Social media platforms connect people all around the world. Businesses use these social media platforms to connect with their target audience. But, since social media marketing has a lot of moving parts, they outsource it to professionals.
A social media moderator is a marketing professional who helps brands manage and grow their social media audience. If you’re considering becoming a social media moderator, this guide is for you. We’ll cover everything from gaining the right skills to getting your first job. Let’s dive in.
How to Become a Social Media Moderator
Here’s a step-by-step guide to becoming a social media moderator.
Understanding the Role
Start by understanding what tasks you’ll be responsible for as a social media moderator. Social media moderators are generally responsible for moderating the content and/or the community of a brand. For instance, you may be responsible for checking a post submission before publishing it on a brand’s Facebook page. Another responsibility is to constantly check comments and delete/remove the ones that don’t follow the guidelines. In short, the role involves “moderating” content and users.
Education and Qualifications
There are no strict education or qualifications requirements to become a community moderator. Brands and businesses mostly look at your expertise and experience and whether or not you can help them grow on social media. However, having a relevant degree or certification can help you stand out among beginners who don’t have any qualifications.
Gaining Necessary Skills
Here are the skills you need to get good at to become a successful moderator.
Communication
Probably the most important skill you need to polish is communication. As a moderator, you need to interact with followers and customers. The role also involves effectively addressing any concerns and conflicts within the community.
Technical Skills
As a moderator, you’ll have to understand how different social platforms work and effectively use the tools provided by them for marketing.
Problem-Solving
Managing an online community doesn’t come without conflicts. Every now and then, you may need to resolve conflicts of varying natures. Having problem-solving skills will help you navigate these conflicts effectively. If you don’t, the reputation of the brand you work with can get hurt.
Refining these important skills will not only help you stand out among other candidates, but they’ll also let you excel faster as a community moderator.
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Job Search and Networking
Getting your first job as a community or social media moderator can be a tough ask. There are a lot of potential candidates trying to get noticed for roles like these. Your first step should be to spice up your resume by adding your skills, relevant qualifications, and past experiences.
Create your portfolio and showcase your skills and experiences. This could be your own social media page or community. As you grow in experience, your portfolio becomes bigger.
Once you have a professional resume, write a generic cover letter targeting recruiting managers. Whenever you see a new job posting, customize the cover letter to that job.
If you want to get a freelance or remote social media moderator role, join freelance platforms, create an optimized profile, and start hunting for clients. Also, create a professional profile on job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn.
Probably the most effective way to attract clients and recruiters is by networking and publishing content related to social media marketing regularly. The goal is to connect with other professionals and business owners and showcase your expertise.
Join different social media groups and communities related to social media marketing and add insightful content. Publish content on these communities and position yourself as an authority on the topic. You’ll soon start attracting clients organically. In addition, you can also find decision-makers on LinkedIn by using the platform’s advanced search feature. For instance, you can get in touch with a CEO of a particular company and send them an outreach message.
Getting Experience
Probably the biggest hurdle in the way of getting your first social media moderator job is the lack of relevant experience. After all, most recruiters and clients want to make sure you can actually help them. And, the best way to do that is by looking at your past work experience. Thankfully, there are a few ways to get some experience.
Internship
An internship can provide you with a professional environment. You get to learn the skills and knowledge needed to become a professional social media moderator. Although you’re not paid as much, the growth potential in an internship is quite good. Find internships in your industry and work for a few months to understand the role and strengthen your resume.
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Volunteer Work
Another way to add some experience to your resume is by volunteering for a non-profit organization. Work with a non-profit solely to help them grow their cause on social media with your moderation skills. You’ll be able to strengthen your experience section of the resume automatically.
Build Your Social Presence
Building your own social media accounts and pages is also an experience you can showcase on your resume. Just make sure you have some concrete results to show to potential clients.
How to Become a Social Media Moderator: FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about becoming a social media moderator.
Do You Need a Degree to Become a Social Media Moderator?
No, you do not need a degree to become a social media moderator. Although a relevant degree may help you stand out among candidates without any experience. Your skill, experience, and portfolio are the assets that can get you a social media moderator role.
What Skills Are Important for a Social Media Moderator?
A social media moderator needs to have effective communication, conflict management, problem-solving, and some technical skills.
How Do I Become a Social Media Moderator Without Experience?
You can get an internship as a social media moderator. Or, you can work with a non-profit organization just for the sake of getting some experience. Learning the skill and showcasing it to potential clients through networking is an effective way to land your first job without experience.
Conclusion
A social media moderator is a marketing specialist who moderates social media communities. They’re responsible to keep the community striving towards its goals by interacting with members and resolving conflicts. To become a social media moderator, you don’t need a degree or even a certification. All you need is the right set of skills, which are good communication, problem-solving, and an understanding of how social platforms work. To build some experience, you can offer your services at a lower price or work with an organization as an intern.
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