A career as a social manager can be an exciting role for individuals who love the social media space and have an interest in interacting with individuals. This role is an exciting one. However, it requires that you have good storytelling skills, design skills and an ability to analyze the best way to communicate with an audience. Because of the role of social media in our societies today, social media managers are in high demand by companies.

A social media manager is often called the online voice of the company. This is because they are in charge of producing content that markets a brand’s product, maintains a brand’s reputation and markets campaigns for a company across various social media networks.  To pursue a career as a social media manager, you need to develop important skills that will enable you to succeed in this role.

I will walk you through the nitty-gritty of social media management and how to pursue a career as a social media manager.

How to Start a Career as a Social Media Manager

1. Obtain an O’level Certificate

   You need to have an O’level certificate before you can pursue a social media career. This level of education will enable you to learn how to read, write and get familiar with the English Language which you will need as a social media manager. You need to have a minimum of five credits in arts-related subjects.

2. Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree

   You should apply to an accredited university to study marketing, mass communication, public relations or journalism. These courses will enable you to have and build communication and business skills. However, it is not compulsory that you have a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related course before you can become a successful social media manager.

3. Attend a Boot Camp or Training

   This is another route to take to pursue a career as a social media manager. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in a field not related to marketing, you can gain social media management skills by attending boot camps that offer courses on social media management. Additionally, you can invest in online courses that can teach you all you need to know about social media management. You can still have a good career if you take the right courses.

4. Gain Practical Experience

   A career as a social media manager is a practical field. You need to have good experience managing social media accounts before a company would want to hire you. You can apply for internships or volunteering roles that will enable you to gain hands-on experience that you can add to your portfolio.

5. Develop Relevant Skills

   You need to have skills related to social media management in other to thrive as a good social media manager. These skills will enable you to create engaging content, communicate with online customers and promote a brand’s reputation.

6. Build a Portfolio

   A portfolio is a document that shows your skills and expertise in a field. You should have a portfolio that would display your writing skills and design skills. This will show you as a good social media manager. These skills would enable employers to know the level of your expertise.

7. Modify your Social Media Page

   You should have a  social media page that reflects the skills you have. You should post quality content regularly. This can serve as your portfolio too and convince employers of your skills.

8. Build Relationships

   You can build relationships with high-quality profiles on their social media channels. This is to create visibility for yourself. Additionally, You can follow up with employers and volunteer to manage their social media platforms. This can make them know how skillful you are.

Areas of Specialisation in Social Media Management

1. Content writer: The content writer is responsible for creating and adapting written content for specific social media networks.
2. Digital Producer: The role of the digital producer is to create images or graphics, curate videos and produce mobile-optimized content that grows a social media account.
3. Social media metrics analyst: This role focuses on analysing data from content and marketing campaigns to refine the social strategy of a company.
4. News Commentator and Curator: This role is in charge of finding new opportunities by keeping track of industry, news and social media trends.
5. Customer Services Representative: This role focuses on interacting with customers at different buying stages and mood dispositions. Additionally, you should be familiar with the company’s brand, products and services to be successful in this role.
6. Community Manager: A community manager is in charge of building an authentic community among a company’s customers, employees and partners through various types of interactions.

Skills Needed to be a Social Media Manager

1. Writing
2. Editing
3. An understanding of social media platforms
4. Design skills
5. Analytical tools
6. Flexibility
7. Time Management

Pursuing a career as a social media manager can give you the flexibility to work with various industry sectors. This is because social media is needed to reach and capture customers. This career path will give you the ability to be creative on the job. It will also allow you to be paid while spending time on your favourite social media platform. However, this career path requires you to be good in the skills required to succeed in this role.

Good luck!

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