Guide to Kickstarting a Career in Social Media Marketing

In this article, I’m going to walk you through exactly what it takes to become a successful social media marketer, from training and education to building your portfolio and landing your first job.

How to get the proper social media training

There are a lot of different programs out there that claim they can turn you into a rockstar social media marketer, but not all of them will give you what you need. It’s important to ensure that any course or program you take is accredited by an organization that routinely evaluates education programs.

Social Media Manager Job Description – What Does a Social Media Manager Do?

The majority of social media jobs fall under this category. Suppose you want to become a social media manager. In that case, your primary responsibility will be to help the company grow and maintain its presence across various channels, particularly Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Depending on the size of the company or agency, your daily duties may involve:

• Managing a team of content creators
• Curating content for social media platforms
• Creating graphics and other visual assets for each marketing campaign
• Using analytics to monitor trends informing your business decisions
• Monitoring online conversations about the brand and addressing issues that arise
• Developing/refining social media campaigns
• Maintain communication on relevant social media networks — writing and managing engagement on key social media networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest, and more.
• Communicating key themes and company messaging in line with its mission, product launches, marketing campaign, news updates, etc.

As a “social media manager,” you could be expected to do everything from writing posts and designing ads to communicating with clients and working on team projects. Depending on your company or organization, you might even be required to manage your company website or blog.

Requirements/Skills for this Job Role

• A bachelor’s degree in marketing or an equivalent of experience and education
• Strong understanding of the social media platforms that the company uses for marketing (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Ability to write engaging posts and communicate with a wide range of people
• Ability to manage projects, deadlines, and workload
• Creativity in developing content that appeals to your target market
• In-depth knowledge of Twitter Analytics, Hootsuite, Bufferapp, Facebook Insights, etc.
• Working knowledge of Photoshop or other web image editing software
• The ability to translate data and analytics into actionable insights
• An excellent sense of timing and prioritization
• Basic knowledge of HTML/CSS is beneficial
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with various levels of an organization on both internal and external teams
• Understanding Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Search Console is a plus

7 Career Opportunities for Social Media Managers

We gather that you’re looking to kickstart a career in social media marketing, but what job to be specific?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question because there are so many different specializations within the industry. If you’re looking to take on a position as an online marketer, here are seven common roles:

Entry Level Social Media Jobs

Social Media Internships

This job opportunity can be either paid or unpaid. But typically, the job involves helping a social media manager and coordinator with their day-to-day tasks, like writing drafts for different social media posts, creating designs, conducting research on available social media influencers, and running reports. It’s an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience and build up your portfolio.

Social Media Assistant

If you aspire to be a social media manager or coordinator, want access to better opportunities and higher pay, this is the best starting position. This position requires fewer responsibilities than that of a social media manager/coordinator, but it presents itself as a great learning opportunity.

Requirements/Skill for these positions

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or a comparable major
• Understanding of the social media marketing landscape and how it relates to your company’s overall marketing strategy
• Ability to interpret data and produce insights from analytics reports
  Strong teamwork skills, ability to work well with remote teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Highly creative in developing content that appeals to the target audience
• In-depth knowledge of Hootsuite, Bufferapp, Google Analytics, etc. is a plus
• Knowledge of Photoshop or other web image editing software is beneficial

Manager-level Social Media Jobs

Social Media Editor or Report

That’s a hybrid position, where you’ll be required to write top-notch content for social media and social-media-focused content for media websites. Think recaps of the most viral tweets or round-ups of the best social media posts for a given day (think at least five, ideally 10-15 different posts). This role requires high creativity to develop engaging content, good enough to get picked up by news outlets.

Social Media Producers

Similar to the social media editor role, this is also a bit of a hybrid role. You’ll be responsible for creating videos for social media channels while also working as part of the larger video production team.

Account Managers

A social media manager can work in-house, directly for a company, website, brand, non-profit, etc., or work for an agency. An account manager is responsible for managing different client relationships. This role requires them to communicate with clients, understand their marketing objectives, and devise social media strategies to help them achieve their goals.

Social Media Copywriter

As with traditional copywriters, social media copywriters are responsible for creating the content a company posts across different social channels. It’s required that they have the right mix of creativity and technical writing skills since they must produce high-quality text and keep an eye on factors like character count limits.

Social Media Moderators

Companies that receive hundreds of comments or mentions per day usually hire social media moderators to help them manage these interactions for them. A social media moderator is responsible for responding quickly and efficiently to comments, mentions, or direct messages. They’re also responsible for deleting spam messages and following up on potential leads.

