By Jonathan Brealey
Social media is a great way for freelancers to drum up business and develop a lasting reputation, but are you using Twitter, Facebook and other networks for maximum effect?
Pitfall #1 – Making assumptions
As many freelancers are turning to Twitter as a way to get new clients, it’s often assumed that anyone who’s not using it is missing out. We asked a couple of freelancers how important social media is to them:
Dom Flask said, ‘While you can certainly find work via social networking, every real opportunity I’ve come across has been through someone that I have known or worked with in the past…use it, use it a lot, but don’t expect social media to be the reason for your success.’
Chris Coyier took a more disposable approach: ‘Probably not at all “important”, but it sure is fun. I feel more connected with people through it…But if I never signed in again… it’s not like my web skills would dry up.’
Using social media to specifically generate leads and clients is definitely an avenue worth exploring; having said that, it’s important that you can justify the amount of time you spend using social media. A good way is to literally list the benefits and opportunities you’ve received against the amount of time and effort you’ve put in. Ultimately you need to strike a balance between spending time to increase your reach and simply wasting time better spent elsewhere.
Pitfall #2 – Destructive social media cycles
One of the biggest pitfalls of using social media as a freelancer is that you can easily fool yourself into thinking that you’re spending the time productively. Why are Twitter and Facebook addictive? Because you create (or contribute to) a cycle by posting, looking for people’s responses, and posting in reply.
Consider when, and how, you use social networking websites. Do you use them on and off throughout the day when you get bored, or do you specifically set aside some time to actively seek out new clients and connections? Are you talking to friends, colleagues or strangers? Most importantly, what are you discussing? Look back at your last tweets to identify common themes, or check out Tweet Cloud for a comprehensive overview.
Pitfall #3 – Lack of strategy
A common approach towards using social media for business is to just ‘see what happens’, or use it as you would a personal account. Think about why you’re using it in the first place and what you hope to gain. From there you can build up a strategy, taking into account how you’re going to approach people and what you’re going to say. Posting high-quality links (to your own and other people’s work) can help raise your status as an authority, but remember to promote a personable approach as well. For example, are you going to use it to generate new leads, interact with existing clients, establish yourself as an expert in your field, interact with your peers or... ?
Pitfall #4 – Images working against you
Photos, avatars and backgrounds are great for adding some personality and creating an approachable first impression, but use them wisely. If you’re using a photo of yourself, use a professional one if possible – if not, then black and white pictures have a certain charm! Avoid intense close-ups as passport-style photos are never flattering, and if you don’t have a good photo of yourself, don’t use one. Stick to a logo or your initials instead for Twitter or LinkedIn. Don’t forget that anyone can view your profile image on Facebook as well, so avoid inappropriate photos!
Now that new Twitter’s arrived, it’s worth checking your background in different resolutions to see how it looks to other users. If you have a left hand side background set, check to make sure smaller screen resolutions aren’t cutting off your text or images. Make sure your profile’s background colour is set to a colour as close as possible to your background image for those using larger resolutions.
Pitfall #5 – Damaging your reputation
Many people seem to forget that much of what they say is viewable to anyone in the world with Twitter – it’s easy to forget when you’re in the social media bubble. So if people come across your profile and your latest tweets are whining, complaining or even aggressive, then most, if not all, aren’t going to hire you because of the potential backlash.
An overall impression of your tweets can be just as damaging as an individual message, and it doesn’t give the best first impression of your writing style either. Take the time every so often to go through your timeline (or better yet, get a friend to do it) to see how you’re coming across in general. Stay positive.
Summary
If social media isn’t an avenue you’ve explored yet, it’s worth taking a couple of months to see if you can use it to your advantage. If you’re already using the likes of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, then review your profiles on a regular basis to assess your tone, reasons for using social media, successes and overall presentation to avoid these pitfalls.
Jonathan Brealey is a director and co-founder of Heart Internet, one of the UK’s biggest reseller hosting and web hosting companies.
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