Want to become a social media manager? Learn what you'll do in the role, what skills you'll need, what sort of salary to expect, and how to realise your goal.
A social media manager is typically responsible for setting content strategy and driving engagement on a company鈥檚 social platforms. To succeed in that role, social media managers must possess storytelling skills, an eye for design, and an ability to analyse what does well with an audience鈥攁nd what doesn鈥檛.听
Social media has become a key marketing area thanks to its ability to reach and capture customers while learning more about their needs, desires, and frustrations. And it鈥檚 widespread across industries. Companies, brands, non-profits, government officials, celebrities, and more have accounts to communicate directly with followers. This means working as a social media manager can lead to a variety of fields.听
In this article, we鈥檒l explore the responsibilities of a social media manager, the key skills necessary to do this line of work, and how to get started.听
Social media managers are ordinarily responsible for developing strategies to increase followers, creating and overseeing social campaigns, producing content, reviewing analytics, and communicating with key stakeholders in a company.听
As a social media manager, your specific responsibilities will depend on the size of your company. For example, while many social media managers at larger companies typically approve copy or videos rather than create them, it鈥檚 common for social media managers at smaller companies to take on more content creation.听
If you鈥檙e interested in working as a social media manager, your tasks might include:
Increasing followers and driving engagement: Boost a company鈥檚 profile on all active social platforms by increasing their followers and the amount of engagement (likes, comments, shares) they receive. Employers and clients may expect you to develop written or visual posts to achieve both.听聽
Strategising content and campaigns: To drive engagement, you鈥檒l be responsible for ideating (and sometimes executing) social campaigns that align with a company鈥檚 larger marketing strategies. You may also generate ideas for timely and evergreen content or repurpose user-generated content.听聽
Analysing data: In addition to creative work, you鈥檒l also spend time analysing data to conclude how a company鈥檚 posts and content are performing. This can include social listening鈥攎onitoring what social media users say about a brand or competitors.
Reporting metrics to key stakeholders: Companies want to know your work has an impact. So, you鈥檒l likely report your achievements or any problems that arise to your marketing team鈥檚鈥攁nd even the company's鈥攕takeholders. They鈥檒l probably be looking to see how you grow followers, increase engagement, and develop creative content and campaigns, among other metrics.听
Posting and monitoring social media platforms: Depending on the size of your team, you may take the lead on posting and monitoring all social platforms. So you may need to schedule posts and observe followers鈥 responses. You may also be responsible for responding to comments and messages from followers.
If you鈥檙e interested in becoming a social media manager, it鈥檚 a good idea to improve your skills in the following areas:聽
Writing: Whether drafting posts or crafting captions, good social media writing goes beyond solid grammar and spelling. It will be essential to hone your copywriting skills to develop compelling writing that fits into a brand鈥檚 story and voice and engages its audience.
Editing: Alongside writing copy, you鈥檒l likely need to review your team members鈥 work and ensure it's grammatically correct and error-free. Honing your copy editing and proofreading skills can help you develop the eye to reassure a company or brand that they鈥檙e safe.听
An understanding of social media platforms: You鈥檒l need to understand several social media platforms thoroughly. Knowing a platform's strengths, weaknesses, and user demographics can help you manage accounts successfully. Knowledge of the following platforms will likely be necessary: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.
An eye for design: Be prepared to communicate about images, infographics, videos, and more with graphic designers, marketing managers, and other marketing staff. Envisioning a post and then articulating your choices' business or strategic reasons will be critical.听
Analytical tools: Knowing what messages resonate with consumers requires an analytical eye and the capacity to research. It鈥檚 helpful to know how to use social media listening tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and HubSpot, among others.
Flexibility: Change is constant in the world of social media. New trending hashtags, algorithms, and platform features often require social media managers to think on their feet and incorporate novelty into their work.
Timeliness: News events can cause some posts to be perceived as tone-deaf or insensitive or otherwise overshadow your post鈥檚 importance. Staying on top of the news and the more significant online conversations can help you react accordingly and maintain an organisation鈥檚 brand.
Read more: 13 Key Marketing Skills to Boost Your CV
In the United Kingdom, social media managers make about 拢36,815 per year on average []. This figure represents salaries reported by Glassdoor users in the UK and reflects the midpoint of a range between the 25th and 75th percentile. As a social media manager, you may have an opportunity to earn more through bonuses, a profit-sharing program, or commission.听
As with most tech jobs, the field of digital marketing is rapidly developing, so workers are always in demand. A recent report from techUK projects the creation of about three million new jobs in the UK requiring digital skills by 2025 [闭.听
The path to becoming a social media manager may vary depending on your desired position. However, in most cases, it helps to have a qualification and work experience.听
Although it鈥檚 not a strict requirement, many employers looking for a social media manager require or prefer candidates with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Fields like marketing, advertising, communications, or journalism will likely offer classes to help you improve your social media skills.
To get valuable work experience, look for part-time jobs, internships, or volunteer opportunities that require someone with social media skills. While earning your qualification, you can look for part-time opportunities in your area using the 蝉别谤惫颈肠别.听
Keep an eye out for these entry-level job titles:
Social media coordinator or specialist
Social media associate
Marketing assistant
Social media analyst
Digital content producer
Experience with social media doesn鈥檛 have to be relegated to professional realms. If you volunteer for an organisation, offer to help run the social media accounts.听
And if you鈥檝e built a significant following on your personal social media platform, it could be worth mentioning to a hiring team (provided they鈥檙e appropriate to the job). Marketing yourself successfully can indicate a savviness that may translate to running a brand.
To find out if a career in digital marketing is right for you, consider taking a course in the subject. Brush up on your marketing and social media skills with the on 糖心vlog官网观看. This valuable course requires no prior experience or degree to enrol and features a near-perfect 4.8 customer approval rating.
Glassdoor. 鈥? https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/uk-social-media-manager-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN2_KO3,23.htm.鈥 Accessed August 28, 2023.
TechUK. 鈥, https://www.techuk.org/shaping-policy/fast-forward-for-digital-jobs-report.html.鈥 Accessed August 28, 2023.
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