Almost 4.95 billion people use the internet in the world, and more than half of them use social media channels to look for services, products, and brands.
Businesses and brands around the world rely on social media to increase their reach and revenue. Due to the prevalence of social media, brands now understand why it is crucial to have a social media manager for different social media platforms.
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn everything you need to know about social media managers. We have broken down the article into different sections, including social media manager skills, responsibilities, tools, education, salary, and more, so you can understand whether this career is the right choice for you or not.
What is a social media manager?
A social media manager, also known as the voice of the brand, is a person who represents a brand, company, organization, or even an individual on different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter.
They design a social media strategy while filtering, measuring, executing, and analyzing the social media presence of an organization, individual, or brand. They aim to increase the number of followers, execute successful campaigns, and produce quality content to help the brand improve its online presence.
Social media manager responsibilities
Social media managers are responsible for increasing a brand’s reach and awareness on social media outlets. They perform many duties such as:
Generate engaging content for different platforms
All social media channels have their own requirements. The content that works on Facebook may not generate the same engagement on TikTok or Instagram. Therefore, a social media manager analyzes the needs of each platform and then generates content accordingly.
Upload shareable posts at the right time
Each platform has a ‘best time’ to upload content. It is the time when your target audience is awake and scrolling through social media. The ‘best time’ varies from industry to industry.
Social media managers use industry-related data and conduct their own research to find the right time to upload shareable posts. They schedule these posts to ensure content is posted even if they are asleep or unavailable.
Check social analytics
A social media manager not only creates content but also ensures that the content produces the desired results. For this, they analyze public response towards a post to see if it’s working or not. They change their strategies if they find their content is not generating the desired output.
Measure ROI
They set smart goals for their social media campaigns and track their performance across different social media platforms. They use different tools to measure ROI and see if they are investing in the right place and targeting the right audience.
Design a social media strategy
Organizations need a proper plan and strategy to beat their competitors and make their own name in the industry. Social media managers know the value of planning. They first set achievable social media goals, write down tactics they will use to achieve those goals, and then track the metrics until they make their master plan successful.
Look for the relevant content
A social media manager creates content that reflects current world events. For this, they conduct online research and find content about matters that their audience cares about. This encourages their audience to connect with their brand in real-time.
Report achievements and problems to stakeholders
The company’s key stakeholders are interested in knowing whether a social media manager’s efforts are producing desired results or not.
That is why it is also a social media manager’s responsibility to keep the stakeholders updated about the achievements and major problems that the company is facing. This helps him get his team and stakeholders to trust him.
Social media manager skills
A social media manager needs to have the following skills in order to do his best in this role.
Communication
A social media manager must have strong communication skills to share his views and ideas on any social media platform or with any type of audience. He responds to customers in the inbox, shares feedback with teams, and communicates with stakeholders using his written and spoken communication skills.
Creative writing
A social media manager has impressive creative writing skills that he uses to get his brand’s message across on social media. He writes concise and attention-grabbing copies that evoke an emotional response in audience and connects them with the brand on an emotional level.
Each social media channel requires a different style of writing. A social media manager creates content that is quickly understood by the audience of each social media channel.
Online research
The social media world is constantly changing, making it necessary for social media professionals to stay updated. Like other professionals, social media managers also try to keep an eye on industry trends, new analytics tools, and how their competitors are using different social media channels.
Social media knowledge
One of the must-have social media manager skills is the knowledge of different social media platforms. You should know what time works the best on a particular platform, how to analyze social media metrics, which tools to use to optimize your content, how to make your posts engaging, etc.
As a social media manager, you can sharpen these skills over the years through experimentation and research.
Customer services
More than 47% of customers choose brands with good customer service. Customers often use social media to ask brand questions about their services or products. If they don’t get their answers on time, they may find another brand that is more active and always available. Social media managers make sure they are available to their customers 24/7.
Adaptability
The social media landscape keeps changing every other day, making flexibility and adaptability an absolute necessity. A social media manager must be able to test different tools and change things up according to the new trends and analytics results.
Social media manager salary
A social media manager’s salary depends on a variety of factors, including:
- Location
- Industry
- Work experience
- Organizations structure type
- Skills and qualification
According to the data, more than 26,000 social media managers are employed in the US. Their average annual salary is around $59,282, while their starting salary is approximately $40,000. The internet industry pays the highest wages to social media managers.
