Managing social media account varies from individuals and it depends on the industry or the brand that you are working with, for instance if you are working for bigger company, your task will be less especially if you are working with an in-house marketing team. But if you are working with a small business brand, you might have more task to do.
Managing social media is a natural broad role which varies from one organization to another. In general what a social media manager does is to maintain a brand, industry, or organization’s social media presence which involves creating social media content, managing social media content calendar, implementing strategies to boast engagement and reach, and also engaging with online community.
The social media manager develops social media strategies, creates and oversees the social media campaign, produces content reviews analytics and also communicate with key stakeholders in the business or brand. The basic role as a social media manager will depend on the size of the company you are working with.
It is common for social media managers to at small companies to take on more roles than social media managers at bigger companies.
Role of a Social Media Manager
If you are interested to work as a social media manager, here are some task you are likely or required to do.
(1) Engagement And Follower Growth: As a social media manager, you are required to promote the company’s profile on all their active social media channels. You are expected to increase their numbers of followers and their engagement, for instance, likes, comments, shares.
You may have to create a written or visual post to achieve this goal.
(2) Developing Social Media Campaign: As a social media manager, your role is to create or develop social media campaigns that aligns with the company’s large marketing strategy. You can also repost a user generated content, mostly this is what social media managers in big companies do.
For example, a brand like Nike or Fenty would have user generated content by influencers or maybe customers. It will be your responsibility as a social media manager to repost videos which aligns with the brand marketing goals and these videos are referred to as user generated content.
These videos are created by creators, consumers or the brand customers which you can repost on your page with the permission of these creators.
(3) Analyzing Data: The social media manager also spends time to analyze data to determine how a company’s post and content are performing. In this case social listening can be used and this involves monitoring what social media users have to say about a brand or its competition.
(4) Reporting Vital Metrics To Key Stakeholders: Key stakeholders in this case simply means your client in the brand you are working with, like your marketing manager, digital marketing manager or someone superior to you that you are answerable to.
The company or brand you are working with, will likely want to know how the social media channels are doing, which will require you to report the accomplishments to your marketing team including the company you are working with. They will be interested in knowing how many followers they have gotten, how you’ve been able to increase engagement and also how you have been able to create content and campaign.
(5) Posting And Monitoring Social Media Platforms: Depending on the size of the team you are working with, you may be responsible for posting and monitoring all the content that goes out on the social media platforms which the company and the brand is active on.
It may be necessary to schedule your post and observe the responses of your followers. It may also be your responsibility to respond to followers’ comments and messages.
How To Become A Social Media Manager
There are various ways in which one can become a social media manager, below are some tips that might be helpful for you as a prospective social media manager.
1. Developing Your Skills: When it comes to developing your skills, there are two types, soft skills and technical skills. In the soft skill aspect, you need to develop your communication skills, time management skills, critical thinking skills, interacting with diverse audiences and managing a brand’s online presence requires these skills.
The technical skills requires you to learn how to use popular platforms like X, Tik Tok, Facebook, Linkedin etc. you also need to know their features, content format and the analytic tools that you will be using.
2. Content Creator: To become a social media manager, you will need to learn how to create content. You need to develop the ability to create engaging content in a variety of format including text, images, videos and stories.
It is advisable to take online courses or you can experiment with a free editing software to get started.
3. Staying Informed And Updated: Staying informed and updated in social media trends and news is very important. You need to stay informed about platform updates and this will help keep you ahead of the curve.
There are so many industry blogs, social media news websites, and competitor analysis which can provide valuable resources to stay ahead with updates.
4. Gain Experience: When it comes to becoming a social media manager, you need to have gained experience and how do you gain experience, you gain experience by offering your social media expertise to non-profit or local business.
You can also gain practical experience by offering your social media management service at a discounted price to small businesses. As a social media manager, you can consider offering freelance social media services to small businesses and individuals, you can build your portfolio and client base while you are testing your skills in the real world setting.
5. Build Or Develop Your Brand: Establish relationships with other social media professionals by attending industry events and also connecting online. The important part of this, is that you get to learn from others and also expand your network.
As a social media manager or someone intending to be, it’s important that you join social media communities related to your field, because you can gain a lot of insights from other experienced social media managers.
6. Create A portfolio: Creating a portfolio for yourself is crucial. It could be a website or a social media page dedicated to just showing your client results. A lot of people do that especially the graphic designers.
You have to make sure that your resume stands out, and don’t underestimate the power of presenting yourself well. Ensure that your resume and cover letter highlights relevant skills and experience that aligns with the company’s requirement.
In conclusion, it takes dedication and continuous learning to become a social media manager, but it can be highly rewarding. Following the steps outlined in these article, you are already on your way to starting a successful career in the dynamic and ever changing field of social media management.
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