Drive Social Media Poject Manager

What'south a Social Media Manager? And How to Become One

Written by Coursera • Updated on Mar 9, 2022

Learn more virtually what it takes to succeed every bit a social media director, and the skills you lot'll need to become 1.

A social media manager is typically responsible for setting content strategy and driving engagement on a company'due south social platforms. To exist successful in that part, social media managers often need to possess a knack for storytelling, a bully eye for design, and an ability to analyze what does well with an audition—and what doesn't.

Social media has become a key marketing area thanks to its power to reach and capture customers while learning more most their needs, desires, and frustrations. And information technology's ubiquitous across industries—corporations, brands, non-profits, regime officials, celebrities, and more accept accounts to communicate directly with followers—which means working as a social media managing director can pb to a variety of fields.

In this article, we'll explore the responsibilities a social media director typically has, the primal skills necessary to do this line of work, and how to get started.

Social media managers are ordinarily responsible for developing strategies to increment followers, creating and overseeing social campaigns, producing content, reviewing analytics, and communicating with central stakeholders in a company.

As a social media director, your specific responsibilities will depend on the size of your visitor. For example, while many social media managers at larger corporations typically approve copy or videos rather than create them, information technology'southward common for social media managers at smaller companies to accept on more than content creation.

If you're interested in working as a social media manager, your tasks may include:

• Increasing followers and driving date: Boost a company's profile on all active social platforms by increasing the number of followers they have and the amount of engagement (likes, comments, shares) they receive. You may exist expected to develop written or visual posts to achieve both.

• Strategizing content and campaigns: To drive engagement, you'll be responsible for ideating (and sometimes executing) social campaigns that align with a company's larger marketing strategies. You may also generate ideas for timely and evergreen content or repurpose user-generated content.

• Analyzing data: In addition to creative piece of work, you'll also spend fourth dimension analyzing information to draw conclusions about how a company'due south posts and content are performing. This can include social listening—monitoring what social media users say about a brand or competitors.

• Reporting metrics to key stakeholders: Companies desire to know the work you're doing has an impact, and so yous'll likely exist expected to study your achievements—or any problems that arise—to your marketing team's and fifty-fifty the visitor'south stakeholders. They'll probably be looking to see how you abound followers, increment date, develop creative content and campaigns, among other metrics.

• Posting and monitoring social media platforms: Depending on the size of your team, y'all may exist responsible for posting and monitoring all social platforms. In that case, you may demand to schedule posts and observe followers' responses. You may also be responsible for responding to comments and messages from followers.

If you're interested in becoming a social media managing director, information technology's a good thought to ameliorate your skills in the following areas:

• Writing: Whether yous're drafting posts or crafting captions, good social media writing goes beyond solid grammer and spelling. Information technology volition be important to hone your copywriting skills to develop compelling writing that fits into a make'due south story and voice and engages its audience. before applying to become a social media manager.

• Editing: Alongside writing copy, you'll probable need to review your squad members' piece of work and ensure information technology's grammatically right and error-free. Honing your re-create editing and proofreading skills tin help you develop the eye necessary to reassure a visitor or make that they're in safe hands.

• An understanding of social media platforms: You'll need to take a thorough understanding of several social media platforms—their strengths, weaknesses, and user demographics, amid other characteristics—to manage accounts successfully. Knowledge of the following platforms will likely be about important: 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 stakeholders. Envisioning a post and and so articulating the business or strategic reasons for your choices volition be critical.

• Analytical tools: Knowing what letters resonate with consumers requires an analytical eye and the capacity to research. It's helpful to know how to utilise social media listening tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and HubSpot, among others.

• Flexibility: Change is constant in the earth of social media. New trending hashtags, algorithms, and platform features oft require social media managers to think on their feet and incorporate novelty into their work.

• Timeliness: News events tin can cause some posts to be perceived as tone-deaf or insensitive or otherwise overshadow your post in importance. Staying on pinnacle of the news and the bigger conversations happening online can assist you react accordingly and maintain an organization's make.

Social media continues to be a growing field. According to information on LinkedIn, the demand for paid social media skills rose 116.four percent, while the demand for Instagram skills rose 28.four percent since the onset of the pandemic [1]. The U.s. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that advertising, promotions, and marketing managing director roles are expected to increase past x pct betwixt 2020 and 2030 in the US [2].

In the US, social media managers earn an average salary of $55,117, according to Glassdoor (December 2021).

Learn more: What Tin can You Do with a Marketing Caste? 11 Career Paths

Becoming a social media manager often requires a combination of didactics and experience, though the specifics can differ by company.

Consider a degree.

Social media managers typically hold a available's caste, according to the BLS. Majoring in a field that will build your advice or business skills—similar marketing, journalism, or communications—can gear up you lot for the role.

Going to college tin also betrayal you lot to diverse opportunities where you may be able to gain specific experience in a professional setting. Apply your career centre'south resources to await for internships, volunteer opportunities, or function-time roles. Otherwise, try joining a social club and contributing to their social media efforts.

In that location's more than than one path toward a career in social media management. Watch beneath for a look at the career journey of Daniel Kob, an teacher for the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate.

Daniel Kob talks about his career journeying in marketing.

Become an internship or entry-level social media job.

Experience working with social media is a key part of condign a manager in the field. If you're short on experience, look for an entry-level position that tin can teach you the basics of social media marketing earlier trying to move into a managerial position.

Go along 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't accept to be relegated to professional realms. If you volunteer for an organization, offer to help run the social media accounts.

And if you've congenital a sizable following on your personal social media platform, it could be worth mentioning to a hiring team (provided they're appropriate to the job). Being able to market place yourself successfully can indicate a savviness that may translate to running a brand.

Getting started

Social media managers can act as an organisation's mouthpiece to appoint with the public and promote their vision. If you're ready to start learning, consider the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional person Certificate on Coursera—the first week is free.

Related articles

• What is a Marketing Degree?

• What Tin You Do with a Marketing Degree? eleven Task Paths

• What is a Social Media Marketer? And How to Become One

• What Tin can You Do with a Communication Degree: 10 Career Paths

• What Does a Projection Managing director Practice (and How Do I Become 1)?

• 10 In-Demand Jobs Yous Tin Get with a Business organisation Degree (2021)

Article sources

1. Marketing Week. "Steep ascension in need for marketers with digital skills, https://www.marketingweek.com/steep-rise-demand-marketers-digital/." Accessed December 14, 2021.

2. Us Agency of Labor Statistics. "Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm." Accessed December twenty, 2021.

Written by Coursera • Updated on Mar 9, 2022

This content has been fabricated available for advisory purposes only. Learners are advised to acquit additional enquiry to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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