staff writers and virtual assistants, and so on.

When it comes to social media management I manage the social media profiles for a client. These can include Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and so on. I will schedule postings, look for new followers, and more.

Q3: What Are Some Of The Tools And Tactics You Use To Find New Clients?

The main tactic I have to find new clients is to provide high quality service so that my clients will refer me to other website owners. I always make sure to provide the work that my client is looking for, I always meet deadlines, and I always try to be friendly. Most of my clients have turned into great friends to have!

The other tactic I have is maintaining my blog Making Sense of Cents. Many of my clients find me through my website and mainly through my income series, so there is really nothing better than that. I love blogging, and I am extremely grateful that it has double usage as a resume as well.

Q4: How Much Should You Charge Clients And What Should Beginners Know When Getting Started?

This is a hard question to answer. Everyone is different, and not all clients ask for the same exact service so it’s hard to come up with a price.

Also, some website and social media managers charge by the hour, by the outcome, or sometimes per project.There are different things to think about when trying to come up with a price though.

These include: What kind of tasks the client is wanting you to do; How many hours the tasks will take; and What kind of experience you have.If you are wanting to get started as a social media and/or website manager, it is usually best to have a background with social media and websites.

Most clients will have wanted you to manage a website successfully in the past.

Q5: What Is One Specific Piece Of Advice You Would Give Someone Who Is Just Getting Started In Helping People Manage Their Website & Social Media Profiles, And What Are A Few Of The Pitfalls They Should Avoid?

My top piece of advice would be to network like crazy. Website and social media management is a freelance area where most of your clients will hear about you through word-of-mouth. You will want to have a good reputation in your community by providing high quality services in order to do this.

A couple of pitfalls you should avoid include:

• Getting ahead of yourself. With these type of services, you should always make sure that you don’t overbook yourself. You want to provide the correct amount of time that your client hired you to do. You also want to provide them with a high quality job, so you don’t want to completely tire yourself out where you are giving out substandard service.

• Not being truthful. I often receive e-mails from potential clients where I know for a fact that I will not be a good fit. I recently had an industrial chemical company ask me to manage their website and social media. Even though they were going to pay well, I knew I would not be a good fit since I have no knowledge in that industry. I told the client the truth and he appreciated that.

Wrapping Up

Wrapping up I really enjoyed this interview, Michelle really knows her stuff and I’m glad to have had the chance to get her thoughts.

If you would like to check out the rest of my interviews you can do that here.

Finally, have you considered starting your own social media management business?   I would like to hear your thoughts below in the comments.