Influencer Partnership and Strategy Manager

As an influencer partnership and strategy manager, your job will be to identify the influencers to collaborate with, work with them to create branded posts, and guide them through the development process. You’ll also be responsible for making sure that you’re working with influencers who are a good fit for your brand and driving tangible business results.

Positioning Yourself for a Successful Career Growth in Social Media Marketing

No matter which career path you carve out for yourself, there are three key pieces of advice you might want to follow to keep your career moving in the right direction.

Keep Your Fingers on the Pulse of Social Media Trends: Whenever there’s a new development in the social mediasphere, you want to make sure you’re among the first to know about it. Get on the social media marketing listservs or subscribe to industry newsletters so you can be one of the first people to know about the new updates.

Learn New Skills: There are so many ways you can use your social media skills these days. So, why not try something different? Learn how to do video editing, build web graphics, take professional photos, or master another social media platform. That should help take your career take off in exciting new directions you might not have even considered before.

Learn to Embrace Change: Change is inevitable in this field, so you must learn to embrace it. While social media strategies are important, they have a shelf life of just 6-12 months before they’re rendered obsolete or out phased by other new trends or apps.

How Much do Social Media Managers Earn?

Social media managers earn a decently high salary of about $55,000 per year, according to glassdoor.

Social media managers earn a decently high salary of about $65,000 per year, according to glassdoor.

Their salaries tend to range from U$37 000 to U$80 000. The amount of money they make is largely dependent on location and experience.

Entry-level social media managers usually make around $37,000 annually, while senior-level employees earn as much as $80,000 per year. The average salary for social media jobs in the United States is $55,000. In Singapore, the same social media manager would earn about ($45 000).

Experience is also a factor when it comes to earning in this profession. A marketer with one or two years experience can expect to earn between $36,000 and $44 000 annually, while someone more senior with five or more years’ experience will command a salary of around $55 000-$81 000 per year.

Source: Glassdoor

Social Media Marketing Job Titles and their Pay (Singapore)

Social Media Marketing Manager Job Outlook

The social media marketing manager role is ranked #42 on CNN Money/Payscale’s Top 100 list of Careers with the highest growth, satisfying work, and great pay.

As consumers look to connect with brands on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the higher companies are willing to pay for targeted social media marketing strategies.

Also, according to CNN’s list of top-paying jobs in 2021, the social media marketing career is expected to grow by nearly 10% in the next few years.

With a medium salary of $55 000, and social media influencers raking in six and seven figures, there’s no question that the pay is also impressive.

A Note on the Future of Social Media Marketing

The future is bright for social media managers. As social media continues to grow and more people use social networks every day, the demand for social marketers will continue to rise.

Social media is an integral part of any marketing strategy, and companies are looking for experienced professionals to help them maximize their return on investment (ROI). So, if you’re considering a career in social media management, then there’s no better time to enter the field.

7 Essential Skills for Social Media Managers

Social media management has evolved from simply publishing content on social accounts to a more demanding role that requires you to acquire new skills.

The following are the core competencies required of an entry-level social media manager at this point in time:

• Content Strategy and Planning
• Editorial Calendar Management
• Influencer Outreach and Marketing
• Community Management and Engagement
• Social Media Analytics and Reporting
• Social Media Tools: Hootsuite, Buffer, etc.
• Google Analytics and HubSpot CRM Integration

There are other skills you might need to know about, depending on your industry or niche. For example, social media marketers who work for B2C companies should know how to use Instagram and Snapchat as part of their content strategy.

Top Reasons to Become a Social Media Marketer in 2022

Listed below are the top reasons you should consider a career in social media marketing:

• Get Paid Doing What You Enjoy: If you’re passionate about social media, this is a no-brainer.
• Industry Growth: The industry will only continue to grow rapidly, opening up more opportunities for wannabe social media marketers.
• Highly In-Demand: The demand for social media marketers is currently outpacing supply.
• Work from Anywhere: With a laptop and an Internet connection, you can work from anywhere — including exotic locations!
• Specialization: You don’t need to be a generalist anymore. Social media marketing allows you to become the “expert” in your niche.
• Fast-Paced: Social media moves at the speed of light, which means you’ll always be learning new things that push your skills to the next level.

With all these motivating factors, it’s time for you to start planning your journey towards an exciting career in social media marketing.

