Are you considering a career as a social media manager, but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place! Consider us your digi-marketing besties, here to help you learn how to become a social media manager.
Let’s kick it off with the basics
Before we even touch on how to become a social media manager, there’s no better place to start than diving into some basics – like what does a social media manager even do? Spoiler alert, it can get a bit complicated.
No day is typical for a social media manager. Not only that, but the roles and responsibilities of a social media manager working in-house for a company can differ greatly from that of one working in an agency environment.
In a nutshell? Social media managers are in charge of everything from creating, planning and publishing content, analyzing said content’s performance, community management, building relationships with influencers and creators and so much more.
If you’re looking to find out more about what these roles could look like, or whether you’re looking for an in-house or agency role, research is your friend! Hop on over to LinkedIn to look at job descriptions and follow or connect with other social media managers. You could also follow social media agencies or freelancers on social media to learn more. If you’re looking for even more, searching the following hashtags #DigitalMarketing #SocialMediaManager, #SocialMediaMarketing #SocialMediaAgency on TikTok can give you more of a snapshot into what a day in the life of a social media manager looks like.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, read on for some more practical tips on how to become a social media manager.
Upskill, upskill, upskill
If you’re going to take away one bit of advice from this blog and I personally think it’s the difference between a social media manager who fulfils the responsibilities of their roles and one that exceeds them and truly succeeds, and that’s to approach everything with a learning mindset.
Digital marketing and social media is such a rapidly changing space to work in, with new platforms, algorithm updates and new trends seeming to pop up faster than ever before. It’s important to be passionate about the industry and continually upskilling, because trust us when we say, there’ll never be a time where you can say you’ve learnt it all.
Most social media platforms have an abundance of resources and guides for businesses to use which are a great starting point. If you’re looking for some more in-depth training, we may have a few options up our sleeve with our social media training offerings. We’ve got all your options covered, with 1-hour Lunch and Learns, mentored learning or self-paced learning.
Become one with the social media world
While it’s important to upskill, it’s also important to keep up with everything social media. We’re talking the more “professional” updates like industry news and platform updates, as well as the general culture surrounding social media.
If you’re looking for updates on industry news and updates, here are a few of our favourite sources:
- The Digital Picnic Blog [sorry not sorry, we had to plug ourselves!]
- Social Media Today
- Instagram for Business or Instagram for Creators
- Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram
- Sked Social Blog
- Later Blog
This one may be a bit controversial [especially if you’re a fan of the digi-detox], but I think it’s pretty important to be a user on the platforms you work with. There’s a big difference between understanding the platforms and understanding how someone may use the platform. It’s also a great way to get inspiration and to see what’s trending. So here’s your permission to scroll away [within reason of course] – you’re welcome!
The age old experience problem
I know how frustrating it can be to apply for entry-level roles that are asking for what seems like a lifetime of experience, your kidney and your first-born child [trust me, I’ve been there]. That being said, I still think experience is really important when it comes to landing a role but none of this X number of years business.
You’re screaming at me, “how am I meant to get all this experience if no one will give me a shot? This isn’t great advice on how to become a social media manager!”. I hear you loud and clear and I’m here to say there are other ways of building up your experience to land that first role!
While I’d highly recommend looking for opportunities to manage a brand’s or business’s social media channels, whether that’s setting up social media for a friend selling ceramics as a hobby or a local sporting group needing some help, you can also use your own social media presence as a learning tool. Pick a niche and start showing up! Treat your own presence how you’d treat a brand’s and use it to prove to potential clients or customers that you know your stuff.
It’s time for some good ol’ fashioned networking
Would this be a blog on how to become a social media manager if we didn’t mention that networking can be the key to finding potential clients or employers? While there’s nothing wrong with putting yourself out there at traditional networking events, it would be amiss of us to recommend networking as a social media manager anywhere other than – you guessed it – social media!
If you haven’t already set up a profile on our new-ish love, LinkedIn, then what are you waiting for? LinkedIn is a great place for you to keep up to date with industry updates, connect with potential employers or recruiters, look for opening and connect with industry peers.
I hope you’ve left this with some ideas on how to become a social media manager. I’m pretty passionate about people starting out in this industry, so if you’d love to connect with me on LinkedIn, I’d love to hear how you’re tracking!
If you’re looking to build on your technical skills and knowledge when it comes to social media marketing, check out our different social media training offerings here. Once you’ve got your foot in the door, we’ve got some great templates here to help save you so much stinkin’ time – there’s a template for every part of your client’s journey!
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