Whether you are a freelancer or a business owner, it is always good to use different methods when seeking clients or freelancers. One method for this is social media. Therefore, in this article, we are going to show you how to use this method and how important social media is in our country.

Social media has become an inevitable part of our personal and business lives. According to Statista.com, in 2017, daily social media usage of global internet users amounted to 135 minutes per day, up from 126 daily minutes in the previous year. So overall people spend over two hours per day of their lives on social media. Knowing its huge impact on users has lead to more and more professionals joining these platforms.

As it is a time-consuming process and there are many social media platforms, it is hard to know which one you should be using as a freelancer and a business owner. So, which social media platform should you choose?

The Freelancing.hk team has researched the most suitable social media platforms in Hong Kong:

1) Facebook with 75%
2) WhatsApp with 74%
3) Youtube with 73%
4) Instagram with 45%
5) Facebook Messenger with 45%
6) WeChat with 44% (owned by Tencent)
7) Google+ with 32%
8) Line with 27%
9) Skype with 23%
10) Twitter with 19%
11) Sina Weibo 18%
12) LinkedIn with 16%
(Source: SCMP, Statista)

Although Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube seem to be the most used by Hong Kong citizens, Facebook and LinkedIn are the social media platforms which most freelancers and their clients utilise (for B2B) according to the Payoneer’s report. Because of this, the Freelancing.hk team suggest that you might active on both Facebook and LinkedIn professionally.

If you do not know how to use social media for your marketing tasks, here are some suggestions for you.


Suggestions specifically for freelancers

1) Groups: There are various groups created for specific type of person on many social media platforms. One of these groups are the ones which are created only for freelancers. In these groups, there are not only freelancers but also clients who are looking for contractors. Try to become a member of these groups which will increase your chances of finding a client and connecting with other freelancers.

2) Create content: You have to use your social media page effectively and professionally. Sometimes being part of groups is not enough to find clients. Therefore, you have to show your experience by creating content and sharing it on your page as a freelancer. As you should be careful when creating your content, here are some of our top tips. Your content should always answer the questions below:

a) What kind of content will you share?
b) How often will you share content?
c) What will be your target segment for each piece of content?
d) How will you share your content?

3) Invest in advertisements: Although many people see advertising on social media as redundant, it is the easiest way to reach your target group. You can increase your number of clients by directing them to a page where they can get information about your services or you can wait for the right freelancer to apply for your job advertisement. You can also track the results and tailor the next advertisement you post accordingly.

4) Review your clients’ and competitors’ accounts: One of the reasons that you are on social media is that both your clients and your competitors are actively using these platforms. Therefore, it is paramount that you consider both your clients’ and your competitors’ business accounts when creating your social media marketing plan. It is a crucial indicator to know what kind of shares your competitors receive and what kind of posts your clients prefer. This way, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors while offering products and services to meet your clients’ expectations.


Suggestions for specifically for business owners

1) Set your social media goals and objectives: Try to follow the SMART framework while setting your goals and objectives for social media. Be specific, measurable, assignable, relevant and time-based.

2) Learn from your competitors: What do your competitors do? Learn from what others have done successfully thus far. Evaluate your competitor´s strengths and weaknesses relative to your own. A competitor analysis can give you insights about what is working and what is not working for similar businesses.

3) Decide which platforms are right for you: You can use the data above to decide about the right platform for your business but keep in mind that, these statistics are just an overview. It’s important to understand how to reach your specific audience. In order to reach your specific audience, you have to know your audience better than anyone.

4) Know your audience: Identify your audience by asking questions like:

a) Which age groups do you reach?
b) What are their common values?
c) What are their common pain points?
d) What are the solutions?
e) Which type of content works best?

You can increase or decrease the number of questions you would like to answer. The point here is to reach your target group by asking specific questions about them.

5) Create a calendar: Plan your social media activities monthly for solid results. Create strategies in order to get better results with less time and effort.