According to certain research, Facebook had about 1.8 billion active users in January 2017. Studies also show that an average social media user spends about 2 hours per day scrolling and networking across 8 social media networks and messaging apps.
This goes to show how important it is for businesses to have a substantial online presence. And this is where freelance social media consultants come in. They can take a business’s data, visions, and goals and then work their magic to attract a huge audience online, therefore maximizing their profits and generating leads.
As a freelance social media consultant in the UAE, it is crucial to know the different freelance social media rates worldwide. This will help you craft the ideal pricing strategy that will help you build your career, especially if you are a beginner. So let’s get started, shall we?
Job Description: Who Is A Freelance Social Media Consultant?
Before knowing the different freelance social media consultant rates globally, it’s essential to understand who a freelance social media consultant is and their roles.
Most people refer to them as the voice of a business online. This is because they basically are the ones who engage with the company’s online audience. So what are the other roles of a freelance social media consultant?
Roles Of A Freelance Social Media Consultant
- As we mentioned earlier, a social media marketer acts as the face and voice in all of the social media networks.
- Coming up with strategies that will give a company an edge over other competing companies in different social media networks
- Running social media campaigns, thus boosting the audience’s loyalty and engagements with social media posts, therefore improving the company’s website traffic, improving sales, contacts, and leads on social media platforms.
- Acts as the business’ brand advocate by showcasing, building, and maintaining a perfect image and reputation online.
- Factors That Affect A Freelance Social Media Consultant’s Rates
1. Level Of Experience And Academic Qualifications
Like every other freelance career, proving how much experience you have as a freelance social media consultant in the UAE is a huge deal when presenting your rates and negotiating with prospective clients about your pay. This is because they want to be assured that they will “get what they pay for” and that you are not just masquerading yourself as a social media expert.
According to Glassdoor, a freelance social media marketer in the United States can earn an average yearly salary of approximately $68885.
Another research has it that a freelance social media consultant in the UAE can earn about AED 4400.
On the other hand, Payscale indicates that a freelance social media consultant in Dubai with between 5-9 years of experience can earn a yearly salary of AED 200202 while a freelance social media consultant with between 10 and 19 years of experience can make an annual salary of AED 294791.
So the more experience you have, the more you will earn.
When it comes to academic qualifications, most clients require freelance social media consultants to have a bachelor’s degree in either marketing, communications, or public relations. However, if you cannot attain either of those, experts recommend taking formal training in business management to understand how social media marketing works.
2. The Type Of Business
Whether your prospective client is a small or large company significantly determines how you will charge and earn as a freelance social media consultant in the UAE. This is because a small company cannot afford what a larger company can. That is why it is essential always to have flexible freelance social media rates that will be favorable to both you and the potential client.
However, it is important to also keep in mind the complexity and size of the project. This is because the client might be a small business but have bigger social media campaigns to create or manage.
3. The Social Platforms
Another important thing that affects your freelance social media rates is the social media platforms. Before presenting your rates and negotiating with potential clients, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
● How many social media platforms does the client want you to manage? Because the more platforms you will be managing, the more work you will have, so you will have to increase your rates accordingly.
● Does the client have existing social media accounts, or are you supposed to create new ones from scratch? Creating a new social media account will require you to attract a new audience and work to maintain the followers’ engagements and loyalty on that platform. Therefore, this will require you to charge more compared to clients who already have well-established accounts with a loyal audience.
4. Creation Of Additional Content
Does the potential client already have content ready to be posted online, or are you supposed to write the ideal content for their social media platforms? This brings us to another different point. As a freelance social media consultant in the UAE, it’s recommendable to have additional skills to get that extra coin. This is because some projects might require you to offer additional services like graphic designing, copy-writing, blogging, to mention a few.
5. Social Media Influencer Targeting
Another vital factor that determines your pricing as a freelance social media consultant is social media Influencer targeting. Does the client require you to reach out to renowned social media influencers to advertise their services or products on their own social media platforms? If that is so, you will have to charge more because you will have to put extra effort into researching, contacting, and convincing these influencers to endorse the client’s products or services.
