How to Become a Social Media Manager

More than half of the world spends their leisure time on social media. This is why social media marketing has become an integral part of business growth. As a result, the demand for social media managers is higher than ever. In this post, we’ll tell you how to become a social media manager the right way. Let’s get started.

How to Become a Social Media Manager

Common Tasks of a Social Media Manager

As a social media manager, you may be assigned one or more of the following tasks:

  • Post scheduling
  • Profile setup
  • Graphic design
  • Customer service
  • Creating a content plan
  • Profile optimization for a better organic reach
  • Reporting key performance indicators

You can specialize in any one of these services and don’t have to offer everything at once. But, knowing about all these broadens your horizon, improving your chances of getting hired.

Skills You Need to Become a Social Media Manager

skills you need as a social media manager

Unlike many other professions, a social media manager needs multiple soft and hard skills to be effective.

Communication and Writing Skills

Effective communication is one of the most important skills you can have as a social media manager. It’s important for effective client management as well as dealing with the followers. Plus, your major job would be to publish great content. So, having exceptional writing skills can help a lot.

Understanding Social Platforms

You should also have a thorough understanding of the most popular social media platforms. This helps you land the right job and generate better results for brands.

Understanding Social Media Management Tools

There’s a plethora of social media management tools out there. Of course, you can’t learn every software. But, it pays to have knowledge of the most popular ones like Buffer and Later. These tools can save a lot of time by automating your workflows.

Creativity and Design

creativity skills for social media management

As a social media manager, you need to devise a content plan. This requires creativity. Having basic design skills also pays off. Platforms like Canva make this aspect of marketing less technical and labor-intensive.

Analytical Skills

Social media marketing should be data-driven. You need to be able to analyze important metrics and adjust your strategies along the way. The good thing is social media management tools do the heavy lifting for you. You just have to know which metrics to track and be willing to take action when necessary.

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Steps to Become a Social Media Manager

Get Educated

The first step would be to get a good grip on the core concepts of social media marketing. While professional certifications may not be necessary in every case, they can help build credibility. Plus, some companies do require that you have a bachelor’s degree, usually in:

  • Marketing
  • Advertising
  • Public relations

Explore different credible platforms like Coursera and HubSpot for relevant certifications.

Define Your Skills

Once you have a good grip on social media management, it’s time to decide on a specific skill. Define your exact service and set a price. Starting with specific skills helps you build credibility and master these areas more quickly. As you learn and grow, you can start adding more skills to your portfolio.

Gain Relevant Experience

Gain social media management experience

To get your foot in the door, you need to have some hands-on experience. Start by creating and managing your own social media pages. Next, to gain some practical experience, offer your services to a non-profit organization. You can also work at low prices at the beginning to hone your craft. This will give you the exposure you need to work with bigger brands.

Build Your Portfolio

A portfolio is the previous record of your work as a social media manager. When hiring, you will have to show your portfolio of previous work as proof. Keep a record of all social media management jobs no matter how small they are. One way to keep everything streamlined and easily accessible is by creating a portfolio website. A portfolio website lets you showcase everything under one roof. If not, you can use LinkedIn to present your previous work.

Build Your Social Presence

A strong social media presence helps you build credibility as a service provider. Work on your social presence and showcase your experience and skills. Share engaging content consistently and try to get more likes, shares, and comments on your posts. Networking with other professionals and hiring managers is a great way to put yourself out there.

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Create a Resume and Cover Letter

Create a resume that showcases your skills, experience, and knowledge. Keep it short though. A one-page resume is enough to present the most relevant information. As for the cover letter, personalize it for each job vacancy you’re applying for.

Apply for Social Media Manager Jobs

Once you have a great resume, start applying for jobs on relevant platforms. For instance, hiring managers use LinkedIn to find new employees for their company. In addition to responding to job posts, you can also use cold outreach to find new opportunities. Before reaching out, make sure your LinkedIn profile has all your important information. Plus, be clear and concise with your message.

Prepare for the Interview

An interview is the natural next step when you get shortlisted for a job. Prepare for it by researching about the company and your potential role in it.

FAQs

What qualifications do you need to be a social media manager?

To become a social media manager, you don’t need a degree. All you need is skill and experience. However, a relevant degree or certification can improve your chances of getting hired.

How can I start as a social media manager?

You can start as a social media manager by creating and optimizing your own social profiles. Offer your services for free, to non-profits, or at a lower rate to get your foot in the door.

Do social media managers make money?

Yes, social media marketing is a rewarding job career where you can earn upwards of $50k per year.

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How to Become a Social Media Manager: Conclusion

The demand for skilled social media managers is only growing, so it can be a rewarding career choice.

Here’s a quick recap of how to become a social media manager:

  • Get educated
  • Define your skills
  • Get relevant experience
  • Build your portfolio
  • Build your social presence
  • Create a resume
  • Apply for jobs
  • Prepare for interviews

Keep in mind that social media marketing is a constantly evolving industry, so you need to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. Connect and network with other social media experts to stay in the competition and keep learning and growing.

