Social media management is one of the hottest jobs out there right now! Many businesses, ranging from start-ups to household names, are searching for the right person to bring on board.
But do you have what it takes?
You bet! We’ll cover everything you need to know in this guide, including:
- What a social media manager is
- Why it’s an important role
- Five essential skills you need to have, and
- How to get started.
Let’s get straight into it, so you can put yourself out there ASAP!
What is a Social Media Manager?
A social media manager is responsible for all of a company’s online content. They run all of the social media pages for their brand, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, or personal blog sites.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
As a social media manager, your day-to-day responsibilities would include content curation (making and editing posts for social media), tracking trends and engagement, and planning and marketing online campaigns.
In short, you would be in charge of creating, maintaining, and growing your company’s online presence.
The Importance of Having a Social Media Manager in Today’s Digital World
Having a social media manager is absolutely crucial in this day and age. Social media is where customers are introduced to brands, products, and events. It’s where they look for reviews, get a feel for a company, and make purchases.
A business’s online presence is make-or-break for its success. Having someone responsible and knowledgeable in social media on the team is an absolute must. That’s why it’s one of the most in-demand jobs right now!
How Much Do Social Media Managers Make in 2024?
How much you make largely depends on your experience, your region, and who you work for.
In the U.S., the average salary for a social media manager is $72,874, and can go all the way up to $160K or more! In many businesses, these jobs also come with benefits and perks as well.
Source: builtin.com
Essential Skills for a Social Media Manager in 2024
While it helps to have a marketing background, you don’t need a fancy degree to become a social media manager. All you need are these five key skills:
Social Media Platform Expertise
Let’s be honest: you probably already spend a lot of time on social media! But to become a social media manager, you need to know a little more than just how to scroll.
Understanding Algorithms and Updates
You’ll need a good understanding of how algorithms work, and how they differ based on the platform.
Algorithms are key to ensuring your posts get shown to your target audience, and that they don’t get lost in the waves of content that are pushed onto social media daily.
You’ll also need to keep track of social media site updates, their apps, and even terms and conditions. If you fall behind, your content may not be approved, formatted correctly, or primed for the current exposure algorithm.
Content Creation and Curation
Making good content is key to success in social media management. You need regular, high-value posts to keep your brand in the public eye and foster good customer relations.
Content curation is perhaps even more important, however. This involves the sharing and distribution of others’ content as well as your own.
You’ll need to know what type of content your follower base wants to see. When carried out correctly, content curation can also lead to great networking opportunities and mutually beneficial marketing relationships with other businesses.
Writing, Graphics, and Video Production
Being a good writer will be extremely helpful for your career as a social media manager. You’ll need to develop appropriate and engaging text posts and captions that attract your desired audience.
Graphic design and video production skills are also very valuable. Social media management can sometimes be many jobs in one: you’ll need the skills to make excellent content, as well as promote it.
This is especially true if you’re working with a smaller team, where you are solely responsible for their social media output.
Developing a Consistent Brand Voice and Style
This goes hand in hand with being a good writer: you need to develop an online personality that consumers like and want to engage with!
You want people to view you as a friend first and a brand second. Working with other people in your business, you’ll need to develop a distinct style that suits your products and target audience.
- Social Media Strategy and Planning
Unlike casual use of social media, being a manager for a brand takes a lot of forethought.
You’ll need to know prime usage and engagement times, and schedule posts accordingly. Know when to capitalize on hot trends, and when to keep out of the crossfire.
Setting Goals and Objectives
One easy way to do this is to set yourself a clear game plan. Make small, achievable goals at first, and then work your way up to larger milestones.
Know your primary objectives from the outset, and don’t do anything without keeping them in mind.
Most importantly: don’t forget to pat yourself on the back sometimes! Celebrate your achievements no matter how small, and keep yourself motivated to keep on getting to new heights.
Identifying Target Audiences
It’s not possible to win over everyone on social media, so don’t burn yourself out trying!
Identify your customer pool, and target content toward them. Once you’ve got a happy and sustained base, then you can try and expand knowing that they’ll have your back.
Creating and Managing Content Calendars
Making an organized calendar will help you to keep on track with your goals.
You will want to post consistently across all platforms. There’s some disagreement on just how often, but the general consensus is no more than once or twice a day, and at least five times a week.
There are social media scheduling tools that enable you to schedule posts in advance, and this will help decrease your workload and ensure you post at peak engagement times.
However, make sure not to rely on this feature too much! You still need to be aware of what’s going on online so your posts don’t seem out of touch with current trends.
Analytics and Reporting
Another key responsibility of a social media manager is keeping track of incoming data (reporting) and using it to identify patterns and trends (analytics).
Responding to feedback is key in any role, but can be especially crucial to successfully manage social media for a business.
Tracking and Measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
You’ll need to monitor your KPIs to see how well your content is performing. These can be things such as exposure (How many pages did the content reach? How many views did it get?) or engagement (likes, comments, and shares).
Ideally, you’ll want to see overall consistent growth in these fields, though don’t beat yourself up if there are dips. Social media moves fast!
