5 Common Mistakes Social Media Freelancers Make and How to Avoid Them

The benefits of working as a social media freelancer are immense. The job gives you flexibility, and creative freedom, and allows you to work with different clients. And of course, the job has its own challenges; whether you are just starting out or you have been on the job for long, you can’t avoid making mistakes – they are inevitable – they can hinder your progress if not minimized. However, a good grasp of these common pitfalls and how to prevent them goes a long way in ensuring the success of your freelance career. So, let’s examine five common mistakes social media freelancers make and also, actionable tips you can apply to avoid them.

1. Failure to Set Clear Client Expectations

Perhaps, failure to set clear client expectations is one of the biggest and most common mistakes most social media freelancers make. Misunderstandings and dissatisfaction may arise when expectations aren’t outlined from the onset.

The Problem:

• Scope Creep: Sometimes, clients will keep asking you to do more work in addition to what was agreed on earlier. What seems like a minor project may grow into an additional task list without any extra increase in compensation.
• Lack of Clear Deliverables: In the absence of clarity on the exact deliverables for the client, timelines, and results expected, you may deliver the incorrect content or set the wrong priorities.
• Ambiguous Deadlines: When deadlines are not clearly defined, clients may anticipate quicker turnarounds than what is reasonably possible.

How to Avoid It:

• Elaborate on a Contract: Before the beginning of a project, make sure you write a detailed contract on the scope of work, expected deliverables, and deadlines for when payments are due. This helps get both you and the client on the same page.
• Management Tools: Asana, Trello, etc., help you organize tasks and dates well. In essence, you should be able to plan out in advance and allocate what needs to be done on specific dates and then communicate that with your client.
• Periodic Check-ins: Schedule periodic check-ins as a way to discuss progress and changes regarding the status quo of the project. This keeps you ahead of any adjustments that may be necessary rather than getting blindsided with requests later on.

2. Underpricing Services

A common mistake most social media freelancers make is undercharging for work, especially in the early stages. Most fear they cannot get clients if they quote high prices, hence quoting low prices compared to what their work might be worth.

The Problem:

• Burnout: Working on lower rates means you need to take in more projects to see yourself through, and before you know it, you are experiencing burnout.
• Selling Yourself Short: Charging too little gives the impression that your services aren’t worth much. This also sets a very bad precedent, which may be difficult to alter once the experience is built up.
• Unpleasant Clients: The low price point often appeals to bargain seekers, which translates into clients who can be demanding and unrealistic about what they expect.

How to Avoid It:

• Learn about the industry standard: The best way to get to know what you can and must claim is to consult with other freelancers in the field of social media, too. Find out what people at this stage of your career are paid, and you will instantly be informed about what you can and should ask for.
• Value-Based Pricing: Instead of hourly pricing, charge based on results: new followers, engagement, or sales brought in for the client.

Know how much your services are worth, and don’t be afraid to charge a higher pay. If your skill set are valuable and you have done your research properly, then you are well within your right to request higher rates to any client without the fear of losing them.

3. Poor Personal Branding

Some freelancers spend their time solely building their client’s brands and, in the process, forget to build their brands. As a social media freelancer, a personal brand is important. It is how potential clients will perceive you, and with a well-developed brand, one can attract higher-quality jobs.

The Problem:

• Missed Opportunity: Potential clients may not even know about your existence with a weak personal brand in place. Even if they do, they may not see your company as a credible option.
  Inconsistent messaging means that unless you brand yourself, your social media tends to feel a little disjointed, which will make it much harder for clients to trust you.
• You won’t be seen or noticed as much: When you are not branding yourself, you’re not taking the opportunity to show the world what you bring to the table in terms of leadership in the industry.

How to Avoid It:

• Create Consistent Online Presence: Develop a website and portfolio showcasing your services, testimonials, and past work. Ensure your social media – linkedIn and Instagram most of all is updated and lined up with your branding.
• Demonstrate Your Expertise: Oftentimes, publish something live about the industry trends, tools, and tips to show your knowledge. Share case studies on successful projects for clients with permission to drive value.
• Invest in Professional Branding: Good branding sets you apart. If you can’t design your brand materials, outsource a professional to help you create consistency in the look of your website, social media, and marketing materials.

4. Failure to Keep Up with Trends and Tools

Social media is an evolving sector; what worked last year or probably even last month may fall flat today. Social media freelancers who aren’t learning about the latest trends, algorithms, and tools will be stuck in a region, way behind their competitors.

Problem:

• Ineffective Strategies: If you are still using some of the older techniques, your performance on social media for clients can suffer, creating an impression of lesser competency.
• Missed Opportunities: New tools and platforms can be used to offer better services such as automation, advanced analytics, or content creation. But if you don’t stay updated, you will likely not take advantage of these benefits.
• Loss of Clients: If your clients realize that the competitors are doing well while their social media is falling behind, they will seek fresher and more updated services elsewhere.

How to Avoid It:

• Continuous Learning: Spend at least an hour learning each week; this could be your reading industry blogs, attending webinars, or taking part in online classes. Coursera and Udemy are great hubs to learn something new.
• Try New Tools: There will always be some new tools popping up for managing social media, creating content, and analytics. Try free tools such as Buffer, Canva, or Hootsuite. Leverage social media to follow the leading thought leaders of your industry. They will help you stay updated on what is trending and how to use new strategies for your clients.

5. Inconsistent Communication and Follow-Up

Freelancing is couple-oriented; where such relationships are to be maintained, it means having to communicate regularly. Freelancers may lose their professional reputation by not regularly checking in with their clients, keeping them updated, and following up on projects.

• Dissatisfaction: The fact that you are working does not mean you should not communicate frequently because, somehow, the client may be left out, which may frustrate him enough to get rid of you.
• Missed Opportunities: Not keeping up after you completed a project can lead to missing out on future opportunities for additional work or referrals.
• Delay in Payment: Irregular communication can also lead to delay in payment; a client might forget about outstanding invoices if you do not remind them.

How to Avoid It:

• Set Communication Expectations: Let your clients know how often they can hear from you. Perhaps it’s a weekly report or a monthly check-in. Setting a clear communication schedule keeps your clients in the know.
• Use Professional Tools: Leverage Slack, Zoom, or Google Meet to facilitate easy, professional communications. Email is great for formal communications, but instant messaging tools will let you communicate day by day.
• Follow-up Always: Once you complete a project and the dust has settled, do not wait for the client to call you again. Send a follow-up “Thank you” email asking for feedback and letting them know you’re available for future work.

Final Thoughts

Avoiding the above-listed common mistakes is vital in developing and succeeding as a social media freelancer. Setting expectations, pricing your services accordingly, building your brand, keeping current with the latest trends, and having regular and continued communications will expand your professional reputation and ensure a long-term relationship with your clients.

In addition, to find more freelance jobs, platforms like Workaforce offer curated spaces for freelancers to find quality clients. Workaforce is in the forefront of empowering African social media talents by providing a platform that showcases their skills to a global audience, while delivering businesses the social media expertise they need to grow.