How do you optimize your time and workflow as an SMO freelancer?

1 Set clear goals and expectations

Before you start working on any SMO project, you need to define your goals and expectations with your client. What are the objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, and scope of the project? How will you measure success and report progress? How often and through what channels will you communicate? Having a clear agreement and a written contract will help you avoid confusion, conflicts, and scope creep later on.

2 Use the right tools and platforms

Using the right tools and platforms can make your SMO work easier and more efficient. You can use tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social to schedule, publish, and monitor your social media posts across different networks. You can use tools like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Lumen5 to create eye-catching graphics and videos for your content. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or Twitter Analytics to track and analyze your social media performance. You can also use platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer to find and manage your SMO projects and clients.

3 Plan and batch your content

Planning and batching your content can help you save time and maintain consistency in your SMO work. You can use a content calendar to plan your social media posts ahead of time, based on your goals, audience, and events. You can also batch your content creation by doing similar tasks together, such as writing captions, designing images, or editing videos. This way, you can avoid switching between different tasks and platforms, and focus on one thing at a time.

4 Automate and delegate

Automating and delegating some of your SMO tasks can help you free up your time and energy for more important or creative work. You can use automation tools like Zapier, IFTTT, or SocialBee to connect different apps and services, and trigger actions based on certain conditions. For example, you can automatically share your blog posts to your social media accounts, or send a thank-you email to your new followers. You can also delegate some of your SMO tasks to other freelancers or agencies, such as content writing, graphic design, or video editing. This way, you can leverage their skills and expertise, and focus on your core competencies.

5 Review and optimize

Reviewing and optimizing your SMO work is essential to improve your results and learn from your mistakes. You should regularly check your social media metrics, such as reach, engagement, conversions, and ROI, and compare them with your goals and benchmarks. You should also solicit feedback from your clients and audience, and see what they like and dislike about your social media content. Based on your findings, you should adjust your SMO strategy, tactics, and content accordingly, and test different variations to see what works best.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?