What is social and community marketing?
Social and community marketing covers everything a business does to build an audience, run campaigns, and drive sales through social platforms and the communities around a brand, rather than through traditional ads or SEO. It spans day-to-day content and engagement, paid influencer partnerships, affiliate and referral programs, dedicated community spaces, selling directly inside social apps, and sourcing authentic customer-made content. These are related but distinct skill sets. A freelancer who’s strong at running a Discord community isn’t necessarily the right hire for negotiating an affiliate commission structure, which is why Osdire splits this into six specific services rather than one general listing.
Browse social and community marketing services.
Each service below solves a different problem. Pick the one that matches what you actually need, not just the closest-sounding title.
Social Media Marketing
Ongoing content strategy, posting, and paid promotion across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to grow followers, engagement, and brand visibility. This is the right starting point if you need general day-to-day social presence and growth rather than one specific campaign type.
Browse Social Media Marketing freelancersInfluencer Marketing
Sourcing, negotiating with, and managing creators or influencers to promote your product to their existing audience, usually for a fee, free product, or affiliate commission. Choose this when you want a third party’s audience and credibility, not your own brand account growth.
Browse Influencer Marketing freelancersAffiliate Marketing
Setting up and running a referral program where partners earn a commission for sales they generate, including recruiting affiliates, setting commission structures, and tracking performance. Choose this when you want performance-based promotion where you only pay for results.
Browse Affiliate Marketing freelancersOnline Communities
Building and moderating a dedicated space for your customers or fans, such as a Discord server, Facebook Group, or branded forum, including setting rules, driving engagement, and handling moderation. Choose this when you want a retention and loyalty space, not a promotional channel.
Browse Online Communities, freelancersSocial Commerce
Setting up and optimizing direct-selling features inside social platforms, such as shoppable posts, Instagram or TikTok Shop, and social storefronts, so customers can buy without leaving the app. Choose this when your goal is direct sales through social, not just awareness.
Browse Social Commerce, freelancersUGC Marketing
Sourcing or producing user-generated-style content, real customers or creators making authentic, unpolished content about your product, for use in your own ads and social posts. Choose this when you need authentic-feeling content, not a polished brand campaign.
Browse UGC Marketing freelancers.Which service do you actually need?
Since these six overlap in some buyers’ minds, here’s a quick way to tell them apart by goal:
- Want ongoing content and growth on your own social accounts? Social Media Marketing.
- Want someone else’s audience to promote to, in exchange for pay or product? Influencer Marketing.
- Want to only pay when a sale actually happens? Affiliate Marketing.
- Want a space where your existing customers hang out and engage with each other? Online Communities.
- Want people to buy directly inside the app they’re scrolling? Social Commerce.
- Want raw, authentic-looking content to use in your own ads? UGC Marketing.
Many brands end up using two or three of these together. For example, a UGC creator’s content often gets boosted through paid social media marketing, and an online community is a common source of both affiliates and UGC creators.
How much do these services typically cost?
Pricing varies significantly by service and scope, from a single UGC video around $20 to $50, to an ongoing monthly social media management retainer, to a percentage-based affiliate commission with no fixed fee at all. Because the pricing model is genuinely different for each of these six services (fixed content fees, monthly retainers, commission-based, and per-project rates), check the specific cost breakdown on each service’s own page rather than assuming one price range applies across all six.
How to hire a freelance social or community marketing expert on Osdire
- Pick the specific service above that matches your goal, since freelancers specialize within this category rather than covering all six equally well.
- Browse offers on that specific service page, or post a project describing your goal, platform, and budget.
- Compare freelancers by relevant platform experience (TikTok versus LinkedIn versus Discord are very different skill sets) and past results if shown.
- Message your shortlist to confirm scope before you hire, and release payment once you’ve reviewed the delivered work or agreed on ongoing terms.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to hire for more than one of these services?
Often, yes, but not always at once. A common path is starting with one service, such as UGC content or influencer partnerships, and adding social media marketing or an online community later as the strategy matures. Start with whichever service solves your most immediate goal.
Can one freelancer handle several of these at once?
Some generalists offer combined packages, such as social media marketing plus light community management, but the more specialized services (affiliate program setup, social commerce configuration) usually need someone focused specifically on that skill. Check a freelancer’s specific offer rather than assuming a “social media expert” covers all six areas equally.
What’s the difference between social media marketing and social commerce?
Social media marketing is about building an audience and engagement over time. Social commerce is specifically about enabling and optimizing direct purchases inside the social platform itself. A brand can do the first without the second, and vice versa, though they often work together.
Where do I see pricing and how to hire for a specific service?
Each of the six services linked above has its own page with full pricing, how-to-hire steps, and FAQs specific to that service. This hub page is for choosing the right one; the detailed buying information lives on each individual service page.