Every business must be present on social media. To stay ahead of changing consumer demands, brands must be able to adapt and think quickly to meet them.
Social media managers appeal to a large number of internet users. It is difficult not to. It’s easy to believe that posting Facebook updates can make you rich. It’s not true.
Social media managers are a bit like stand-up comedians. It is crucial to understand your audience quickly and engage with them. This requires you to be able to see if your audience is laughing at your jokes in real-time. This will ensure that you win the crowd.
How do you become a social media manager? How can you be a great social manager?
Some people will be surprised at the answer. First, you must want it. It must be something you love. You must also learn it. Even if all of these boxes are checked, it is important to ask yourself ” Am I a social person?” If you don’t answer yes, then you might not be a good candidate for social media management.
Let’s now take a look at these stats.
- LinkedIn has 57,910 results related to “social media manager”.
- Porn has been overtaken by social media as the top activity on the internet.
- 97% of consumers search online for local businesses
- 71% of those who received a prompt brand response via social media said they would recommend the brand to others.
- 93% of marketers use Social Media for Business
- Nearly half (49%) B2B marketers rank social media marketing as the most difficult to execute. Next, content marketing (39%), SEO (26%), and mobile (25%) are close behind.
- 77% of B2B marketers include a blog in their content marketing mix
- Content development, delivery, and promotion now account for 25% of all marketing budgets.
- Social media is used by 78% of small business owners to attract new customers.
- More than half of global business executives rated their company’s social business maturity on a scale from 1-10 when asked to rate it.
The most pertinent statistic to this article, however, is:
- Only 12% of social marketers feel that they use it efficiently.
Social media managers bring with them key benefits in a freelance environment. Most importantly, you are your boss. You decide and you answer to no one. You create the policies and send the invoices. You could even sit in your underwear all day at the computer if that’s what you desired.
The other is money. This is a highly demanded role that many companies still struggle to accept. Companies are beginning to realize the importance of social media for their business and are prepared to invest in strong social media campaigns. You are in control of your price and costs.
Low entry barriers are another reason to be attracted. There are many online resources, including this one, that can help you get started with low startup costs. Anyone can start a social management company as a freelancer in a matter of hours. This allows you to quickly decrease the learning curve.
My story will be told shortly, but let’s first discuss the skills required to become a great manager of social media.
Basic Skills
Marketing Knowledge
A good understanding of basic marketing principles is essential. A little education in marketing is a good idea, but you can also find quality resources online.
Experience
You don’t have to limit your experience to just life. Are you a social media manager who has been managing your own accounts for a while now? Are you able to manage your social media accounts effectively and anticipate the needs of clients?
Sociable
This was something I mentioned at the beginning. You don’t have to be sociable if you don’t enjoy communicating and aren’t outgoing. Then you might not be a good candidate for social media management. While you may be able to hide behind a keyword for a while and monitor, clients will still want to meet up, talk on the phone or use Skype at some point.
Project Management
While you don’t need to hold a Prince2 certificate to work in the social media industry, it is important to know how to manage your time and projects well. Social media managers often work with multiple clients at once. It is crucial to keep track of everything so it doesn’t get overwhelming.
Technological
Online social media is available. A good understanding of social technology can enhance your services and keep you up-to-date with the latest developments and social trends.
Interpersonal Skills
Communication
You must have excellent communication skills if you are going to represent a company or engage with customers.
Personality
Companies are reluctant to hire people without a personality to represent their brand. They and their customers don’t like it.
Receptiveness
This is something I have touched on a few times. Social media is extremely fast-paced. Imagine if your social tasks were primarily focused on customer service, and you didn’t respond to customer queries or complaints for several weeks. People online expect quick responses. Your client (and your business) will be better off if you can meet their needs. This will put you in good stead.
Entrepreneurial
You must be self-motivated to become a social media manager. You must be willing to take financial risks and go the extra mile. How will it affect you if you don’t get a job that pays enough within a month?
Multitasking
Social media managers must be able and willing to take on a variety of tasks.
Organization
When managing social media services, you should be organized. To keep me organized, I use a variety of traditional tools such as whiteboards, task lists, and calendars. Thunderbird to access all my email accounts, Dropbox to share documents with clients, and bookmarks to keep track of all the websites I frequent.
Strategic Thinking
As a social media manager, it is a great asset to be able to plan campaigns and think outside of the box. Clients want to know what you will do before they let you do it. It is important to be able to communicate clearly and concisely.
If you are interested in even more social media-related articles and information from us here at AC Studios, then we have a lot to choose from.
