The increase in social media usage has created numerous job opportunities for people. New job categories, such as social media account executive, have been introduced to help businesses manage their social media profiles more efficiently.
Social media executives use their expertise and skills to help brands grow their social media presence. They work on a variety of social channels or could be specialized in only one social channel.
Read the article to learn about social media account executives in detail.
Social media account executive
Social media account executives perform many day-to-day activities with a single goal in mind – handle and grow the social media accounts of the company they are working for.
They direct, plan and execute different aspects of the social media marketing strategy, including target audience, search engine optimization (SEO), brand building, lead generation, and conversion rate. Since they execute major social media marketing operations, staying up-to-date with new trends and industry news is their topmost priority.
A social media executive also guides his team in creating suitable content for different social channels and building loyal relationships with customers through fresh and consistent content.
Which skills do a social media account executive have?
A social media account executive possesses the following skills that show why he is the right candidate for the post.
Knowledge of different social media channels: Since one of the main roles of the social media account executive is to handle social media profiles; he should have knowledge of different social channels, so he can understand their particular users and fulfill their needs according to their specific interests.
Account management: He should know how to manage multiple accounts without causing any delays. Content should be posted on each account regularly. He should also check DMs regularly and respond to the message to let the audience know the company gives value to their words.
Social media marketing skills: In order to run successful social media marketing strategies, you should have extensive knowledge of social media marketing techniques. You should know how you can increase profile engagement and gain the trust of your audience.
SEO skills: SEO is required to improve the ranking of a profile or its content. You should be aware of the latest SEO practices, so you can use them to help the business grow more.
Competitive analysis: In addition to handling your profiles, you should know how to keep an eye on the competitors’ profiles as well. You can use a variety of tools to learn about their active campaigns and their results.
Content strategy: A social media executive should know how to design a content strategy that can improve a brand’s online awareness, presence, engagement, and credibility.
Data management: You should know which metrics determine the success of a strategy. You need to know how to track important metrics and organize the collected data in a professional way, so you can represent them to managers, stakeholders, and higher professionals.
Problem-solving skills: A social media account executive designs strategies. But, if a strategy does not produce the desired results, he looks for the real problem and tries to eradicate it as soon as possible. He provides timely solutions to problems.
Critical thinking: This skill allows you to analyze facts, observe results, and create a logical judgment about an issue. It is one of the most sought-after social media executive skills.
Adaptability: When a crisis or a problem occurs, you should always be ready to adjust your schedule and strategy according to the crisis. You should be flexible and ready to adapt according to the emerging trends or techniques.
Online research skills: A social media account executive works on the internet; therefore, his online research skills should be top-notch. He should know how to find fresh ideas, research markets, understand his target audience, and study the stats to enhance the performance of the social media profiles that he is handling.
What are the roles and responsibilities of social media account executives?
These are the primary roles and responsibilities of a social media account executive in a company.
Manage multiple social media profiles
A social media manager creates business profiles on different channels. He first researches the market and finds out which channels are the most profitable for the business. Facebook, with over 2.9 billion monthly users, and YouTube, with over 2.5 billion monthly users, make the best social media channel choices.
The executive creates profiles on such channels and then handles them to ensure the business meets its marketing goals with fresh content and effective marketing tactics.
Increase the number of followers
He increases the number of followers, likes, and comments to grow the number of customers and sales. A social media executive uses different ways to attract social media users. He establishes connections with the niche influencers to promote his content among their followers and gain their follower’s trust to convert them into his customers.
Post fresh content regularly
A social media account executive works with content creators like photographers, designers, and writers to provide them with fresh ideas and help them generate trendy, fresh, and unique content consistently.
He gets content from the creators and proofreads or edits it until it becomes perfect for the business profiles. He shares content on different social profiles and creates content calendars to make sure content is posted even when he is absent.
Set targets
He also sets monthly social media marketing and content goals. He divides long-term goals into weekly or daily goals. He makes sure these goals are achievable and tractable, so he can create a proper plan for achieving them, and then track their performance over time.
Design effective social media marketing strategies
The most important role that a social media account executive plays is the creation and execution of social media marketing strategies. He designs these strategies according to the goals of the company. He spies on competitors to find which strategies they are using and what their results are.
