What exactly does a social media consultant DO, anyhow?

June 23, 2010

Since announcing yesterday that my doors are open to social media business, several friends and potential clients have written to me asking, so what does that mean you actually do?

Like most consulting positions, social media consulting can mean a lot of different things. Consultants provide a huge range of services and their prices fall across the board. But me? I’m looking to help businesses and organizations use social media to extend their reach.

My services fall generally into two categories:

1. For businesses who don’t have the time and/or the know-how to use social media themselves, I help them create a plan and then implement it for them. Could be as simple as growing a following on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube, or a more in-depth online community-building strategy. It all depends on your specific goals and budget.

2. For businesses who know how to use social media or want to learn, I help them figure out which networks and strategies will be most effective for their goals and how to leverage them effectively. I can tailor a plan, talk with you over the phone and leave you to implement it (with optional follow-ups), or I can coach you through implementing that plan if you’re starting from scratch with social media. A lot of my ideas revolve around social networks, but I also help with blogging, finding customers in forums, etc.

If what you need falls outside these categories, that doesn’t mean I can’t help you! By all means, drop me a note, let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll give you an idea of how much it would cost. Since I’m just starting to turn this into a business, I’m willing to size the scope of your project to your budget. Especially for small businesses and organizations with financial restraints, I recognize that working with you to make my services affordable helps us both.

Update: Since you’re reading this post, you might be interested in my social-media consulting guide: How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business.

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    11 Replies to “What exactly does a social media consultant DO, anyhow?”

    • Rhea Davis says:

      This is wonderful, Alexis. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who want to engage is social media, but are either scared of it or don’t have the time or resources to devote to it. I have a feeling you are going to be in great demand. Congrats!

    • Rhea Davis says:

      This is wonderful, Alexis. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who want to engage is social media, but are either scared of it or don’t have the time or resources to devote to it. I have a feeling you are going to be in great demand. Congrats!

    • Caitlin Constantine says:

      I love that you are doing this. A company would be very wise to get you on board as their social media guru!

      I work primarily as web writer, but my interest in social media meant I had a bit of an unofficial promotion to social media guru for the station’s site, and I have to say, I have really enjoyed it. Obviously there’s work involved, and I do a lot of research and I write up usage guides and all of that, but for the most part, I enjoy it.

    • jessiecarty says:

      What a great idea! Best o fluck to you with it 🙂

    • If you can figure how to use the Hootsuite dashboard, you actually know enough to run a small company’s entire social media presence for them. I feel like such a novice with this stuff sometimes, because there is so much to learn. But any of us who know enough to be able to successfully use Facebook and Twitter regularly know more than we think we do. We know enough to make this a marketable skill.

    • Omar Alam says:

      And I thought I was the only one in the world doing this work! You are doing it right by having them implement it and then maintain their “social voice”, as it’s what they will need to do anyhow.

      A lot of the outsourced social media maintenance services may need fully communicate the voice of the business, and can a lot of times stray way off target.

      Showing clients how to connect, be transparent, and maintain authenticity is what it’s all about. And it’s even easier for small business and solo professionals than it is for large companies and corporations.

    • Omar Alam says:

      And I thought I was the only one in the world doing this work! You are doing it right by having them implement it and then maintain their “social voice”, as it’s what they will need to do anyhow.

      A lot of the outsourced social media maintenance services may need fully communicate the voice of the business, and can a lot of times stray way off target.

      Showing clients how to connect, be transparent, and maintain authenticity is what it’s all about. And it’s even easier for small business and solo professionals than it is for large companies and corporations.

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