Everyone knows them, everyone uses them – social media channels. Nowadays, there is hardly anyone who is not on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at least once a day. Not only do we see posts and pictures of friends, but also content from a wide variety of companies. Companies are becoming increasingly active on social media to promote their service or product and build a connection with potential customers.
But what do the people who are responsible for these social media accounts actually do? At first glance, the job doesn’t seem particularly difficult: just upload a few posts and you’ve landed the kind of job that many people dream of. But unfortunately, that’s not the case! In this article, you’ll learn what skills you need to be a social media manager, what the job is actually about, and much more.
What is a social media manager?
A social media manager is the person responsible for maintaining the social media accounts of an organization or company. This includes creating and managing content, interacting with followers and analyzing results, as well as general social media management and social media marketing.
A social media manager must have a good sense of what works online and what doesn’t. You have to be able to come up with creative ideas to catch users’ attention, as well as be engaged to interact with followers. In addition, one must be able to communicate and report effectively to ensure that the work on social media meets the overall goals of the organization. Thus, a social media manager helps in expanding the company’s presence on various social media platforms.
6 skills you should have as a social media manager
As a social media manager, you have to develop the right strategy for each platform. You have to know how to interact with users and what content works best. You also have to create new content on a regular basis and make sure that your brand stays visible online. To achieve this, a social media manager needs to have some versatile skills:
- Data-driven worker: Data-driven refers to the use of data to plan and execute a company’s social media strategy. It involves analyzing data about the target audience, the competition, one’s own company, and the market in general. This analysis is then used to guide and optimize a company’s social media activities. So, one should be analytical and good with data.
- Strategic and organized work: As a social media manager, one should be able to develop and implement a strategy that will allow the organization to achieve its goals. To do this, one must organize and divide the work well so that the right priorities are set. This is the only way to ensure that the best results for the organization can be achieved.
- Creativity: Creativity is an essential part of a social media manager’s job. You have to constantly come up with new ideas to grab users’ attention and keep them happy. You also need to know how to present complex information in an understandable way. At the same time, one should be confident in working with different formats, as everything from text posts to videos goes on social media.
- Excellent writing skills: Since social media platforms involve a lot of texting, a social media manager must have good writing skills and be able to express themselves clearly and persuasively. This is necessary to attract the attention of users and make them take action.
- Sensitive to the target audience: A social media manager should have a sense of the target audience in order to create and share the right content. If a social media manager knows what the target audience is interested in and what they are not interested in, they can adjust the content accordingly and increase the brand’s reach.
- Adaptability: Social media is very fast-paced, with trends coming and going at lightning speed. Adaptability is therefore a key skill for social media managers because they have to constantly keep up with the latest trends and the needs of their target audience. They must be able to react quickly to new developments and adapt their strategies accordingly
Tasks of a social media manager
Social media platforms have different features, are used in different ways and are constantly evolving. Due to this dynamic and the great variety of the social media world, the scope of duties of a social media manager is also correspondingly diverse. Here is a list of possible tasks that could await you as a social media manager:
- Community Management
- Creation of social media content
- Organization of social media campaigns
- Data analysis, reporting and optimization
- Customer service
- Communication with users and customers
- Planning and implementing new strategies and campaigns
- Researching trends
- Planning collaborations with other brands, people and teams
- Setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals (shares, follower count, likes, etc.) for campaigns and channels
Create social media content in 4 simple steps
The main task of a social media manager is to regularly create and share new and original social media posts. This may sound easy, but in reality requires a lot of research, planning and work. We’ll explain how to create content online in just a few steps:
- The first step is to create a sound strategy. This should define what goals are to be achieved with the various social media channels. At the same time, it is important to consider what content should be shared on the individual platforms. The strategy should also be regularly reviewed and adjusted so that it remains up-to-date.
- The second step is the creation of an editorial plan. This determines which topics should be covered when and in what order. At the same time, you have to consider how often the individual posts should appear. The editorial plan thus provides the structure that the social media manager can use as a guide.
- The third step is the creation of the individual posts. Here, it is important to create interesting and information-rich content that is useful to readers and encourages them to share. At the same time, however, the posts must be well adapted to the respective platform. For example, a Facebook post does not work as a Tweet or Instagram post.
- The fourth step is posting the contributions. The key here is to find the right balance. Too many posts can come off as spammy and scare users away. Too few posts, on the other hand, can mean that you don’t get enough reach. At the same time, you have to keep in mind that users live in various time zones and structure their daily routine differently and therefore are not always online.
Tip: If you want to save time or need some inspiration, you can use an AI text generator that will help you create social media content. With neuroflash, for example, you can create various social media posts that are always up-to-date and completely original in just a few minutes and completely free of charge. This way, you can effectively post more content while always being present on various social media channels. As you can see, neuroflash offers many different social media text types:
Here we’ll explain, how you can write a social media post with neuroflash in just a few seconds:
Social Media Manager Training
Anyone can become a social media manager if they would like to pursue this career path. There is no one-size-fits-all social media manager training program, or specific prerequisites or degrees that one must have in order to call themselves a social media manager. However, you can learn useful skills and gain experience in a variety of ways to help you get started in your career:
University Degree
One option is to take up a degree program that provides a lot of knowledge about communication and media. Here, you can choose whether you want to do a regular bachelor’s/master’s program at a university, or whether you prefer to study within an online program. Here are some courses that can help you on your way to becoming a social media manager:
- Journalism
- Marketing Management
- Communication and Media Studies
- Public relations
- Media Design
The advantage of a degree program is that you gain a lot of knowledge and can present a recognized academic university degree at the end. At the same time, you should complete at least one internship within your studies in order to gain practical experience. The disadvantage is that studying takes a lot of time, money, and work. In addition, you need a high school diploma and possibly a very good grade point average to be admitted to the chosen course of study.
Apprenticeship
An alternative to studying is an apprenticeship. Here, too, there is no specific social media manager training, but only training that imparts skills and knowledge in the field of media. Possible apprenticeships would be:
- Management assistant in e-commerce
- Graphic design
- Media technology
- Journalist
- Editor
Even though an apprenticeship is also time-consuming, it has the advantage of being paid compared to studying. In addition, the academic requirements for an apprenticeship are lower and you get more practical experience.
Professional Training
Advanced professional training is also a good way of gaining experience. There are institutes that specifically provide further training to become a social media manager. Depending on the institute, the training can last 2-6 months and can be done either full-time or part-time. At the end, you receive a certificate that lists the content learned in the continuing education and confirms your performance. The disadvantage here is that such training courses are often very expensive.
Seminar
Finally, you can also take some seminars that offer a crash course in social media management and social media marketing. These seminars can often be taken online and are completed within a few days. However, it must be said that such seminars are not equivalent to job training or studying, although they cost a lot of money.
Social Media Manager Salary
The salary as a social media manager can vary and depends on factors such as professional experience, degree and area of responsibility. In addition, it can also play a role in which state you live and what company you work for. In general, the median salary for social media managers in the Unites States is around $63,000 annually. If you have already gained a few years of professional experience, the average salary may rise and companies might offer you an annual bonus of up to $2,000. However, because the profession of social media manager is so undefined, these figures only serve as a guide. It is therefore entirely possible to be above or below the US average.
Conclusion
Social media manager is a profession that has become increasingly important in recent years. The tasks of a social media manager are diverse and range from creating content to managing a company’s social media channels. If you are interested in the profession of social media manager, you should first familiarize yourself with the different areas of responsibility. Then you can decide on a career path.
The profession of social media manager is challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun. If you are interested in the profession, you should inform yourself well and familiarize yourself with the different possibilities.
