A “day in the life of a social media manager” is going to look very different, depending on who you ask.
While some social media managers might spend time on daily account management, others may be developing strategies, communicating with brand partners, or monitoring paid ad campaigns.
Regardless of what things look like in the day-to-day, one thing’s for sure — social media managers wear a lot of hats!
If you’re thinking about starting a social media management business, or wanting to expand your existing services, you may be wondering what skills you’ll need to develop.
Here are 10 of the most essential skills to cultivate as a social media manager…
1 | Become A Pro On The Social Media Platforms You’ll Be Managing
Successful social media managers are serious about their ongoing education & focus on becoming experts in their industry -- this may include taking classes, investing in online courses & certifications, attending workshops & conferences, etc.
2 | Stay On Top Of Industry Trends
Social media platforms & user behaviors are constantly changing — so you’ll need to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry in order to effectively serve your clients. Some of the best ways to do that are by setting up relevant Google Alerts, signing up for industry newsletters & following social media marketing thought leaders.
3 | Create A Social Media Marketing Strategy
Social media managers know how to leverage social media platforms in order to help others reach their goals. Whether your client wants to build brand awareness, capture more leads, or make more sales via social media — creating a rock-solid social media strategy is how you’ll communicate your plan for achieving those goals!
4 | Planning Social Media Marketing Calendars & Scheduling Content
What you post (& how often) will depend on your client’s goals & social media strategy. You might be posting 3x per week or every single day! Regardless of the cadence, managing & scheduling social media content is easiest when using platforms like Later, Sprout Social or Hootsuite. These 3rd party tools allow you create social media marketing calendars in advance, share a preview with your clients to review & approve, then post automatically.
5 | Creating & Curating Social Media Content
Whether it’s photos, videos, GIFs, graphics, quotes, articles or memes — content is a very necessary piece of the social media marketing puzzle. While some social media managers will choose to create this content themselves, others will work with photographers, graphic designers, copywriters & videographers in order to create branded content for clients. Additionally, sourcing & curating content from others (with permission, of course) or purchasing stock images can help social media managers supplement the content creation process.
6 | Developing a Talent for Copywriting
Whether it’s an Instagram caption, an email newsletter, a reply to a tweet, or a Facebook ad — everything is COPY! Social media managers should be able to communicate clearly & easily adapt to a client’s brand voice when creating any sort of copy for social media.
7 | Cultivating an Eye for Design
Social media managers need to have an “eye” in order to curate imagery, graphics & videos that align with their client’s brand aesthetic. Graphic design is also a skill that many social media managers are now offering thanks to platforms like Canva & apps like Over — which make the process of creating quotes, graphics & social media templates simple!
8 | Understanding & Reporting the Analytics
Your clients want to know how exactly how your social media efforts are moving them closer to their overall goals. Social media managers need to understand how to track & evaluate the social media data that matters most, then share that information with their clients in a clear & concise way. Many 3rd party platforms like Later & Iconosquare offer an easy way to collect social media analytics, so you can create beautiful analytics reports & keep your clients informed!
9 | Nailing Your Discovery Calls
Getting on the phone with a potential client can be super awkward, and maybe even a little stressful! However, with an intentional process & thoughtful preparation, this call might just end with you signing a brand new client. Practice makes perfect & this is a skill every social media manager will want to make sure they nail!
10 | Proposing Your Services (Like a Pro)
After a successful discovery call, social media managers will need to know exactly how to structure a proposal for their social media services, then deliver this proposal to potential clients with complete confidence. Just keep in mind, your proposal is very different than your strategy!
We told you, social media managers wear a lot of hats!
This list is really just the beginning — we could keep going …
However, by working to first develop the skills listed above, you’ll be well on your way to a long & successful career as a social media manager!
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