What Skills are Required for Social Media Manager? A Must-Have
Have you ever wondered what a social media manager is? The role of a social media manager may have never existed a few years back. However, through the years, social media have evolved so fast that many changes have happened, including how people work.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization, content changes, new technologies, and other intricacies in the field have grown, and the needs of businesses also evolved which is why having a social media manager became important.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
With the rising popularity of different social media platforms, every brand or business finds it relevant to have one or two accounts of their own.
But if your brand or business is starting to grow or you want it to grow, you may need the help of a social media manager.
A product, brand, business, or even an individual's social media presence is monitored, managed, filtered, and measured by a Social Media Manager.
Social Media Managers create and maintain company information, marketing campaigns, and brand promotions on all social media platforms. They know which tool to use and what the best social media practices to use according to the voice and guidelines of the company or brand.
Additionally, they play an important role in keeping up with the new trends and using them for the benefit of the company or brand.
Skills that Every Social Media Manager Must Have
Because the role of a social media manager is fast-paced and diverse, here are some of the skills that they should have to become efficient and effective.
1. Copywriting
Social media managers write many posts every day on different social media platforms. Therefore, a vital component of social media marketing, and perhaps in all areas of marketing is copywriting.
Many aspects of a social media manager's job involve writing quality text. From creating tweets and Facebook posts to completing the description on your social media profiles.
Hence to drive more engagement and ensure the quality of the content, good copywriting skills, if not excellent, are needed.
2. Design
According to research, social media posts that have images or videos have more engagement. Social media changed a lot through the years and people are shifting their preferences to posts that are interactive or fun to watch.
Creating and designing spectacular visual content is becoming an important skill that social media managers should have.
3. Communication
Excellent communication skill is another important competency that every social media manager must have. They must successfully convey ideas to a wide range of stakeholders, from crafting brief content to putting together ideas for different audiences.
When you take into account the variety of internal and external audiences that social media managers regularly interact with, being able to communicate well is fundamental.
4. Project management
In addition to planning, and organizing campaigns and distribution schedules, a social media manager must oversee the entire process of carrying out these strategies.
Project management is a necessary social media ability to execute this on a large scale. Additionally, when they develop project management skills, you might potentially consider them to take social media leadership positions when you start to need one.
5. Research
Another skill that can be very useful for social media managers is doing research. The ability to research your audience, find out the latest trends, and track the analytics can help in creating a successful social media strategy.
6. Customer Service
Approximately half of consumers need someone to interact with on different social media platforms. Whether asking questions or raising some concerns about a brand or service, they must know how to deal with them accordingly..
They are the biggest advocate for the brand as a social media manager. They may positively influence the hearts and minds of your community by having a thorough understanding of your customers and their viewpoints.
7. Flexibility and Adaptability
Being a social media manager requires them to wear different hats if you have different clients with different needs, it will be more beneficial.
Therefore, they are required to become flexible and can easily adapt whenever possible.
These are just some of the skills a social media manager must have. Who you get doesn't have to possess all of them right away. But as a social media manager, it is always important that they always stay relevant, learn something new, and keep on improving.
How many skills are you requiring as of now?
Resources to Enrich Your Social Media Management Skills
Whether you train a beginner or get the service of an already skilled social media manager, it is always best for them to enhance and develop different skills for social media management. That way, they will always stay ahead and be updated on the latest trends when it comes to social media management.
Here are some resources that you can use to build and strengthen their skills:
1. For Writing Skills
Grammarly
One of the most popular resources that helps not just writers but even those who want to learn to write. It is a free tool that gives suggestions on how to improve readability and grammar while proofreading it.
Hemingway Editor
Another tool that can help create concise and compelling content is Hemingway. It helps identify writing flaws and offers solutions on how to improve it.
Wordhippo
This is a website and application that offers a variety of resources for using words creatively and recreationally, including word games, writing, poetry, translations, and more. It will help improve and broaden vocabulary.
2. For Creativity/Design
Canva
Who doesn’t know Canva these days? It is user-friendly and can be used when it comes to designing different campaigns. They offer free and paid accounts plus provide regular updates where you can catch up with the latest trends.
Pinterest
Utilize Pinterest to find ideas or inspiration. Pinterest offers thousands of images to check out. It holds a plethora of images and some of them can be used to assist when designing campaigns.
Vidyo
Your social media manager can make short-form vids from long-form content in just a few clicks with Vidyo.
3. For Content/Project Management
Buffer
Helps in scheduling and managing social media posts. It is a great tool to start up, especially for a beginner in social media management. It provides Google Analytics campaign tracking where how much traffic social media posts are driving can be seen.
Hootsuite
One of the most well-known social media tools that provides a solid and reliable platform. Like Buffer, it also has a free version where posts can be scheduled on different social media platforms.
Crowdfire
Another great tool that is mostly used for curation. You can easily curate and distribute both your own and other outstanding material created by others. This will lessen the pressure to produce original social media material and keep your audience interested in your profiles.
Grow Your Social Media Management Strategy with Smart VAs
If you are having problems with how to grow your brand or business, then maybe it’s about time to hire a social media manager.
Smart VAs provides the best social media managers in the market. We can help you create compelling strategies to increase engagement and catapult your business to success.
Additionally, we can provide you with the ideal social media manager who possesses different skills to help you run your business.
For more information, visit our website and book an appointment today!
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How to learn social media management skills?
Possessing the most recent information and abilities is the finest strategy to succeed as a social media manager.
Taking free lessons, watching videos, and joining different communities can help you learn more about social media management.
Additionally, there are online schools where you can take paid classes to help you gain an insider's perspective on all the most well-liked platforms and learn all you need to know to succeed in being a social media manager.
2. What makes someone a good social media manager?
Just like in any other profession or work, becoming a good social media manager will always be up to the person you get. They should not stop learning, keep on upskilling, and find ways to challenge themselves.
Make sure that they stay updated with the latest trends in the market and more importantly, create a good relationship with your clients.
3. Can you hire a social media manager with no experience?
Anyone can indeed become a social media manager. However, they must have the dedication and drive to succeed and become one.
Remember that their credibility matters as well because you will entrust them with taking care of your business. Encourage them to keep on learning, studying, and looking for different resources to improve themselves.
It is also advisable for them to join different communities where other social media managers can provide insights and best practices when doing the job.