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Social Media Manager’s role is one of the most coveted management roles not just because it pays well, but because it’s a creative and fun endeavour. A social media manager wears multiple hats and can work as a marketer, strategist, copywriter, designer, analyst, and customer care representative, sometimes, all on the same day. The job is definitely for a person who enjoys a challenge. 

Its 2022 and the dawn of a new decade have brought businesses to realise that they cannot sustain a competitive marketplace without promoting their brand on the social landscape. This makes the role of a social media manager indispensable, regardless of the size of the business and brand. 

 Social media algorithms may change but a brand’s values remain constant. This is where the challenge lies. The job of a social media manager is not limited to brand communication with audiences using a variety of content formats. Successful social media managers require a constant upgrade of their skills and refining of their technical know-how. 

So becoming a social media manager is your dream career? Let’s find out the skills one needs to take up this role for businesses and brands.

You Can’t Perform Without These Hard & Soft Skills 

A competent social media manager possesses a combination of hard and soft talents, both of which need time and work to acquire. Hard skills, like data analysis and copywriting, are more easily studied and practised. But soft skills, such as organisation and creating relationships, and people management are harder to master but equally vital. 

For someone who wants to start their career as a social media manager, it is important that you first work alongside a social media manager before taking up this role. Practising and gaining these skills by yourself can be tough. Working as a smart part of social media teams such as an associate or an executive can shower you with insights and skills that you can use in your journey to becoming a social media manager.  

You can also sign up for social media marketing and management courses on platforms like Udemy and LinkedIn. These courses can give you insight into the real-world challenges and expectations of a social media manager. You also get to work on your own social media management projects that you can flaunt in your resume. 

Social Media Is All About Effective Communication 

Having great communication skills is indispensable for a social media manager. It’s common knowledge that each brand has its own voice, tone and personality that a social media manager needs to showcase on social media platforms. Knowledge of brand communication may also come in handy when you are dealing with a customer complaint in your direct message (DM). But, your understanding of effective communication needs to go beyond brand communication. 

Communicating With Colleagues 

Social media managers from a digital marketing agency work closely with graphic designers, content writers and video editors. While social managers play a vital role in pitching brand communication ideas, these ideas cannot be implemented without the help of different functions. 

This is why social media managers need to have open communication lines with other departments especially because they have a high level of dependability on them. If you are unable to communicate your ideas and vision to any other function except your own, you may want to consider working on your communication skills. 

Communicating With Juniors 

Usually, most businesses believe intensely in one saying when it comes to their social media – “too many cooks spoil the broth.” 

Since everyone has unique ideas and different methods of working, handing over the responsibility of socials to many employees at once, may turn out to be chaotic where brand communication moves in multiple directions. 

Fortunately, social media managers don’t have to manage a huge team under them. Every social media team has a capacity of 2 or a maximum of 3 (including the manager)  employees, as it should be. 

This makes training and communication easy but should never be taken for granted. It is important that your assistants and associates who report to you understand your vision for the brand. For this, you need to consistently communicate with them and onboard them with your ideas and opinions. 

Read To Replenish 

Now just because you are a social media manager, does not mean your work as a researcher is done. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, a social media manager wears multiple hats and being a researcher is one among them. 

You need to research ongoing trends in the industry and come up with creative ways to implement them in your social media strategies. This also involves competitor research, where you keep close tabs on your competitors’ social channels and come up with imaginative ways of performing marketing and managing such as discovering new platforms for social media marketing. 

You also need to consistently read about new updates in social media algorithms that change every 3 weeks for most platforms. If you are not familiar with the latest updates, you may end up performing old and redundant methods of social media marketing such as still using 3rd party applications for scheduling posts on Instagram without knowing that Instagram has now introduced native scheduling to its platform. 

These three indispensable skills are bound to work as a launchpad for your success as a social media manager. If you don’t succeed in the first attempt, remember not to give up and continue to work on developing the above-mentioned skills!  

All the best!