Social media is the go-to place for businesses of all sizes to reach their audience and build brand awareness. According to Statista, a whopping 91% of businesses use social media for marketing. The demand for skillful social media managers is growing, as is the competition. To stand out, you need to have a unique set of skills. In this guide, we’ll talk about what they are and how you can polish them, and improve your chances of getting a job. Let’s dive in.
Skills Needed to Be a Social Media Manager
Strengthen Your Basics
Start by working on your basic marketing knowledge and skills. Online courses from reputable organizations such as HubSpot, Google, and even Coursera can help you build a strong foundation. In addition, polish your communication skills by interacting with customers and prospects online.
Understand the Platforms
One of the first things you should do to spice up the “Skills” section of your resume is to learn the intricacies of popular social media platforms. This goes beyond mere understanding of how to manage a profile. You will need to learn how each platform’s algorithm and advertising tools work. Plus, understand what type of audience hangs out on it.
For instance, LinkedIn hosts professionals representing companies and businesses worldwide. On the other hand, Pinterest is more focused on people who like to consume visual content. This is where understanding who your target audience is will come in handy.
Mastering Social Media Marketing Tools
Tools like Buffer and Later make social media marketing a lot easier and more effective than it otherwise would be. Using a social media tool enables you to automate most of your marketing aspects. For instance, you can schedule a month’s worth of content in one sitting. This lets you work on your own time and take on more clients. In addition to that, platforms like Buffer help you move in the right direction by providing you with insightful data. In addition, learn the marketing tools of the platform to understand your reach, engagement, and conversion rate. New tools are constantly hitting the market. To ensure you’re not investing your time in workflows that can be automated, keep learning about new tools and automation strategies.
Communication Skills
Effective communication is key to attracting prospects and turning them into regular customers. You simply can’t be a good marketer without good communication skills. It includes everything from understanding your target audience and delivering what they want. For instance, a Twitter Tweet or an Instagram caption can only work if you know how to communicate your message concisely. In addition to that, you need good verbal communication skills to work in teams and collaborate on projects within an organization.
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Strategic Thinking
Creating engaging content is an important part of the job. However, as a social media manager, you have to think beyond creating engaging content. You need to have the ability to devise content strategies that align with a business’s goals. First, understand the goals of every brand you work with. Then, devise content strategies that can help that business achieve those goals.
The key to developing a strategic mindset is focusing on the long-term picture. Keep an eye on market trends and explore new marketing opportunities to help businesses stay ahead of their competition. A strategic approach also demands that you keep an eye on your key performance indicators (KPIs) and be willing to make the necessary changes when needed.
Compelling Writing Skills
Copywriting is probably the most important skill to polish as a social media manager. The profession demands copywriting in every aspect from writing a post caption to creating a powerful call to action. As a social media writer, you need to capture the attention as well as build engagement. And that’s not possible without to-the-point and exciting content. Plus, your grammar and spelling should be top-notch. Thanks to tools like Grammarly, keeping your writings error-free is easy and free. In addition, when you’re managing multiple platforms for the same brand, developing a consistent brand voice is important.
Understanding Analytics and Data Interpretation
A successful social media manager isn’t just good at writing captivating headlines, engaging posts, and actionable CTAs. They’re also well-versed in interpreting data and making informed marketing decisions. Your knowledge of different analytics tools, including the native platform ones, will help you track your KPIs. As soon as you have the data, it’s time to interpret it and make better-informed marketing decisions. For instance, one of the most important KPIs would be your traffic sources. By knowing your best-performing platforms, you’re able to focus more on what’s working.
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Skills Needed to Be a Social Media Manager: FAQs
Let’s discuss some frequently asked questions about the skills needed to be a social media manager. What are the Requirements to Be a Social Media Manager? When hiring a social media manager, brands generally look at their education, experience, knowledge of social media tools, analytical skills, strategic thinking, and writing skills.
What Makes an Excellent Social Media Manager?
A social media manager needs to be good at communication, customer service, creative writing, strategic thinking, and marketing.
What are the Basics of Social Media Management?
Social media marketing involves understanding the needs of your audience and creating content to promote a business. The goal is to drive high-quality traffic to landing or sales pages.
How Do I Sell Myself as a Social Media Manager?
You can sell yourself as a social media manager by networking in niche online communities. Other ways to market yourself include blogging, paid ads, and videos.
Conclusion
An overwhelming majority of businesses around the world use social media platforms to promote their products. This is why there’s a growing demand for professional social media marketers. But, although the demand may be high, it’s not easy to stand out among so many candidates. The right course of action would be to polish the skills needed to be a social media manager.