How to Start a Social Media Side Hustle

Social media is as popular as ever: Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users globally, while TikTok has surpassed the 1.5 billion mark.

What’s more, social media is more than just a fun way to pass the time. As influencers and content creators have shown, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok can serve as effective tools for generating income and making extra money online. In fact, social media platforms are one of the cornerstones of a digital marketing side hustle and the digital marketing industry as a whole.

If you want to join in, improve your earning potential, and earn some extra cash, you may want to start a social media side hustle by managing accounts for clients or becoming a digital content creator yourself. Here’s how.

Step 1: Gain the essential social media skills and knowledge

So, you want to become a social media mogul—without all the fame? Running social media accounts is a great side hustle idea that may be right up your alley.

However, social media management is not as easy as the top influencers make it look. Running social media is hard work that’s equal parts creative and analytic, so you’ll need certain social media manager skills to do it successfully.

Of course, there’s the content creation. As a social media manager, you’ll have to create and edit high-quality photos, graphics, short videos, and more on every social media platform.

There’s also the data-driven side, where you need to learn how to interpret and react to changing trends. This requires a significant investment of time to stay engaged on the platforms, as it’s not just about interpreting trends but actively being involved to gain visibility into them. Using built-in analytics and other tools, you’ll be expected to determine what strategies are working and modify the ones that aren’t.

Step 2: Choose the right platforms for your side hustle

Once you’ve brushed up on the basics that apply to all social media platforms, you may want to choose a specialty. Your social media platform options include:

TikTok

If you’re interested in creating short-form videos and appealing to a younger demographic, you can’t go wrong with TikTok. This platform thrives on trends, music, and creative visual content, making it ideal for dynamic storytelling and brand-building. TikTok allows you to reach a global audience quickly, with the potential for your content to go viral overnight. It’s perfect for engaging users through challenges, dances, and snippets of day-to-day life, all of which can be crafted to showcase your unique personality and side hustle.

X (formerly Twitter)

 X is great for real-time updates and engaging in public conversations. It’s an excellent platform for sharing quick thoughts, news, and links, making it ideal for those who want to be involved in trending discussions. The platform’s hashtags and trending topics features can help you reach a broader audience interested in specific subjects. X is especially useful for networking with other professionals and influencers in your industry.

YouTube 

For those who enjoy long-form content and video production, YouTube is an excellent platform. It allows you to create in-depth tutorials, vlogs, and other types of content that can build a loyal following over time. YouTube’s monetization options, including ad revenue and channel memberships, provide multiple ways to earn money. Additionally, the platform’s searchability can help your content reach a broader audience, as YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.

Instagram

Instagram is perfect for captivating visuals and engaging videos. As a platform that highlights the power of imagery, Instagram lets you connect with a diverse audience through beautifully crafted photos, Stories, and Reels. It’s great for building a visual identity and brand, offering tools that enhance the appeal of your content, like filters and editing features.

Threads 

Threads, a text-based conversation app by Instagram, is perfect for engaging in more in-depth discussions and connecting with niche communities. It offers a more conversational approach, allowing you to share updates, thoughts, and insights directly with your audience. This platform is ideal for building a community around specific interests and creating a more personal connection with your followers.

Facebook

If you fancy yourself a wizard with older audience segments and text-based posts, Facebook is an ideal choice. This platform provides a robust environment for detailed posts, community building, and targeted advertising. You can leverage Facebook Groups to create a niche community or use its extensive advertising tools to reach specific demographics.

Instagram, Threads, and Facebook are part of the Meta platforms family, allowing for seamless integration between the two. This connectivity means you can accelerate your marketing efforts by sharing the same content across both platforms, effectively doubling your reach without doubling your workload. This feature is especially useful for managing campaigns and ensuring consistent messaging across your audiences.

Step 3: Create a portfolio website to showcase your work

Of course, potential clients won’t just take your word that you’ve mastered these platforms. You’ll have to show them by creating an online portfolio.

For that, consider going off social media platforms. With a user-friendly website builder like Wix, you can design a portfolio site that highlights your skills across platforms. Additionally, using a service like Hopp from Name.com, you can create a link in bio to easily direct potential clients to your portfolio and social media profiles, enhancing your online presence.

Along with a portfolio of your creative work, consider including the following pages on your site:

• About Me
• Social Media Strategies
• Rates
• Client Testimonials
• Contact

Fortunately, Wix offers over 500+ pre-made page templates, so you don’t have to be a web design expert to create a site that’s eye-catching and easy to navigate. To attract even more attention to your site, consider pairing it with a memorable domain name that leverages the stand-out nature of a unique domain extension like .social or .digital. Name.com’s domain name search tool can help you find available domains that align with your brand and services.

Step 4: Craft winning social media strategies

Now it’s time to fill out that website with examples from successful campaigns.

Clients at this beginning stage could be local businesses, colleagues, or even friends—anyone who might benefit from some social media support.

Whoever you work with, your goal now is to deliver results and satisfy client objectives. To do that, you’ll need to develop a winning strategy, which may look something like this:

• Determine the client’s goals and needs
• Do an audit of their social media
• Study their target audience and their competitors
• Ensure all accounts are professional and up-to-date
• Start drafting posts for approval
• Post on a regular schedule

Step 5: Build your client base

Develop a five-star strategy, and you’ll have no problem convincing brands to team up. Eventually, they’ll come looking for you.

But before you can get to that point, you’ll have to seek work. The easiest way to do that is to lean on your networks—both online and in person. Do you know anyone who might need social media services? It never hurts to ask.

Alternatively, you can turn to freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork. These platforms allow you to build your portfolio and eventually land larger clients. While they are excellent for getting started and gaining initial experience, they may not be the best for long-term success due to high competition and lower rates compared to securing clients directly.

Step 6: Take advantage of the top tools of the trade

As your social media side hustle grows, you may find yourself with less and less time. That’s where industry-standard social media tools come in. There are two types of social media management tools that can help you enhance your game:

1. Post scheduling tools

These allow you to schedule all your posts at the beginning of each week, enabling you to maintain a consistent online presence without daily management. This automated approach not only saves time but also helps in posting during peak engagement hours, regardless of your personal availability. Popular services like Hootsuite and Buffer provide user-friendly interfaces that support bulk uploading and calendar views of your scheduled content, making it easier to visualize and manage your publishing schedule across multiple platforms.

2. Analytics tools

To refine your strategies and achieve better results, robust analytics tools are essential. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer basic built-in analytics, you might need more detailed insights as your operation grows. Tools such as Hootsuite, SocialPilot, and IconoSquare extend beyond basic metrics, offering deeper analysis on engagement, audience demographics, and content performance. These tools can help you understand what resonates with your audience, optimize your content strategy, and track the ROI of your social media efforts. They also allow for comprehensive reports that can be invaluable for adjusting tactics and demonstrating results to potential clients or collaborators.

Start your social media side hustle today

Whether you see yourself as a TikTok titan, an Instagram icon, or an exceptional Facebook user, you can earn extra money online on the side—or as a main job—by picking up some social media skills. All you have to do to make extra cash from this online side hustle idea is learn the essentials, devise a winning strategy, and start posting.

And, of course, you’ll need somewhere to show off your hard work to maximize your earning potential. By partnering with Name.com, you can build out a professional web presence that attracts and converts clients with a memorable domain name, modern website and custom email address. Additionally, using a .bio domain can create a seamless link in bio, directing potential clients to your portfolio and social media profiles and enhancing your online presence.

Sources: 
Statista. Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2024, ranked by number of monthly active users.https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/