The different types of social media freelancers on hire and what they can do for your brand

Kunal Modi of InstaTaskers takes us through different kinds of social media freelancers and how brands can benefit from them.

“The power of social media is it forces necessary change.”

That is a quote from American author Erik Qualman, who has penned such books as Socialnomics and What Happens In Vegas Stays On YouTube. In our world, social media is the greatest equalizer. Every brand is trying their best to outdo the peers and get more social media likes and comments. And you thought narcissism was only for the pout-loving- selfie-generation? Amateurs!

So, why is everyone so hyper about social media, anyway? Maybe because research shows that word-of- mouth marketing influences about 20 to 50 percent of all buying decisions. Also, this Twitter survey clearly shows how important social media influencer reviews are when a potential customer does their research for buying a new product. The good news is, hiring a social media team does not have to break your bank. Especially if you are an up and coming company that is worried about keeping overheads low. There are many freelancing experts who can aid in your social media endeavours and spread the word about your brand. Here is a list of social media experts you can hire to freelance for your company:

1. Social media strategists: Every brand needs a good marketing plan. A social media strategist can help you build your brand’s online voice by building a social media calendar that uses relevant hashtags and content. Not every brand is the same; it so transpires that unique content is the first step towards creating a distinctive brand identity. It requires some time and thought to create a monthly schedule for posting content across the various platform. A freelance social media expert can easily create this calendar for you taking into account your brand’s target audience and their likes and dislikes. The actual work of uploading these posts with the correct hashtags etc. can also be handled by a freelancing expert if you do not have the time or expertise to do the same.
2. Community managers: Community management is an important aspect of creating an online presence or your brand. Creating a Facebook or Twitter account also requires that you actively engage with your customers on these platforms and reply to their queries, criticism, and praise with frequency and fortitude. One cannot be belligerent with clients, yes, but unwanted criticism or profanity should also not be tolerated. A good community manager knows how to handle such delicate situations which have the potential to blow over. Moreover, a community manager can also create and manage events for loyal brand followers and increase brand visibility and recall.
3. Brand ambassadors and Influencers: Freelance brand ambassadors are your mouthpieces –the wandering minstrels that carry a drum and sing your songs in faraway places. Freelance experts are always networking and meeting new people. When you hire a freelancer to be your brand ambassador you have access to their social media handles, their network of friends and family, and their ever-increasing universe of business contacts. Brand ambassadors will wear your brand’s apparel or carry your products on their person, increasing the chances of your products getting noticed.
4. Social media influencers: An influencer, on the other hand, may not be as consistent with their love for your brand, but in the event of a big brand campaign, you need them on your side to spread the love. Influencers can be an essential component of your earned media marketing. And if you thought you only have to hire the bigwigs, think again. Data says that mid-level influencers like bloggers have a more loyal audience and can help you get up to 16 times more engagement that influencers on other platforms. Remember how we talked earlier about buyers making their choices based on personal recommendations from people they trust? Influencers are the ones that spur potential customers to your door and in the millennial world, they are the spark that can light huge fires. Psst… if you need help choosing between influencers and ambassadors, this might be helpful.

Millennials are a different species than other buyers. They like to vet their purchases, but they prefer a virtual medium to do so. They read reviews, tweet their queries, and check what the Joneses have through their Instagram feed. To speak to them, it’s necessary you speak their language. And if you’re not the best person to do so, then hire a freelance expert to help you out for a reasonable fee from a reputed platform. Remember to use a platform/provider which has a proven vetting process for experts and helps you in matching your requirements to the capabilities of an expert. Do talk to your freelancer before you sign them on - either through a mail or on phone, and even in person if you can. It is much better than communicating with anonymous internet users with no proven track record. This works better than a bidding war which has you inundated with spam emails and calls and leads absolutely nowhere in terms of problem-solving.