Social Media Marketer Job Requirements

Social media managers can work in two capacities: in-house social media managers or freelancers. If you’re joining an existing company, here are the essential requirements to becoming a successful social media marketer:

• Bachelor’s Degree: You’ll be required to produce a certificate or have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in marketing or a related field, like journalism, mass media, etc.
• Minimum of Two Years Professional Experience: The more years you have in digital marketing under your belt, the easier it will be for you to start this new role.
• Knowledge of Social Media Marketing Tools: These are tools that you’ll be using to plan your social media posts, schedule them, analyze results, track mentions, etc.
• Understanding of Social Media Metrics: Managers should crunch the numbers and know what metrics are crucial in determining their social media campaign’s success or failure.
• Quick-thinking Problem Solver: While you’re in charge, you’ll encounter problems that need to be quickly solved. You should know how to do this by assessing the issue, deciding how to resolve it, and implementing a course of action.
• Ability to Prioritize Tasks: You can only keep your head above water by ensuring that your work is prioritized correctly. If all else fails, you should have the ability to delegate work in order of priority.

How Long Will it Take You Before You Become a Qualified Social Media Marketer?

Though there is no set time for how long it might take you before you become a qualified social media marketer, an entry-level position should be within your reach in about three years.

Some social media marketers start by creating their own blogs, while others join an agency and gain experience from the other employees. If you’re looking to take the formal route, we suggest you consider getting a degree in marketing and taking on some part-time jobs while studying.

That should take you about six years to complete. On top of that, you need at least two years of working experience before companies start to take you seriously.

Top Social Media Marketing Courses in Singapore

Advanced Social Media Certification Training Course in Singapore, Singapore by SimpliLearn

This training course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to manage and implement effective social media strategies. The course blends advanced social media, web analytics, and content marketing to help you elevate your brand and position your business for online success, not just social media.

Price: $599 for self-paced learning

For corporate learning, you should consider contacting the institution directly. 

Course Link: SimpliLearn

Certification: Upon completing the course and sitting for their exam (and scoring over 75%), you’ll receive an Advanced Social Media Marketing Certification.

Social Media Marketing by NUS

This is a three-day course for enterprise professionals looking to learn the necessary skills to create, execute, and measure social media marketing campaigns. You’ll be taught how to integrate social technologies into your business processes for successful enterprise collaboration.

The total net course fee payable, including GST: S$2568 (for International Participants), S$2298 for Singaporeans

Course Duration: 3 Days

Course Link: https://www.iss.nus.edu.sg/executive-education/course/detail/nicf–social-media-marketing/

Social Media Statistics, Singapore

83% of the population in Singapore is on Social Media

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar take the lead on this one, where a staggering 99% of its population is active on social media.

At the nether end is North Korea, where only 0.06% of the population is on social media — 16 000 out of over 25 million people.

Nearly 23% of Social Media Activities Are Outsourced to An Agency

Nearly 23% of companies and businesses outsource social media activities to agencies. The number is even higher with B2B companies, with over 40% outsourcing.

The higher the management level in a company, the more likely it is for the marketing department to outsource their social media activities to an agency.

73% of Marketers Say their Social Media Efforts Have Been Effective So Far

A big chunk of marketers understands the value of social media marketing. That is not surprising since they’re the ones who are most likely to understand the importance of business intelligence and lead generation.

The challenge for businesses now is integrating their social media marketing strategy with other digital marketing practices.

With tools like Sprout Social and Data Studio, it’s now possible for companies to accurately measure the ROI of any of their social media strategies and make informed marketing decisions.

19% of Marketers Still Don’t Know How to Measure the Effectiveness of their Social Media Campaign

Brands are no longer using social media to drive vanity metrics. They’re more interested in tangible results that reflect on their bottom line.

As an aspiring social media marketer, you must learn to leverage this data to gain valuable performance insights.

Your goal should be to become a data-driven social media marketing expert adept at demonstrating the value of social media marketing to the company that hires or employs you.

70% of Paid Social Marketers Use Facebooks Ads, with Instagram Following at 41%

Facebook is the world’s leading social media network, and so is its ad platform.

70% of marketers who run social ads say they do it on Facebook Ads, with its sister social network, Instagram, following it up closely.

Facebook stands out because of its super-advanced targeting system. You can target the most relevant of users through the platform and a reasonable cost.

Paid marketers are also beginning to include Instagram ads ( also purchased within the Facebook Manager platform) into their paid campaigns.

72% of Marketers Are Interested in Learning About Instagram, While 69% Want to Learn More About Facebook

Even though Facebook boasts the largest adoption rates, 72% of marketers are more interested in its sister social media network.

It turns out, as brands continue to prioritize Facebook ads, the competition increases. As a result, companies are being forced to look into alternative ad placements, starting with Instagram ads.