He uses his knowledge, experience, and the latest social media trends to design a strategy and ensure it generates the results he wants it to.
Track social media metrics
You cannot tell the effectiveness of a strategy if you do not analyze its metrics. In order to make sure you are investing money in the right audience, you should check audience response for a social media campaign.
A social media account executive studies metrics and creates a report of results to measure the strategy’s performance.
Learn about new trends and tools
Social media is constantly changing. That is why a social media account executive looks for new trends and tools every day, so he can add them to the strategy and catch people’s attention or gain their trust by sharing posts on trendy topics.
Which degree do I need to become a social media account executive?
You should have at least a bachelor’s degree to become a successful social media account executive. You can get this degree in a field that is most relevant to the job. Some examples of these fields are social media marketing, digital media, mass communication, marketing, journalism, and business. Having a master’s degree may increase your chances of being hired. Still, a bachelor’s is the minimum qualification requirement.
According to Zippia data, 86% of digital or social media account executives have a bachelor’s degree, and only 6% of executives have a master’s degree.
What else do I need?
Other important elements that employers consider while hiring a social media account executive are their skills and experience. You should know all the core skills that we have already mentioned above.
In addition to this, a 2 to 5-year experience can also increase your chances of getting the job. The experience will show the potential employer that you have already helped businesses improve their social media performance and you are capable for this post.
How to get hired as a social media executive with no experience?
Most employers hire social media account executives who have previous work experience. But, that does not mean a newbie can never get a job for this role. If you are smart, qualified, and skilled, you can still convince the employer you are the perfect candidate for this post.
Here are the tricks and tips you can use to get hired, even if you do not have any experience.
Address the problem: You can tell the potential employer that you have been spending the last few years learning skills and getting degree, so you can prepare yourself for the job in the future. You could not get enough time to apply for the job while completing your degree.
Give them reasons to hire you: Show the potential employer that you are a self-motivated, qualified person who is willing to go the extra mile to help the company achieve its social media marketing goals.
Express your work ethic and explain that you understand some events and projects require more work. Tell them that you are passionate about this job, so will be happy to work extra hours for special projects. Tell a personal story that shows you have important skills like critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, etc.
Create some experience: Have you helped a friend set up his professional social media profiles and get more clients? Maybe you have helped a startup business create effective social media marketing strategies? Don’t you think these tasks count as experience as well?
Share how you have helped some friends, neighbors, and family members set up their social media marketing game and achieve key marketing goals.
Create a tailored resume: Many employers do not pay much attention to the resumes of entry-level candidates. It is mainly because their resumes do not interest them.
You should be one step ahead of other newbies and prepare your resume such that the interviewer enjoys reading it. Add skills to the resume that the company is looking for. Write down the “how” part beside each skill to tell the employer how you can use a particular skill to improve his company’s performance. The “how” should match the company’s social media goals that you may find in the job description.
Research the company: Interviewers often ask candidates the questions like “why do you want to work for this company” or “what do you like about this company.” You should prepare an excellent answer to these questions.
Before you go for the interview, make sure you learn the names of the interviewers. Learn about them using the company’s official website or find them on LinkedIn. Research about the company as well, like what its motto is and what its future plans are. Use the gathered information to answer this question.
Make a personal connection: Do you have a friend or maybe a past coworker working in the same company? You can tell them you are interested in getting the job, and maybe they can put in a good word for you, so you get noticed by the interviewer even if you have no previous experience.
How much does a social media account executive make?
As of May 2022, a digital or social media account executive is expected to earn around $81,000 per year or $30.1 per hour in the United States.
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
| 90th percentile | $127,000 | $10,583 | $61 |
| Average | $81,332 | $6,778 | $39 |
| 10th percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
A number of factors determine the average pay of a social media account executive. Some of these factors include your qualification, work experience, skills, organization type, and location. The highest paying cities for the digital or social media account executive in the US are:
| Cities | Average salary |
| New York | $119,768 |
| Washington | $85,199 |
| Chicago | $84,156 |
Summary
The demand for social media account executives is increasing as more and more businesses are turning to social media to increase their sales and boost their revenue.
A social media account executive offers many services to help brands reach more people, increase post engagement, get more conversions and improve ROI. If you have a passion for social media channels and have learned the required skills, you should apply for the social media executive post when you get a chance.