Social Media Managers represent companies online and are responsible for generating, curating (selecting, organising and presenting information), editing, posting, and managing social media posts and content.
If you have a great understanding of lots of different social media platforms, and you love learning new things and finding out what makes people tick, then this could be a challenging and rewarding career for you.
If you have these skills, you could make a great Social Media Manager
- Top-notch communicator and public speaker
- Creative with strong writing and design (graphics and videos) skills
- Customer service focused
- An adaptable and analytical mindset
What tasks can I expect to do?
- Work with organisations to develop strategies – outlining goals, defining target audiences, choosing effective platforms, and setting and working to budgets
- Manage regular day-to-day activities such as editing and posting on all social media platforms, responding to comments, creating videos and other images, and designing and running paid advertising
- Analyse results across platforms and produce reports on the success of campaigns, implementing changes where required
- Optimise content for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), converting traffic into sales and generating new leads for the organisation
Where do Social Media Managers work?
You will be doing most of your work indoors, in an office environment. You might work in-house for a business or organisation, or as a freelancer.
What kind of lifestyle can I expect as a Social Media Manager?
Part-time and casual work is relatively common for Social Media Managers, particularly freelancers, giving you flexibility in how you structure your working week. There are also lots of options for remote work and working from home too.
Most Social Media Managers can expect to earn an average salary throughout their career.
While jobs are more common in metropolitan areas, the fact that working from home is becoming more and more common means you might not need to move to find positions.
How to become a Social Media Manager
While there are no formal qualification requirements for this career, employers and clients often look favourably on people who have had some sort of training, or a strong portfolio of work.
Step 1 – Study English and Mathematics at school. Business and IT are also useful.
Step 2 – Build up your own social media channels and start keeping a portfolio of work.
Step 3 – Get work experience (paid or unpaid), preferably in the particular industry you’d most like to work in.
Step 4 – Network with organisations, community members, and people already working in the field.
Step 5 – Find courses that interest you and consider applying. Areas that might be useful include marketing, business, public relations, and even design.
Step 6 – Stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies, and keep learning.
Find out more here:
Similar careers to Social Media Manager
- Marketing Specialist
- Communications Officer
- Digital Publisher
- Media Strategist
- Public Relations Officer
- Copywriter
- Market Researcher
- Journalist
Find out more about alternative careers.