6. Competition From Other Freelance Social Media Marketers
There are thousands of other freelance social media platforms worldwide. Therefore, your goal should be to be unique and ultimately attract potential clients.
As a freelance social media consultant in the UAE, it is essential to continually research what your competitors are charging, what they are offering, the skills they have, to mention a few. This will enable you to come up with a personal pricing strategy that will be favorable to both you and the client and know what steps you need to take, new skills you need to acquire, to stand in a crowd of other freelance social media consultants.
7. Customer Care Services
Another critical factor that you need to put into consideration is customer care services. Does the client require you to respond to the complaints, comments, and inquiries about the company’s products or services from customers posted on the various social media platforms or sent via email? If so, you need to consider that when presenting your rates, this responsibility will take more time and effort.
How Should A Freelance Social Media Consultant Charge For Their Services?
Like most other freelance careers, there are three common ways in which you can charge your clients for your services. They include:
- Rate per hour
- Rate per project (flat fee)
- Rate for ongoing work (retainer fee)
This section will explore the advantages and limitations of using either of these charging methods. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
1. Rate Per Hour
According to research by entrepreneur.com, freelance social media consultants charge between $50 and $100 per hour, based on the factors we have talked about. The most common way of determining the perfect hourly rate is to divide the salary you would like to earn per week, month or year by the number of hours you would like to work per day. Most freelancers prefer this type of charging method because of a couple of reasons. Let’s take a look at them, shall we?
Pros
- This is an excellent charging method if you are negotiating with a client with uncertain working unclear working terms and conditions.
- It is also the ideal rate because it helps you to ensure that you are paid for all the work you have done.
- This is one of the simplest charging methods, especially if you are a beginner. The reason is it not only helps you analyze how long you take to complete different projects; but also helps you avoid the risk of overcharging a client or being undercharged.
- Most freelance social media consultants in the UAE prefer using this charging method because most clients find it less intimidating.
Cons
- If you are fast, you might end up losing out on a lot of potential income.
- Most clients may be a little bit skeptical about this charging method, so you will have to do a great job at explaining how each hour is billed.
2. Rate Per Project
This is a suitable charging method if you would like to scale up your freelance social media rates.
Pros
- Charging per project leaves you with only one payment to worry about, therefore preventing you from having a lot of anxiety.
- It gives you time to focus more on working without worrying about the client tracking your working hours.
- Like hourly rates, charging per project helps you include all the work you have done in your flat fee.
- Most clients prefer this type of charging method because they can know the final fee ahead of time.
Cons
- Most freelance social media consultants in the UAE do not prefer this type of charging method because you might end up being paid less for the work you have done. This is because chances are you might end up putting in more effort and hours than you had predicted before.
- Since no task is the same, it might be difficult to determine how much work and time needs to be put into a particular project and how much you will charge.
3. Rate For Ongoing Work (Retainer Fee)
Another popular choice among freelance social media consultants in the UAE because for a number of reasons.
Pros
- This charging method ensures that you have consistent work since clients can seek your services throughout the week, month, or year.
- Most freelance social media consultants love charging by retainers because they are assured of steady income.
- Most clients love this type of charging method because they have already established a positive working relationship with the social media marketer.
Cons
- Like flat fees, you may end up doing more work and spending more time on a particular project and get any compensation.
- Most clients may assume they have control over you since they have you on retainer. That is why it is important to set clear boundaries and discuss them with the client before embarking on working on a project.
- This charging method may prevent you from working with other clients since the workload from one client may vary from time to time.
Conclusion
The majority (if not all) companies can attest to the benefits of social media marketing. And as expected, there are more job opportunities for freelance social media consultants in the UAE and worldwide. However, to earn your dream salary, you have to know all about freelance social media rates worldwide. This will help you make an informed decision on how much your freelance social media rates will be and the type of charging method you will use.
from Bawabba Blog https://blog.bawabba.com/freelance-social-media-marketing/freelance-social-media-rates-worldwide/
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