Social media has changed the way businesses work. Now, staying ahead in a competitive environment seems impossible without using social media to better connect with customers.
In a world where 54% of social browsers look for products or services using social media, companies, and brands have recognized that they need social media experts like a social media strategist to build strong social media communities and effective social media strategies.
In this article, we will share what a social media strategist is, what they do, how you can become a strategist, and what the benefits of becoming a strategist are.
What is a social media strategist?
As the name indicates, a social media strategist is responsible for planning, executing, managing, and analyzing a social media strategy.
He works with several departments, from product development to the sales department, to improve a company’s overall social media presence and make sure everyone is on the same page about the social media goals. He acts as a bridge between a brand and its social media audience.
You can expect a social media strategist to be “everything” for “everyone” in an organization. They have their tables filled with ideas and walls with multiple sticky notes. They connect different teams with each other.
What does a social media strategist do?
A social media strategist wears many hats in the organization. Enlisted below are some roles and responsibilities that he plays.
Design a social media strategy
The primary role of a social media strategist is to understand the vision and goals of a company, and then develop a strategy accordingly. They find the right audience for their products, understand their needs, and find what makes them tick.
They create social media goals that align well with the company’s goals. They discuss ideas with team members and then formulate a strategy to achieve specified goals and objectives. When a strategy is fully developed, social media strategists execute and manage it using different social media channels.
Improve online presence
A social media strategist connects with his audience through different media channels. He does not solely focus on increasing the number of followers, but he equally works on improving audience engagement and loyalty.
Different social media strategists use different techniques and tactics to boost engagement. Short videos, polls, and storytelling are some of the most liked ways of improving social engagement.
According to a survey, 85% of companies consider short videos the most effective content. No matter what method is used, the main goal of a social media strategist is to create lasting relationships with the audience.
Conduct a competitive analysis
The digitalization of the world has reduced human attention span to only 8 seconds. Now, brands need to produce more quality and attractive content to gain audiences’ attention.
A social media strategist finds ways to stay ahead of his competitors or stay at least at the same level. He uses his analytical skills to understand current problems and find suitable solutions. He finds ways to fulfill the needs of his customers in the best possible way.
Handle social media content
Though a social media strategist is not a content writer, it is still his duty to ensure engaging and trendy content is produced on different social media channels. He works with content writers and content strategists to come up with innovative ideas.
Track a campaign’s success
A social media strategist works continuously on a campaign to produce desired results and learn lessons through experience. He measures the success of every campaign to make sure the performance improves over time.
If statistics show stagnation or drop, social media strategists conduct a thorough analysis of the strategy, and if need be, they bring amendments to their methods to stay on top.
Keep up with social media trends and the latest tools
A competitive social media strategist is a trendsetter who grasps every opportunity he gets to gain audiences’ attention. He does not hesitate when a new tool or technology is introduced. He tries out new techniques even when their performance has not been proven yet.
Track SEO performance
Social media strategists check SEO performance of the content from time to time to ensure they are using the right techniques. They improve the optimization of their images and text so that search engines can rank them higher and make them easily available to people.
Train new members
A social media strategist who has been working for an organization for years knows its needs better. So, he can help the company recruit suitable workers. In addition, he can train new members and ensure they understand their duties and role in improving the brand’s digital identity.
Social media strategist skills
These are the skills that a social media strategist should have.
- Ability to speak in front of an audience, both online and offline.
- Design images, edit videos and create social media posts.
- Write attractive copies, informative articles, and catchy captions.
- Provide a remarkable customer service experience.
- Understand the psychology and emotions of their target audience and create content that makes people connect with the brand emotionally.
- Ability to analyze and understand social media matrices like leads, conversions, traffic, likes, revenue, etc.
- Adapt according to the evolution of social media and the change in trends.
How to become a social media strategist?
If you are interested in becoming a social media strategist, you need to earn a degree in a related field and gain plenty of hands-on experience.
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Complete your bachelor’s degree
Although there is no specific degree one needs to become a social media specialist, you should get a bachelor’s degree in a field that makes you ready for the role. Fields that focus on marketing skills, verbal and spoken communication skills, and social media skills are more suitable for people interested in becoming social media strategists.
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Learn social media marketing skills
While earning your bachelor’s degree, you can enroll in social media marketing courses as well to learn more in less time. Many online and offline platforms offer these courses. You should get admission to one, so you can learn about social media marketing skills that anyone interested in starting a career in social media must know.
