Are you curious about what it takes to be a social media manager?
Today, we dive into this one very important question
What is a social media manager?
In this article, you will learn more about what it takes to become a social media manager, including
- a job description
- skills needed to be a social media manager
But first, we need to answer another question!
What is Social Media?
Before we can answer ‘what is a social media manager' we need to define the term ‘social media'. Social media can be defined as
Forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.
Or better yet, social media consists of internet-based applications that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.
Social media applications include those that offer
- social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn)
- social news (Reddit)
- video sharing (YouTube)
- photo sharing (Instagram, Snapchat)
- bookmarking (Pinterest)
- podcasting (BlogTalkRadio)
- blogging (WordPress, Tumbler)
- microblogs (Twitter)
- collaborative (Wikipedia)
- customer reviews (Yelp)
- forums (Warrior Forum)
- location-based (FourSquare)
Why Should You Become a Social Media Manager?
There are many reasons to become a social media manager in this fast-changing industry.
From the standpoint of ‘is this a good industry to get into‘, we say this:
- the internet and social media has become part of the fabric of everyday life.
- Businesses know that it’s not just a fad for teenagers anymore and they don’t want to be left behind.
- Social media is an approachable, cost-effective way to start marketing online.
From the standpoint of ‘is this a good business to get into‘. we say this:
- Social media is more than cat pictures.
- Businesses need our help, desperately.
- You already use, know and buy things using social media!
- If you go freelance, you can work as much or a little as you want.
- You can work remotely from anywhere in the world, or in an office.
- This is a great time to get started.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
Have you heard the saying,
Social media is one big cocktail party?
You would be the party planner.
As a party planner/social media manager you would be
- Silent partner to the host
- Invisible to guests
- Making the host look good
- Handling all the important details so the host can relax and connect with their guests
In practice tis means that as a social media manager you
- Assist (or take the lead) in creating a social media marketing plan
- Coordinate and create content for all social media platforms
- Post on behalf of a company to their social media profiles
- Serve as their online customer service representative
- Present data analysis to show ROI
The most important thing to remember is that
You represent the client in their social interactions.
What Skills are Required to Be A Social Media Manager?
As with each profession, to be successful, certain skills are desired. We have previously written about social media manager skills in detail. Here are the two skills we feel you absolutely need to be a
- Basic understanding of all the social platforms, and willingness to look for trends
- Ability to naturally converse, enjoy being social
In addition to these two essential skills, the following skills are desired for social media managers:
- Helpful
- Inquisitive
- Understanding of online business and the role that social media plays
- Good eye for design
- Some proficiency with technology
Last but not least, basic understanding and proficiency in the following three areas of expertise will help your career as a social media manager significantly.
- SEO
- writing
- graphic design
Roles a Social Media Manager Fills
Social media managers wear many (party) hats.
These roles include, but are not limited to
- Customer Service Support – reply to customer inquiries via chat, messenger and social media comments
- Content Creator – create content including blog articles, videos, podcasts and posts for social media
- Branding Specialist – set and implement brand guidelines
- SEO Specialist – understand and apply basic SEO for web optimization
- Reputation Manager – lead the team in customer satisfaction and follow up management
- Outreach Developer – reach out to collaborators, community members
and the media to amplify the brands' message - Data Analyst – track KPIs and data to show ROI
- Project Manager – communicate with the client on all things social
Become a Social Media Superhero
Are you excited to become a social media
We at Social Media Pro have a proven framework to help you ditch the 9-to-5, start a new career or improve your freelance skills in one of the most high-paying, in-demand professions around. We invite you to check out our courses.
Once students enter our program, we offer online support to our students in a private Facebook group with direct access to our course creators, as well as our faculty. We produce new content for our students on a weekly basis as we provide weekly live hangouts with industry experts. This is an active Facebook group where students come to express ideas and suggestions and get instant feedback.
Whether you're looking for a rewarding job in social media marketing, or you're wanting to start a freelance business of your own, we can help you get started quickly
Social Media Pro provides online courses that train students in all of the skills needed to become successful Social Media Managers.
Our ever-expanding faculty ensures our trainings are delivered by individuals that are highly skilled and successful in their areas of expertise.
Not only do we teach Social Media, most of our faculty members have Social Media Management agencies of their own and provide a wide range of daily services for clients.