Adjusting Strategies Based on Data Insights
Once you’ve received and analyzed your data, listen to it! Numbers don’t lie.
Don’t fall for the sunk cost fallacy and stick to a project that’s performing poorly. Learn from your mistakes and use them to inform your next move.
On the other hand, if you see a strategy succeeding, capitalize on that momentum! Just one post taking off and going viral can mean massive exposure for your brand.
Community Management and Customer Service
With the rise of social media as a marketing platform, advertisers get something they’ve never had before: direct, real-time communication with their customer base.
While this may seem daunting, it’s really a great opportunity to gain insight into your consumers’ likes and dislikes, as well as build trust and positive feelings.
Engaging With Followers and Addressing Concerns
Don’t fail to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Engaging directly with followers humanizes your brand, and shows you are listening.
If an issue arises, make sure to address it head-on. This shows your willingness to own up to your mistakes and lets your customers know that their opinions are heard and valued.
Building Brand Loyalty and Advocacy
Direct engagement with your follower base leads to brand loyalty and advocacy. This means your customers are likely to stick with you in the future, recommend you to their friends and publicly, and defend you against haters.
This is probably the most valuable thing to come out of a great social media manager. Once you have a loyal and satisfied customer base, your brand is established as liked and reputable.
How To Get Started as a Social Media Manager and Succeed
Now you know what it takes to be a social media manager. But how do you actually go about it?
Enhance Your Familiarity With Social Media
This may seem obvious, but there’s a lot more to popular social media platforms than meets the eye.
It’s vital to learn the ins and outs of the algorithms and be able to succinctly explain them if you’re asked. Gain knowledge on prime usage times for your region, and track which posts get the most engagement.
If you’re going to interview at a specific company, get to know their current social media habits as well and think about what you would change and what you would encourage to help them grow.
Have some tricks and tips up your sleeve as well and you’ll be sure to impress!
Get Exposure
Get your personal social media going, and promote yourself and your skills. This gives you great practical knowledge of social media while earning yourself exposure to potential employers at the same time: it’s a win-win!
Don’t shy away from working with a variety of brands and doing one-off or low-paying jobs as you get started.
All experience will teach you something, add a line to your resume, and boost your professional exposure.
Develop a Portfolio of Your Work
Hiring managers will want to see evidence of the good work you’ve done in the past. Have a polished, easy-to-navigate portfolio that highlights your previous work and unique skill set.
It’s okay to include work that’s not directly linked to social media if it’s relevant. This includes marketing, graphic design, or videography work that you’re proud of.
On the flip side, you can also include social media successes you’ve had even if they weren’t done in a professional setting.
Just make sure they’re wholesome and show your best self (think a successful local fundraising effort, not that time you went viral for falling over at a party!)
Revise Your CV
Keeping your CV up to date and tailored for the job you want is a must when applying for any job, including social media management. Make sure your relevant skills are listed first and highlighted in your resume.
This means previous, successful experience in the industry should be the focus of your CV.
If you don’t have that, make sure to mention how unrelated experience will be relevant for this job. Good communication skills and time management are key for example.
Build Connections and Expand Your Professional Network
Don’t be afraid to reach out to others for advice or opportunities, the worst they can say is no, and you’d be surprised at how many yes’ you’ll get! Put yourself out there and make professional acquaintances in the field.
This is also where having a strong social media presence will help you out. Make sure your professional online profiles are active and up to date – you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you put the wrong email on your Linkedin! While you’re at it, make sure to invest in a professional email to match your brand.
Never Stop Learning
Social media is a constantly changing landscape, so you can’t take any of your knowledge for granted.
There’s always more to learn about the online world. Even if you’re in a bit of a rut professionally, keeping an open and expanding mind will help you become your best self while simultaneously developing your unique skill set. Here are some questions for social media marketers you can use to assess your performance and skills.
Embrace New and Emerging Trends
You’ll want to stay on the cutting edge of trends to show that you have what it takes to be a great social media manager. Trending hashtags, sounds, and posts are a good place to start.
However, ideally you want to jump in on trends early. Using your knowledge of social media, try and predict what will blow up and get in on the action before others do.
This is a great time to experiment and take chances as well before you’re the face of a brand and will need to be more cautious.
Stay Current on Industry News and Updates
Stay on top of trends in the industry as well! Follow all the big-name influencers as well as the pages of brands and organizations you’d want to work with, so you don’t miss any big news or opportunities.
You never know when the perfect thing will pop up, so stay in the loop!
Where To Find Jobs as a Social Media Manager
Job opportunities are often publicly listed on online employment marketplaces. It’s a good idea to turn on email or app notifications so you get notified as soon as a relevant job is listed.
Many opportunities are also posted on social media, so be sure to follow all your favorite brands. When in doubt, reach out to business or professional acquaintances and sell yourself! You know you’ve got the skills, so let the world know too.
The Bottom Line
Well there you have it: everything you need to know to become a social media manager.
We know you’ve got what it takes, so get out there and land the job of your dreams!