Are you fascinated by the world of social media and all the buzz surrounding it? Do you enjoy creating content, engaging with people online, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends? If yes, then becoming a social media manager could be the perfect career choice for you.
In this day and age, social media has become an integral part of our lives, and your business must use it to reach audiences of all sizes. As a social media manager, you'll be responsible for managing a brand's social media presence, creating engaging content, and driving engagement and conversions.
And most times your efforts won't be in vain, as the income of a social media manager can range from $50k to $100k per year, depending on their experience level and the size of their clientele.
Job Description of a Social Media Manager
The primary role of a social media manager is to create strategies that promote their clients' products or services through various channels such as organic posts, sponsored ads, and influencer campaigns. They must also engage with their target audience by responding to comments and questions quickly and efficiently.
To do this effectively, they must first understand their target audience by conducting thorough research using analytics tools like Google Analytics or Hootsuite Insights. This will help them develop an effective strategy tailored specifically towards their audience.
Once the research has been done, it is time to start creating content based on the insights gathered during the research phase. This could include blog posts, videos, or images designed specifically for each platform. After this,monitoring of campaigns is crucial to getting the right results in the long run.
Advantages of Being a Social Media Manager
Being a social media manager can be an incredibly rewarding job. It's fast-paced, dynamic, and offers the potential to work remotely. Plus, it provides opportunities for career growth. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that come with being a social media manager:
1.Fun Job:
One of the most significant advantages is that it’s fun, especially when you are getting results for the effort you've put in. As a social media manager, you get to engage with customers on behalf of your clients in creative ways.
You also get to use new technology and tools as they become available, giving you plenty of opportunities to stay up-to-date with trends and strategies. Plus, if you love creating content or are passionate about certain topics related to your client’s business, this job could be perfect for you.
2. Dynamic Work Environment:
The world of social media moves quickly, and so does being a social media manager. This means there is always something new happening in the industry that needs attention from managers like yourself. You will need to stay informed on current events so you can respond accordingly and keep up with changing algorithms across different platforms such as Meta's Facebook or Instagram.
3. The Potential To Work Remotely:
Many businesses are now offering remote positions for their employees after the COVID-19 restrictions. For those who enjoy working independently but still want access to resources from their employers, this could be ideal for them.
Additionally, having more freedom over where one works allows them more flexibility when it comes time for vacations or personal errands throughout the day without worrying about commuting back and forth from an office every day (which saves money too).
4. Opportunities for Career Growth:
Working as a social media manager opens you up to many opportunities, not only within your current company but also outside of it, whether through networking or gaining additional certifications/training courses related specifically to digital marketing/social management roles (such as Google Ads).
In addition, companies often promote successful employees into higher positions after proving themselves capable within their role, which may include managing larger accounts than what was originally assigned. This creates room for further development, both professionally and financially.
Skills Needed to Become a Social Media Manager:
In order to become an effective social media manager, one must possess certain skillsets, including creativity, writing, photography and videography, strategy, computer skills, communication and networking abilities, customer service experience, focus, and adaptability, among others.
Let's take an indepth look at each skill:
Creativity:
Creativity is key when coming up with campaigns or content ideas that will help bring awareness to your client's brand or product offerings, whether through visuals like graphics/videos, written posts via blog articles, interactive polls/quizzes, etc.
All these elements should come together seamlessly while helping to tell stories that capture audiences' attention no matter what platform they're viewing them on (e.g., Instagram vs Twitter vs LinkedIn, etc.).
Writing:
Writing plays an important role in any form of digital marketing, especially when it comes down to crafting engaging copy that resonates with target audiences across various channels used by brands today (from email newsletters all the way through SEO optimized website pages).
Knowing how to create succinct yet compelling headlines and body text pieces designed to convert readers into paying customers goes a long way towards success here – so make sure to brush up before taking the plunge into the SMM world.
Photography and Videography:
Visual storytelling has taken off in recent years thanks to advancements made in smartphone cameras coupled with online video streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, etc.
