Social Media Manager: Career Guide to Earn Money Online

Social Media Manager: With the onset of the Internet and the ever-evolving technology, people nowadays find a way to earn any income while maximizing their time online and the use of any gadget they can get a hold of. Even though traditional media, like TV, radio, and print are still a reliable source of information, we cannot deny that the existence of social media is quickly taking over.

At this age, most people can be found on social media. And in the last decade, it has evolved into more than just a social networking platform. With different social media sites, it has created an avenue for people to share more than just their personal thoughts. Many have shared pictures, videos, online journals, and even music. Because of the wide range a person can do on any social media platform, a lot of time he is on the phone or computer browsing through his various social media accounts.

But because this has been a constant scene in our society nowadays, different companies are taking advantage of that time spent on social media. All of them want to promote whatever product or service they have to possible consumers. It’s not enough that they post content frequently on their page and wait for anyone to express their interest in their product.  Thus, enter the social media manager. But being a social media manager is more than just posting content in a company’s social media.

In the past, this particular concept doesn’t even exist. But since, almost everyone relies on social media for information, for product updates, services, it only makes sense that someone should be assigned in this endeavour. A social media manager can take care of anything that relates to all social media platforms.

So, what are they? What do they do to help a company thrive?

A social media manager is someone who you can consider as the representative of the company’s social media platform. More than posting content on the social page, they also monitor, respond, and observe all the traffic going into all of the company’s social channels. They do promotion and advertising as well of any products or services the company is selling. It is also up to them to connect the company to any possible buyers or customers.

Through the content they made and the promotion of the products and services, they help grow the business. There is more awareness because of its presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even YouTube. It may sound easy at first glance of what a social media manager does, but it can get pretty demanding.

At this point, you might think that being a social media manager is all about posting content and promoting a certain brand. But this job is a bit more complex than that. While it can be demanding, the result is rewarding especially if this is how you choose to generate income online.

Skills required to become a Social Media Manager:

Before you dive into being a social media manager, you will need some creative and technical skills to be successful in this endeavour.

1. Copywriting skills

Since you’ll be creating the social media post, you will need to have copywriting skills to go with the content you posted in the social channels. Think of it as if you are the one speaking to a potential buyer and trying to sell a certain product. Whatever you need to say, translate that into words that will capture your audience’s attention. Keep in mind that you are representing the company, so it is important to be credible and to communicate very well with the customers.

The copy should reflect the branding of the product and at the same time, the value the company promotes to gain loyal customers. Keep it engaging and less generic or technical. You would want your customers to feel that they are talking to a person. Also, make your headlines or copy simple and concise. Readers usually ignore long posts as this takes too much of their time especially if it’s something that’s not that interesting for them.

2. Good Customer Service

Being a social media manager, as mentioned you are considered the representative or the voice of the company in their social channels. As its representative, you will need to exercise great customer service. Of course, you want to establish a loyal following not just for a certain product or service but also to the company as well. Create an atmosphere wherein customers can throw in their comments, feedback, and even suggestions.

There may be moments that a customer is not satisfied with the product or service, it will be up to you to communicate with the customer. Since you are carrying the brand of the company, prioritize what the customer needs. It’s easy to dismiss them especially when they get irate. But since you do not want to create a bad image for the company, you will need to find a way to come into terms with the customer.

Take note, that bad customer service reflects on the company’s image. It creates the impression that since this particular company does not care much for their customers, then you lose them. So, as its social media manager, it will be one of your tasks to accommodate these customers. It will do them a great favor too if you can respond to them promptly.

3. SEO Knowledge

Knowledge in SEO is one of the skills a social media manager should have. When you post content on social media, you will have to align your content with SEO. That way, you will gain more audience who could be your future customers.

Optimize every post with keywords that will be helpful for your audience. You would want to gain more traffic in every post, which is why you will need to come up with keywords that work best with your content.

4. Knowledge about every Social Media Platform

It is expected that as a social media manager, you are knowledgeable of all social media platforms. At first glance, they may all seem similar with the goal to connect people while providing information to their audience. But as the brand’s social media manager, you must be familiar with how each social media platform differs from each other. That way, you’ll be able to gauge how each one caters to their users and able to maximize their features.