How to become a social media manager?
Here is a simple step-by-step guide to becoming a successful social media manager.
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Learn different social media marketing strategies
While many of us have been using social media platforms for years, we still need to learn about them more deeply to see how brands can use social media for business purposes. Most importantly, you need to learn how organic outreach, paid advertising, and SEO work on social media channels.
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Earn a relevant degree
Not all employers look at the degrees, but many prefer social media managers with a 4-year college degree. That is why you should try to get a college degree or consider online courses related to social media management.
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Improve your manager skills
Besides the industry-specific skills, you also need to master skills that can help you excel in your field. These skills include time management, communication, creating thinking, and analytical skills.
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Grow your social media presence
Build a strong online presence to show your potential clients your skills. Create engaging content, increase the number of followers, and get more likes and comments to display your expertise. This way, you will learn something new every day and catch the attention of prospective clients, as well.
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Get training
In addition to getting a degree or learning skills, you should also undergo training to practice your knowledge and new skills. Ask a friend or family member if they need any help with their social media business accounts. You can also enroll in online training programs or apply for internships.
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Increase your portfolio of customers
Build your business website and add details of the services you offer. Showcase all the work you have done so far for others. When people see the results you have generated for other companies, they will automatically see your potential, and learn how you can benefit their business.
You can also start working as a freelancer to increase the number of your clients and testimonials before you apply for a job you dream to have.
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Apply for social media manager jobs
Now that you have some testimonials, degrees, courses, and training under your belt, it is time to start job hunting.
The first place to look for a social media manager job is the internet. There are several online job boards where new jobs are posted every day. Some examples of these boards include Glassdoor, Indeed, American Marketing Association, and ZipRecruiter.
Search for jobs on these boards every day and apply when you find a suitable post.
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Open your own agency
You can increase your reach and work for several clients at a time by creating your own social media management or marketing agency.
The first thing you need to create a social media marketing agency is to select your niche. You can work for clients from a single niche or offer services to businesses from different sectors.
Once you have chosen your niche, start building your team and hiring people having different skills such as copywriting, graphic designing, etc.
Social media manager education requirements
Social media managers generally have a bachelor’s degree in a field that sharpens their business or communication skills, such as marketing, public relations, business administration, journalism, communication, or English.
Although these degrees are not always necessary, many employers prefer social media managers who have at least a college degree.
Best social media management tools
In this digital era, a company cannot rely only on one social media. Hence, it has to make accounts on different social media channels like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube. To manage all these channels, companies use various social media management tools that help them save time and energy.
Here are the top social media management tools you can use to improve your productivity and performance as a social media manager.
- Sprout Social
- Zoho Social
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- TweetDeck
- MeetEdge
FAQs
How to get experience in social media management?
You can start by creating your own business accounts on social media channels and testing different marketing strategies, tools, and skills. You can try working for people in your social circle. Let them know which services you are offering and how you can help them improve their online presence. Other ways to gain experience include internships, training programs, and freelancing.
How many hours does a social media manager work?
A social media manager has the same working hours as any other employee in the advertising and marketing world, meaning they work around 40 hours per week. However, they may work outside the standard 40-hour workweek if they have to attend meetings, or if important deadlines are approaching.
How to be a good social media manager?
The key to becoming a good social media manager is to keep improving yourself over time. Don’t ever think that you know a lot and there is no need to learn more. Social media channels evolve with time. Their creators often introduce new social media tools and features. You should stay up-to-date to improve your skills and performance.
Are social media managers in demand?
With over 3.96 billion social media users worldwide, industries are now investing in digital advertising more than ever, making social media management an attractive career option for many. It is considered one of the fastest-growing social media careers having above-average salaries.
Summing it up
Social media managers have plenty of skills that they use to help businesses expand their reach and boost their revenue. They can be copywriters, marketers, designers, strategists, and even customer service providers all at once.
Since many brands depend on social media to target diverse audiences, there is an increase in the demand for social media managers. Learn the social media manager skills explained above to get into this field and offer your services to clients worldwide via the internet.