When you first start out as a social media marketing manager you have a lot of questions? I remember thinking things like “ there’s so much to learn” ! Do I teach myself through YouTube or do I do a course? Who do I ask ? How expensive is it? What main skills do I need ? Outlined below are some of the key steps I took to go from being a social media dinosaur to launching myself as Your Social VA a Social Media Manager and Strategist.
What does a Social Media Marketing Manager do ?
There is still some mystery and fog around what a social media manager actually does? This is because it’s a very broad area and social media marketing managers and agencies all specialise in different niches and skill sets.
For instance one social media manager I know, personally specialises in Facebook and training others in the platform use. Another one specialises in copywriting and teaching others how to write good copy. The assumption that social media managers just schedule posts for clients and that there is where the buck stops is misleading. It is more involved than that especially as we move into the future. Social Media Managers can cover a lot of ground but the key fundamentals include but are not limited to the following
- Scheduling content
- Creating content ( this may be basic or it can involve copy writing & design work)
- Reporting on social media activity (engagement, lead generation etc)
- Community management (responding to inquiries, reviews etc)
- Creating & maintaining the social media budget
- Account setup & maintenance
Where do I Start ?
Assuming that you are keen to become a social media marketing manager the best step in this direction is to do a course, like the Diploma of Social Media Marketing. A social media marketing course will cost you around $1500- $5000 and is the best investment you will make towards building your career and lifestyle as a social media manager. I was struggling and spinning my wheels attempting to teach myself online, my life changed when I enrolled in a short course covering social media marketing and I rapidly made progress, launched my business and with the help of a supportive online network through the online learning portals I gained the technical and mental skills I required to become a social media manager.
A course will ensure your skills are up to date and you are suitably armed with the specific information (especially rules and regulations which is often overlooked particularly when it comes to Facebook) you need to become a social media manager.
Generalist or Specialist ?
If putting content together and scheduling posts sounds good to you and you want to perform those specific functions for businesses go for it. There is a strong demand for it. However if you keep up with current market trends ( which you most definitely should be by the way, a good place to start is Yellow Social Media Reports) then you would have heard and read the growing demand for specialists in the industry. What is emerging is marketers having a particular platform that they resonate with and enjoy working on and becoming specialised in that particular platform. I am also seeing this online when I look at social media managers and agencies. The larger agencies have platform specialists on board and those who are smaller or ‘solopreneurs’ are choosing their preferred platform and offering specialist services for that specific platform.
You can in fact now do mini courses on specific platforms. I am currently doing one for Facebook and it’s amazing. I wanted to be in a position to add additional value and services in the form of advertising campaigns.
If you have a platform that you prefer and really resonate with, it would be beneficial to specialise in it and offer services around that platform so you have something more to offer your clients than standard scheduling and account setup. This not only enables you to charge more, you can position yourself as an authority and gain more credence in the eyes of those you seek to serve and work for.
Why a mentor ?
A mentor will fast track you along the road of success. Finding someone you resonate with who has ‘been-there-done-that’ experience as a social media marketer is gold. They can give you clearly defined steps to follow along your journey to becoming a social media guru.
If you cannot afford to pay someone then attend workshops or free webinars. Join online groups and communities full of those who are already winning at what you want to be doing. This is true for any area in life you want to grow and succeed in but is especially true for business growth. Don’t be afraid to look at what others are doing and analyse it, take what you like and discard what you don’t.
“The more you learn the more you earn” ! Find a course today and become a Social Media Marketing Manager.
Seek.com.au currently shows that roles in Social Media Marketing are growing rapidly and earning well above the Australian median wage:
Seek.com’s statistics on social media jobs – April 2020
For more information on social media marketing, including tips on the best tools to use for social media management follow Katie @yoursocialva