As a result, the demand for high-quality photos and videos has increased exponentially, making knowledge of photography and videography an invaluable asset for anyone looking to manage clients' accounts successfully today.
Strategy:
Planning, developing and implementing strategies that help reach desired goals set out ahead of time is a critical component of any SMM campaign. Understanding objectives and then mapping out a plan of action to achieve them requires clear, concise thinking and the ability to think outside the box when necessary.
Computer Skills:
With the majority of work done on computers, laptops, tablets nowadays, proficiency in operating systems and programs used to perform tasks required on an everyday basis is of paramount importance. Those familiar with Windows, MacOS, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and other software packages relevant to the field stand a better chance of succeeding in the long run compared to someone just starting from scratch zero.
Communication and Networking Abilities:
Good communication and networking skills are an essential part of becoming a successful SMM since constant interaction between team members, colleagues, vendors, partners, suppliers, stakeholders, and alike is needed to ensure a smooth running operations and maintain positive relationships with each party involved.
Having strong interpersonal soft skills allows one to handle situations gracefully even under pressure, difficult conversations, or whatever else might be thrown in the mix.
Customer Service Experience:
Providing excellent customer support is the backbone of keeping happy and satisfied customers returning for future purchases. It requires patience, empathy, and the ability to resolve issues efficiently and produce results. Even the slightest mistake can lead to a snowball effect of negative reviews spreading like wildfire online, leading to a loss of trust and loyalty from end consumers. Therefore, having a background in customer service is beneficial to add to your resume prior to applying for the role of a social media manager.
Focus and Adaptability:
Lastly, focus and adaptability are two traits that go hand in glove. Without the first, you cannot prioritize tasks correctly. Without the second, you are unable to adjust to sudden changes in plans, protocols, or procedures caused by internal or external factors.
Whether dealing with an unexpected influx of orders during the holiday season, preparing to launch a new product line, rolling out updates to existing features, or maintaining a consistent presence across multiple networks simultaneously, staying focused and organized enough to tackle everything on your plate makes a difference in the outcome of the entire operation at the end of the day.
How to Become a Successful Social Media Manager
If you're looking to become a successful social media manager, there are several key steps you should take.
1. Build Your Own Social Media Following:
You can't say that you a manager of social media without have a following of your own. So the first step towards becoming a successful social media manager is building your own following on various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It's a good rule of thumb to pick your favourite one and grow with it; then you cans move on to more platforms as you grow.
This will help demonstrate your knowledge of the platform and also show potential clients that you understand how to engage with audiences online effectively. You should focus on creating content that resonates with people in order to build an engaged audience who will be interested in what you have to offer them professionally.
Get Trained & Certified:
It’s important that you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments within the industry so that you can provide quality services to clients. There are numerous training courses available both online and offline which cover topics such as analytics tools, content creation strategies, etc., which would equip you with the necessary skills needed for success in this field.
Google and Facebook offer certifications on their platforms that equip you with the latest trends so you can become a better social media manager.
Create A Portfolio Of Successful Campaigns:
When applying for jobs or pitching yourself directly to potential clients, it’s essential that you showcase some of your best work through case studies or portfolios demonstrating campaigns where measurable results were achieved via different tactics used by yourself or teams under your leadership.
By doing this, it not only helps demonstrate your capabilities but also gives prospective employers/clients assurance about their decision when considering working with/hiring you.
Network & Referrals:
One of the most effective ways of getting hired is through networking and referrals from people who already know about your skillset, experience, and successes within this field. Therefore, attending events related to digital marketing, joining relevant groups on LinkedIn, and engaging in conversations related to social media management, all serve as great opportunities where one can make valuable connections while simultaneously improving their brand presence among peers across industries.
Tools and Resources for Social Media Managers
In order to become a successful social media manager for small businesses, there are certain tools and resources that must be utilized to ensure success.
