How to Become a Social Media Manager

With billions of people using popular platforms every day, our daily routines have been impacted by social media. Moreover, as companies realize the power of reach through social media, the demand for social media managers has increased and has become an attractive career option for many.

If you’re aspiring for the popular job role, this article covers all the aspects of what is a social manager, the core responsibilities that come with the role, how you become one, and more. Let’s get started.

A social media manager job is one of the best digital marketing careers you can apply for. Social media's influence is commendable, as it enables online marketers to reach a large audience within seconds. As a result, social media management has become essential as more and more companies adopt social media to attract potential buyers.

As the name suggests, a social media manager is responsible for managing a company’s profiles on various social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. As a social manager, you can also work for clients, including influencers, celebrities, small-scale organizations, and various startups across different industries.

Moreover, being a social media manager is one of the best remote-friendly career opportunities offering flexibility to work from the comforts of your home, or anywhere you like.

Social media managers grow businesses through social networks by setting pre-defined goals such as increasing brand visibility, customer acquisition, and more. However, this role does not exclusively include the management of social media accounts but also involves many other aspects of the function.

The role of a social media manager entails managing clients' social media platforms, interacting with the audience through comments and direct messages, and managing the company's overall online presence. However, as mentioned before, the role has a lot more to do in a broader aspect.

Here are some core responsibilities of a social media manager:

Developing social media strategies and campaigns according to the defined objectives.
Working closely with the creative team to develop visuals and content for posts.
Keeping track of engagement on social media platforms and preparing performance reports.
Analyzing your competitors’ social media platforms to benchmark your results against them.
Consistently maintaining the alignment of social media activities with brand guidelines.
Keeping up with the latest social media trends, changing algorithms, and news in the industry.

Furthermore, the key responsibilities will also depend on the size of your company. At larger organizations, you might only have to collaborate with the creative team and give approvals for designs and posts.

However, if you’re working at a startup or an individual client like an influencer or celebrity, you might have to handle everything more often, including setting up their social media profiles, writing posts, and scheduling them.

As for every other job role, being a social media manager comes with its own benefits and drawbacks, which you should consider before making up your mind to apply.

One of the main benefits of the job role is getting paid for spending time on social media. Keeping up with the latest trends could be fun if you love to be on social media platforms all the time.

Moreover, being a social media manager gives you the power of creativity and storytelling with the potential to positively impact your audiences. The instant gratification boost while seeing engagement on your post is motivating and gives you the ability to measure your performance in real-time.

While it may sound easy and fun to become a social media manager, the job can get highly stressful to keep up with the pressure of constantly evolving with the ever-changing trends, changing algorithms, and more. Social media posts go through a lot of strategy and analytics, and sometimes they fail while potentially going viral, which could be discouraging at times.

Moreover, the fast-paced nature of social media platforms will require you to be on your toes every day to keep up with the big news in the industry for timely content.

As a social media manager, you can choose a full-time job or work as a freelancer or on a part-time basis. According to Payscale, a social media manager earns around $16.19 per hour and $56,816 per year on average.

According to the source, entry-level social media managers earn an average of $50,803 per year, while an experienced social media marketing manager with 10-19 years of experience earns around $72,109 per year. The report also mentions key skills like strategic planning, digital advertising, paid media marketing, and more, positively impacting the job's salaries.

a social media manager using his laptop and phone

Social media management is a popular and dynamic career option with limitless opportunities and growth. While having a strong interest in social media platforms is a prerequisite for the position, the career requires you to possess strong analytical abilities and a strategic mindset to develop new ideas constantly and stay competitive.

Further, excellent communication and presentation skills are necessary to convey your ideas to the client and collaborate with your team. If being a social media manager excites you the most and sounds like one of your dream jobs, these tips might help:

1. Get a Relevant Degree

While a degree is not mandatory for becoming a social media manager, a degree in marketing or business could help you get the basics right and set your foundations. Moreover, you will get an edge over other candidates while applying for the role in organizations.

2. Upskill With Online Courses

You can upskill yourself by learning social media marketing basics with free online courses and guides. Also, you can take up relevant courses or a full-fledged learning program on popular ed-tech platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and more.

3. Apply for Internships

Getting hands-on experience through internships, part-time jobs, and freelance gigs first would be beneficial for you to know what it's like working as a social media manager. With real-world experience, you can earn the necessary skills and build your portfolio.

4. Get Acquainted With Tools and Platforms

Become familiar with tools that can be helpful to accomplish your tasks like scheduling posts, reviewing analytics, monitoring your social media engagements, and more. We have an article on the best free apps for managing your social accounts to make your work a breeze.

5. Build Your Online Presence

Creating and maintaining your own online presence will help you explore social media platforms and practice your own strategies to see what works best. Try posting useful content with consistent planning to increase engagement and reach on your post.

As fun and exciting as the idea of being a social media manager sounds, the field is also highly dynamic and demanding. With skills like strategic planning, copywriting, and curiosity to explore ever-changing social media platforms, you can successfully build expertise over time and advance as a social media manager.