Make Money as a Social Network Guru

Social network gurus are all around us. You probably know more than one and you don't even know it. Heck, you may even be one yourself. Well, I hope that the only reason you're reading this is because you consider yourself a social network guru, otherwise, you may just be wasting your time.

Social network gurus work as freelance marketing agents for businesses, organizations, and individuals who want to increase their influence on the web. In order to increase influence and popularity organically (without the aid of blackhat SEO techniques or other less than ethical practices), a true social network guru is needed.

The tasks of the social network guru include:

--Creating social network profiles
--Updating profile status on a regular basis
--Finding new social network friends to connect with and introduce the client's brand or product to
--Responding to comments and e-mails delivered through the social network
--Developing new marketing campaigns that are in accordance with social network rules (i.e., no spamming)

Those are just a few tasks that will be required of the social network guru working for others. Depending on the type of social network, different tasks not mentioned above may be required. For example, video sharing networks may require the social network guru to create, upload, and edit videos depicting their client's brand or product. Also, if the client requires blogging services, the creation and editing of blog posts uploaded to the social network may be required.

The fee for social network guru services can vary, depending on the abilities and experience of the guru. Obviously, better gurus can request more money. A guru with no portfolio or examples of past work to link to shouldn't expect to get more than a few bucks an hour. Gurus with experience and verifiable talent / references can charge upwards of $50 an hour, if they are really that good. How do you know if you're that good? Simple, if your clients start to report a windfall of new customers that can be directly attributed to your services, then you're that good. The guru also has the option of charging a flat rate fee...something like $99 for a whole month of social network management services should generate plenty of leads.

Social network gurus typically work from home, but if they generate enough business, they may be able to turn this part time hobby into a full time freelancing agency complete with staff and global contractors.

For those who think they might be interested in work as a social network guru, remember to start slow. Some clients will require much more time and dedication than others, so take on one client at a time, making sure you are comfortable with your time management skills before accepting more work. This is especially true for folks who have full time jobs and only want to guru part time. People with fewer personal commitments will be fine if they take on more than one client at a time when they first start out, since they can dedicate more of their days to completing tasks for their clients.

The great thing about this side job is that a computer and an internet connection is pretty much all you'll need to get started. Get yourself a free website on a site like Weebly.com or Yola.com, so you have a place to direct potential clients. Be honest about your qualifications be upfront about your cost. Use free pay management services like PayPal.com to handle payments. Sites like PayPal let the small business owner accept most methods of payment for a small transaction fee...so no money is required unless the business owner makes a sale. Post ads on sites like Craigslist.com describing your services with a link to your site. Write free articles for syndication about your services and list your qualifications and a link to your site in the by-line of the articles. Post those articles to sites like AssociatedContent.com, ArticleExchange.com, and IdeaMarketers.com.

Don't be afraid to approach small business owners directly to offer your services. Visit mom and pop shops and ask them if they could benefit from increased Internet exposure and sales. If the potential client seems interested, briefly describe what you do and leave a business card. Get a business card from your potential client as well, so you can contact them if they don't get to them first. Sometimes people will just get busy or lazy and forget to get back to you. Don't be offended, just wait a week and call them up yourself. If the person changed their mind, then thank them for their time and remind them to hold on to your business card in case they could use you in the future, but if the person is interested, start closing the deal.

That's pretty much all you need to know to get started as a social network guru. Try to have fun with it and experiment with new ways to market yourself, and always check local laws before advertising your business, since licenses or permits may be required.