1. Social Media Scheduling and Automation Tools
Social media scheduling and automation tools are essential when it comes to managing multiple social accounts efficiently. Popular platforms such as Hootsuite and Buffer offer powerful features that allow users to schedule posts in advance, track analytics, monitor conversations, collaborate with teams, measure ROI from campaigns, and more.
These tools help save time by allowing you to automate mundane tasks so you can focus on creating content that resonates with your audience instead of wasting time on manual processes and repetitive tasks each day.
2. Content Creation Tools
Content creation is one of the most important aspects of any successful social media campaign – but it can also be one of the most challenging tasks for small business owners who don’t have access to expensive design software or professional graphic designers on staff.
Fortunately, there are several online content creation tools available today that make designing beautiful visuals easier than ever before – including Canva and Adobe Spark, which both provide templates specifically designed for use on different types of social networks (e.g., Instagram stories).
Not only do these platforms offer thousands of pre-made designs, but they also come equipped with easy-to-use editing capabilities so users can customize their creations without needing any prior design experience or knowledge about complicated software programs like Photoshop or Illustrator.
3. Social Media Analytics and Reporting Tools
Analytics play a crucial role in determining how well your strategies are working – especially when it comes to measuring return on investment (ROI) from campaigns run through different channels like Facebook Ads Manager or Twitter Ads Manager, etc.
To get accurate insights into performance metrics like engagement rate and impressions count, your disired platform's analytics is the first option worth considering if you want detailed reporting capabilities, which provide comprehensive data analysis dashboards which allow users to track progress over time as well as compare results against industry benchmarks. This gives marketers invaluable insight into what works best when targeting specific audiences via various digital outlets.
4. Online Communities and Forums for Networking and Learning
Networking with other professionals in the same field is key if you want to stay up-to-date with new trends and developments within digital marketing circles. Again, your desired platform of choice has all the network you need to start with. LinkedIn may also be an addon community if you want to take things more professional.
Challenges of Working as a Social Media Manager
1. Limited budget and resources
One of the biggest issues facing small business owners is limited financial resource, which means they may not have enough money to hire a full-time or even part-time employee to manage their social media accounts.
On the part of the social media manager, they may be limited in their campaign results due to limitation in finances. In a situation where an employer is unwilling to spend as much as they are advised, it becomes difficult to reach the desired goal for the brand being worked for.
2. Competition and Changing Algorithms
Social networks like Facebook and Instagram are becoming increasingly crowded spaces, making it difficult for smaller brands without large budgets for advertising or influencer marketing campaigns to stand out from the crow. The constantly changing algorithms mean that organic reach is harder than ever before.
This means that even if you create high-quality content, it might not be seen by your intended audience unless you invest in paid promotion tools like boosted posts or ads targeting specific demographic or interest groups.
3. Managing Multiple Social Media Accounts
Managing multiple accounts across different platforms requires an understanding of each platform's unique features as well as knowledge about what type of content resonates best with users there (e.g., video vs. images).
According to research conducted, only 18% of brands post more than once per day across all their channels. It takes time—lots of time—to craft compelling messages tailored specifically for each network while still staying true to brand identity guidelines established by the business. To top it off, maintaining consistent engagement levels across all channels isn't an easy either.
4. Handling negative feedback
No matter how careful one is when crafting messages online, there will always be people who disagree with something you say or do. And this has been a continuous concern for social media managers. As such, being able to handle criticism gracefully—whether through direct responses, publicly posted comments, or private messaging—is an essential skill that any successful manager must possess.
Also, monitoring conversations around brand key terms related to products or services is important to stay informed of potential threats to reputational damage so that action can be taken quickly to mitigate any impact that may arise.
Final thoughts
Though challenges faced in managing a small business's presence on the internet are daunting in many ways, the rewards far outweigh the difficulties encountered along the journey for those willing to work hard, stay organized, and achieve their desired results.
The question remains the same: Are you ready to become the next great social media manager?