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How much are 140 characters really worth? A growing number of social-media entrepreneurs are building successful companies by helping other companies navigate the world of Twitter.
Posted 7/ 31 10 at 7:00 PM | Business Trends, Technology, Advertising & Marketing, Sales, Home-based Business, Online Business, Business Products & Services, Media, Retail
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Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become cheap, effective ways to advertise and build personal connections with customers -- and for many businesses, tweeting and blogging are no longer optional tools for generating buzz. As such, the rising importance of social networking as part of any marketing plan has brought about a new demand for online-savvy freelancers who know how to effectively write and distribute business communiques at a rapid pace.Because of its speed and simplicity, Twitter -- the popular microblogging service started by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone in 2006 -- has become a preferred option for many companies. While some hire social-media gurus in-house, others are enlisting the help of a growing corps of freelancers who have taken advantage of an emerging market for independent "tweeters" and have built lucrative businesses on the art of the 140 character burst.
Because social-media mercenaries are such a new concept, pay rates have still not stabilized -- while some make just a few hundred dollars at a time on side projects, other full-time consultants can pull in six figures a year. The point is, money is being spent and money is being made in the Twittersphere.
Keri Jaehnig, owner of Ohio-based Culturally Connected, started pitching her services as a freelance tweeter a couple years ago, when she noticed that businesses in the recession needed to launch marketing campaigns on tighter budgets. "Becoming a freelance tweeter evolved from my work with e-mail marketing and public relations efforts with nonprofits and small businesses," she says. "As the economy slowed down, it became more apparent how e-mail marketing and social media can really link together."
"As a less expensive route, social media will continue to increase," Jaehnig says. "The importance of Twitter will only become greater." In May, she attended Social Media Success Summit, an annual event designed to inform and educate marketers and business owners about the power of social media. She learned that despite the recession and the relative newness of Twitter, 32 percent of Twitter users say their financial situation has improved over the past year versus 18 percent of non-users, showing that social media is a space where many freelance writers and marketing experts can carve a lucrative service niche. In 2010, Twitter services have made up 50 to 60 percent of her company's revenue, up 16 percent from 2009.
Kristen Ruby of Westchester, N.Y.-based Ruby Media Group started tweeting for others soon after graduating from Boston University and finding that new media provided the most promising job options in a challenging economy. "I was hired straight out of college in 2009, working for a company as a new-media specialist," she says. "My job was to create a Facebook fan page for the company and build up a Twitter following. After building a following of over 1,000 international clients, I realized there was high demand for this and ultimately left to create my own company." Her services now include tweeting, Facebook and blog posting, LinkedIn bio writing and more.
Ruby notes that the market for freelance social media experts is so strong because Web 2.0's cheap, highly personalized marketing techniques have made traditional marketing plans obsolete. "Social media has evolved into a cost-effective strategy in reaching out to targeted audiences and beyond. The key to social media is to identify your target audience beforehand and engage them in an industry-based dialogue." Ruby's goal is to work with companies to get audience attention through tweeting and other strategies and interact with their customers. She also provides advice for company leaders about how to rethink their marketing plans and embrace the power Twitter and other social networking sites have to build brands.
Jaehnig and Ruby both see careful marketing as an essential part of setting themselves up as social-media experts. Jaehnig has followed a rigorous but organic marketing process from the beginning that focuses on being local, community-oriented and highly personal. "I included information in my e-mail newsletters and also went a few traditional routes and hung fliers on community bulletin boards and ran a few newspaper ads," she says. "At the time, I began offering the tweeting service, I re-branded and put a new logo on business cards that let people know the services I offer, including social-media management."
Like Jaehnig, Ruby mixes up her marketing strategies to reach a wide roster of potential clients. But most importantly, she emphasizes that her goal is to manage each client's "social brand." She highlights her expertise as the provider of comprehensive, long-term services for her clients. "We package tweeting a brand with Facebook posting, LinkedIn assistance and general Web 2.0 social-brand management," she says. "We essentially act as our clients' virtual chief social media officers."
Determining rates is important for every freelance tweeter. Ruby has set up her company like an agency and works as a consultant on a retainer basis. Jaehnig has watched the marketplace and her competitors carefully since she started and also focuses less on cost and more on the benefits she provides clients. "I did a bit of competitive research," she says. "I took a look at what others were charging for social-media services, both locally and nationally. Due to my geographic location, I have to be very price-conscious. However, I made the decision to package my services as an all-inclusive format to offer the best value to my clients. Quality service will always make a difference, and I want to build trust with my clients. I want them to know I have their business and their bottom line in mind."
So what advice would Jaehnig and Ruby offer other prospective freelance tweeters and social media experts? Ruby feels ethics are critical to anyone who wants to ghostwrite for a company: "If a company hires me and does not provide me with an internal contact to tweet with and receive corporate information from on a daily basis, I will most likely turn down the business, as I don't want to misrepresent the company," she says. "But I realize that a consultant can only know so much about what is going on inside a company without being there on a daily basis. I think this is one of the biggest problems that will arise with companies outsourcing tweeting if they are not careful. There need to be strict guidelines in place for this, because we are essentially representing their brand online."
Jaehnig says education is critical for entrepreneurial tweeters. "Take the time to educate yourself on social media trends," she says. "Find a way to take a class or series of classes, so you have the right information."
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Another - wish I'd thought of that. I'm a medical transcriptionist with a wpm of appx 140, & a couple minutes of spare time each day. I'm available to tweet - anyone looking to hire?
An A in college level computer programming class from 1975 is meaningless nowadays because print cards are no longer available. With Carpal Tunnel now and other health issues without any work income but thousands of dollars of medical bills to paid because I am not old enough to qualify for Medicare nor poor enough to qualify for MediCal. I am on the edge of needing to sell my seven years old laptop and discontinue with the dial up internet service without a cell phone, in order to live on and NOT be stressed by unable to catch up with the technology without any income for almost two years now due to illness and unemployable due to weakness and aches and pain. How can I finance a new wireless laptop to run a voice recognition software to type for me without any income but thousands of dollars of medical bills and health insurance to maintain my health?
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TO JC 8-07-2010 2:59PM
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How sad that we create NOTHING..We tweet, twitter and text our way to NOWHERE. Perhaps it's only function is to keep yute busy but unfortunately yute want to drive when they tweet, twitter and text. Aren't yute special?
TO vallee 8-03-2010 9:33AM
If you are a medical transcriptionist, you should start blogging on your own. That's the best way to get noticed. If you're any good at it, maybe someone will see you & ask you to join their company. But you should get started on your own & create your own company first. Organize your blog & get going.
If no one picks you up, look at getting some sponsors for your blog. If you're not into medicine, blog about something you like/love. This way, you'll work at something that makes sense every morning you wake up.
But start that blog today!! You never know who's reading on the internet.
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