Social media. We all use it — sometimes too much — as it is one of the most influential mediums in our world. It has also quickly become one of the most useful and effective marketing tools, with businesses across all industries finding unique ways to reach their audiences via social platforms. For current or aspiring marketing professionals, this means new and exciting opportunities for their careers.
It is estimated that career opportunities for social media marketing managers will increase 10% by 2026. While social media is somewhat of a niche discipline within the digital marketing field, it is also a lucrative and growing career path for those with the right expertise. If you’re interested in a career in social media marketing, now is a great time to get started.
HubSpot, one of the most widely used digital marketing platforms, defines social media marketing as “the process of creating content for social media platforms to promote your products and/or services, build community with your target audience, and drive traffic to your business. With new features and platforms emerging every day, social media marketing is constantly evolving.”
Social media marketing leverages major social media platforms to reach and engage with a target audience to increase awareness, followers and ultimately drive sales. In practice, social media marketers perform some of the following tasks in accordance with a comprehensive marketing strategy:
The primary goal for social media marketers is to drive revenue for a brand. That may be through long-term nurturing of their sales audience until they convert, or more directly through short-term promotional content. To achieve these goals, social media professionals oversee different social media platforms, strategically creating, posting and analyzing content.
In looking at a social media job posting on Indeed, typical day-to-day responsibilities likely include:
Required Skills for Social Media Marketers
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Social media marketing has a somewhat-set career path, where most start as a social media coordinator and work towards becoming a social media manager or consultant. But along the way, there are other social media-focused roles that are equally appealing.
National average salary: $46,071 per year
Primary duties: Social media coordinators execute the posting of social media content that has been strategized by higher-level marketing colleagues. They also respond to comments and engagement on company profiles and analyze post performance.
National average salary: $56,057 per year
Primary duties: Social media specialists work with marketing strategists, copywriters, graphic designers and videographers to execute the social media strategy from conception to publication. They also research the latest trends, stay up to date on the latest best practices and use analytics to improve performance.
National average salary: $72,811 per year
Primary duties: Social media managers lead the strategy for the brand’s social media platforms. They also manage all social media and work to improve content performance to drive revenue and growth.
Getting a job in social media marketing follows a path similar to many other roles in the digital marketing industry. If you aspire to be a social media marketer, the following steps will help you get started.
A professional social media user should also possess well-polished private social media platforms. Work hard on curating your own profiles, brushing up on best-practices and ensuring you put your best foot forward online.
Social media marketing is always changing, so do your homework. Get familiar with free digital marketing resources, such as HubSpot Academy and Digital Marketing Institute. They can help you build a solid foundation of social media marketing knowledge.
Joining a professional association is a great way to start networking with other social media marketers. The Social Media Association is a good start, but also seek out experts on LinkedIn and Twitter, as social media professionals are quite active on, you guessed it, social media.
There are many social media marketing-specific courses and certificate programs available. Some are online while others are in person, but whichever format you choose, try to take courses from an accredited institution.
At the University of San Diego Division of Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), we offer a number of both digital marketing and social media marketing courses. These courses are all available online and are taught by some of the foremost experts in the digital marketing field.
Social media marketing is “the process of creating content for social media platforms to promote your products and/or services, build community with your target audience, and drive traffic to your business. With new features and platforms emerging every day, social media marketing is constantly evolving.”
Social media marketers manage a brand’s social media profiles across all social media platforms. Specific tasks they may perform include using social media to create and maintain the company’s brand, working with other marketing professionals to develop social media marketing campaigns and strategy and analyzing the company’s digital marketing performance to identify where to improve their tactics.
A social media marketer should have the following skills:
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