Since each of these social media platforms has different features, you will need to know what type of content works best with certain social media. That way you’ll be able to optimize each content based on the platform. Take advantage of the analytics of each platform, so that you can fully optimize that feature or tool for your content.

5. Graphic Designing

While it is not a requirement, knowledge, or skill for visual design is highly recommended. Since posting content should not be limited to texts only, it will be up to you to either create graphic design or look for an image or video that will suit your content. A lot of people are very visual, so you will need to work out what will be the best approach for the content.

You will also need to check what type of visual content that will work on each social media platform. As a social media manager, you may want to check whether an infographic, a gif image, a minimalist design, or a video will work for a specific platform. And you should know how to differentiate good visual content from something that will not work. It will be up to you what video or image will have a firm grasp or impact on your audience.

What You Need to Learn to Become a Social Media Manager?

Apart from the skills that you will need to learn as a social media manager, learn or adapt some traits as well that will be beneficial for your role. Plus these traits will help you on the job itself. Yes, it can get pretty demanding, and sometimes it will have a negative toll on you. But as a professional, you learn from any experience you have.

• Time Management – It is going to be a challenge to manage your time especially if you’re handling a variety of social media platforms. It’s easy to get stuck in one platform because you want to make sure that your post is in tip-top shape once you publish it. But remember that you have deadlines to follow. Create a calendar wherein you can track your progress, plans for each social media platform, and deadlines. You can also include in that calendar scheduling of posts, when to publish it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social channels.

• Curiosity and Adaptability – Being a social media manager, it is expected that you have a penchant for learning something new or exploring many options to further promote your company’s brand. Search for new strategies and ideas so that you can give something new to your audience. Trends are always changing and it will be up to you to keep up so that you can promote the brand in what will work best or will have an impact on your potential customers. Adapt to changes because most of them help bring out what is best for the brand or the company. Just be careful, though, in making these changes or adopting new strategies. It’s always best to test it out or do some experimentation before doing anything drastic.

• Research and Willingness to Learn – Similar to what was mentioned in the previous item, research will come in handy in your job as a social media manager. Apart from strategies and ideas, explore more of social media platforms’ tools and extensions that can be helpful for the promotion of the brand, or to gain more potential customers. Through research, you can also check the reach of the post you made. You will be able to see what works for your target market and whatnot. This is important because this way you’ll be able to help improve what needs to be improved in terms of your content and even in the brand.

How to Start Social Media Management Business?

If you are just starting in this endeavour but you believe that you can help the company boost its brand with the help of your strong online presence, then go for it. You may follow these tips so you can start your career as a social media manager.

• It’s important to build a portfolio that showcases your credentials and other works that can help the company. This is also to show that you are the right person to do the job.
• Your thorough knowledge of social media can get you far since you are aware and knowledgeable about how it works and how it can help. Always keep up-to-date with the changes that evolve within the social media platforms.
• Of course, it’ll be easier for you and less of a chore if you follow brands or companies that you like or that go with your personal interest. While it may not be the case all the time, you may want to widen your range and explore other options that align with your beliefs and interests.
• You may want to sign up on freelancing websites. They offer a lot of options especially for those who are starting in this endeavour. Social media manager has become an in-demand job especially when a lot of companies wanted to boost their online presence.

Conclusion:

Just like any job, career, or profession, beginnings are always difficult. It helps if you already have a strong online presence and a huge following. It’s important for a company to see that the social media manager they’re going to hire is someone active in social media. It’s also important for the company to see the skills and traits you have that they know will be beneficial not just for their product or service but also for the company as a whole.

Bear in mind that even though you are invisible to the audience, you are the voice of that brand or company. You represent what the brand or company is and what it believes it can do for its potential customers. Be as engaging as you can so that you can develop a loyal following. It will be a struggle at first but once you find your groove and you develop a system that you can adapt into, then this is one profession you can truly enjoy while at the same time will help you earn an income.