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Why Hire a Social Media Manager

If you have a small business, you just can’t ignore social media. It’s where most of your audience spends their time. However, people don’t primarily use social media to connect with brands or buy stuff online. They’re there to connect with friends and family and scroll through their feeds.

So, on social media, you’re dealing with a cold audience who isn’t yet ready to do business with you. This is where hiring a social media manager comes in handy. A social media manager helps you make your social channels a consistent source of high-quality leads and sales. In this post, we’ll talk about the reasons why you should hire a social media manager. Let’s dive in.

Why Hire a Social Media Manager for Your Business

Why hire a social media manager

Consistent Social Media Presence

One of the biggest benefits of working with a social media manager is that they keep your social media active. As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate, so it’s easy to put social media posting at the bottom of your to-do list. Consistent social media posting keeps your brand alive in the minds of your target audience. Not posting enough can easily make them forget your brand, or worse, find your competitor. A professional social media manager will know how to create a consistent social media strategy. Plus, they can create the type of content that attracts new followers and keeps the existing ones engaged.

Time- and Cost-Saving

Let’s be honest. As a business owner, managing social media accounts isn’t the best use of your time. Hiring someone who can do that for you effectively can save you a lot of time. The time you can spend on more meaningful work, like coming up with growth strategies. In addition, social media managers aren’t generally expensive, especially for the value they can provide. As a result, your overall costs are reduced as compared to when you’re investing your own time.

Target audience engagement

Randomly posting content on social media doesn’t work, even if it’s high-quality. You want your followers to think you care about them. And that you can only achieve with engagement! Engaging the followers requires a strategy and the investment of time. A social media manager keeps in touch with your audience. He or she can get into their minds and find their biggest pain points or desires. Plus, your social media pages are essentially a customer support channel, so answering any questions can help you save your brand’s reputation.

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Social media analysis

social media analysis

Post likes, comments, and shares are three of the most prominent social media metrics. But, effective social media analysis is much more than that. You need to use reporting and analytics tools to understand where you stand, and how you can improve.

This includes:

  • The best time of the day to post
  • The number of link clicks on your posts
  • The demographics of your audience
  • And more

Only a professional social media manager can effectively manage that.

Crisis management

Now that you know why hire a social media manager, it’s time to address the next most important question: What qualities does a social media manager have? Let’s answer that.

Qualities to Look for in a Social Media Manager

Before hiring a social media manager, make sure it has all the following qualities.

Good communication skills

A good social media expert should be able to communicate effectively with your audience as well as you (Or your team). Your social media channels are often the first point of contact with your potential customers. So, in order to generate more leads, you want to make a great first impression. For that, you need someone who can create a positive first impression about your brand. An experienced social media manager won’t let leads fall through the cracks by answering all their queries professionally.

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Creativity

creativity in content creation

Regurgitating the same content isn’t going to get you so far on social media. Your social media expert has to be creative enough to produce content that helps you stand out from the crowd. This is why creativity is a quality you should be looking at while hiring someone.

Analytical skills

Analytics is the backbone of every digital marketing strategy. Without it, you can’t know for sure if your strategies are working the way they should. Your social media manager should be able to analyze and track your key performance indicators. Only a resource who’s good at analytics can help your social media grow in the right direction, at the right pace.

Up-to-date knowledge of social media trends

The world of social media is constantly evolving; many strategies that used to work wonders are no longer effective. This is why you need someone to stay in touch with the latest trends and developments and implement a strategy that’s in line with the latest best practices.

Customer service skills

Happy customers act as brand ambassadors, automatically attracting leads and sales to your business.
But, although having a great product is a must, your customer service needs to be top-notch too. A good social media manager should be able to handle customer queries effectively, keeping them happy and satisfied.

When to Hire a Social Media Manager

Here are a few situations hiring a social media manager will be beneficial.

  • You lack consistency
  • Low social media presence
  • Need for crisis management
  • Need to stay up to date on the latest social media trends

FAQs

Why should you hire social media advertising professionals?

Advertising involves upfront investment, which is why it can be a bit tricky. You need an expert who has some experience running social media ads successfully.

Should a small business hire a social media manager?

Yes, if your budget allows it, hiring a social media manager can help you build a loyal following and attract more leads to your business.

What is the Role of Social Media Hiring?

The role of social media hiring is to find the right candidates on platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, conduct interviews, and shortlist the right ones.

Why Hire a Social Media Manager: Conclusion

If you own a business, having a solid social media presence is no more an option. And because it takes expertise and time, you may not want to delve into it yourself. Let’s face it. There’s a list of tasks you should be doing instead. Things that can actually move the needle for your brand. So, hiring a social media manager is the right thing to do.

But, while hiring a manager for your social accounts, make sure they can:

  • Effectively communicate with followers, existing customers, and you
  • Analyze your key performance indicators
  • Be creative and consistent
  • Can stay up-to-date

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