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Establish an online presence
One of the most effective ways of showing an understanding of social media to potential clients is to create professional profiles on different social media sites. Top social media strategists stay active on their social media profiles and project a refined and professional image.
Developing an online presence requires different steps such as:
- Formation of a business profile on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.
- Writing a concise bio.
- Using a professional photograph as a profile picture.
- Creating trendy, fresh, and unique content.
- Sharing content regularly.
- Keep updating your profile and learning new strategies, tools, features, and techniques with time.
Creating a social media profile will also help you interact more with like-minded people or people who are from the same field.
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Gain entry-level employment
People interested in applying for a social media position should focus on getting experience in digital communication and social media techniques. While a degree helps you get knowledge, hands-on experience is also important.
Internships can help you develop professionally and expand your professional network. In addition to internships, you can apply for entry-level positions as well. Employment sites like Glassdoor.com, Monster.com, and Indeed.com advertise social media strategist positions every other day. These positions can be part-time or full-time, and some contract-based positions are also available.
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Apply for a higher position
After gaining a degree and years of hands-on experience, many social media strategists will be ready for a higher position. Follow your preferred companies or brands on social media. Apply for a social media strategist job when you find they have a vacant vacancy.
Keep expanding your circle of influence and learning new strategies. A successful social media strategist never stops learning, no matter what his rank in a company is.
Benefits of becoming a social media strategist
Spend time on social media
An average internet user spends 147 minutes every day on social media. As a social media strategist, you will get a chance to spend a lot more time on your favorite social media channel every day.
Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve keeping an eye on famous brand ambassadors or influencers. You may also have to check the content of popular competitive brands to see how their audience is interacting.
All these things will give you an opportunity to spend a good portion of your nine-hour working day on social media.
Enjoy the creative freedom
Many clients give their social media strategists the full creative freedom to explore different forms of content, different social media channels, and new tools to create something awesome and remarkable. Being able to be creative can help you grow, gain experience, and learn something new every day.
Learn and improve your skills on your own
A social media strategist is multi-talented. He can be a copywriter, designer, editor, customer service provider, and photographer all at once.
Every day you will have to perform multiple tasks related to the skills mentioned earlier. It will help you gradually improve your skills and become your best version in a few years.
Make an impact on your work
Since you will be working with multiple social media teams at a time, you will get a chance to handle everything published on the brand’s social media pages. You will be in charge of displaying a positive image of the brand, helping it increase its revenue and make a name in the industry.
There will be times when you will feel proud of yourself for creating an impact on your society, bringing smile to your customers’ faces, or bringing a positive change to the brand and its revenue.
Interact with incredible people every day
Social media is the best platform to interact with people from anywhere in the world. You can find out what people are saying about your brand or its products without having a face-to-face interaction with them.
Many people will admire your brand and praise your work, which will undoubtedly help you improve your strategies and give people your best.
Enjoy multiple opportunities
Social media gives you endless opportunities to explore different media platforms and try numerous forms of content. Whether you want to try short videos, images, gifs, articles, or infographics, social media will let you test the impact of all content types and take advantage of the content form that shows the best results.
How does a social media strategist form a social media strategy?
Here are the steps that social media strategists take to create a successful and effective social media strategy.
- Look closely at the needs of the business and then identify business goals and objectives.
- Identify your target audience and their age, income, problems, demographic location, habits, emotions, likes, and dislikes.
- Research competition to see what others are doing and how you can stay ahead of them by producing better content.
- Identify the social media networks you are going to use to expand your audience.
- Design a content strategy that aligns well with your company’s goals.
- Make a list of resources you need and determine your budget.
- Assign team members their roles to initiate strategy execution.
- Keep an eye on analytics to see if the strategy is generating results that you have anticipated, or it needs to be changed for not showing desired results.
Social media strategist salary
According to Indeed, the average salary of a social media strategist is approximately $59,740 per year or $25.61 per hour in the USA. It can be more than this average salary if you work for a larger brand or you are a senior social media strategist.
Summing it up
Social media strategists focus on designing, strategizing, and implementing social media campaigns. Due to their social media expertise, they have become one of the most sought-after social media experts today.
If you are social media savvy, have good communication skills, and can handle multitasking, choosing social media strategy as your future career might be a good idea.