How To Get Started In Social Media Careers
So, you have finally decided that a career in social media is the way to go, but how do you get started?
The truth is that social media careers are an emerging field, so employers will rarely be looking for individuals with proven track records.
However, a background in marketing and showcasing the passion, enthusiasm, and potential to succeed in social media roles are important. Here are some tips for you:
Knowledge Of The Platforms Themselves
Each social media platform is different, with its own unique set of best practices, rules, and mistakes to avoid.
Here are a few examples of what you need to know before you should start seeking a social media marketing career:
How each platforms algorithm prioritizes content Whats happening with organic reach on each platform Which platforms are best for your clients business based on performance, audience, and type of content posted How inbound and outbound links are treated on the platform Extra features that should be used
The only way to get this knowledge is through hands-on work or an extensive social media education like what we offer here.
What Does A Digital Marketer Do
With a rise in digitalization and online brand presence, digital marketing is skyrocketing like never before. After all these years, this one stream has managed to establish its stance even amidst the cut-throat competition.
Every new business is seeking its presence online hence, the need to have a professional digital marketer arises from there. It is estimated that in 2020, the global ad spend can reach $605 billion.
With all these new numbers and shining opportunities, do you wonder what a digital marketer does?
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Four: Monitor Social Media Trends
If youre applying for a role as a social media specialist, your future employer will want to see that you know what their competition is doing, whats popular with their target audience, and what social media trends are coming around the corner in their industry. Theyll want to see evidence of experimentation and your ability to analyze, so that as their social media specialist, your output stays relevant to their users and bang on-trend.
Try out some of these sites for monitoring trends: , TweetDeck, Hootsuite, Cyfe, , Reddit, and Top Hashtags.
What Is A Social Media Marketing Degree
A social media marketing degree is an academic credential that aspiring social media marketing professionals can obtain after completing a program focused on advertising development on interactive networking platforms. This degree focuses on different aspects of social media marketing content creation, curation and communication to increase the visibility of a brand and the value of what it offers for effective consumer outreach and customer retention.
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How Much Do Digital Marketers Make Job Outlook And Salaries
Career opportunities in digital marketing abound and are projected to keep growing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for marketing managers will grow seven percent by 2029. That outpaces the national rate of job growth, which is four percent. In New York state, job prospects are expected to grow at an even faster pace: CareerOneStop predicts the number of jobs for marketing strategists to grow 26 percent by 2026.
Advertising, promotions, and marketing manager positions are highly desirable and are often sought by other managers and experienced professionals. With Internet-based advertising becoming more important, advertising managers who can navigate the digital world should have the best prospects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states.
Further, digital marketing salary prospects are promising as well. According to recent wage data, the median pay for digital marketing specialists was $72,750. A number of factors influence salary, including company size and industry, as well as a candidates experience and knowledge of in-demand skills.
Of course, the trend toward remote work has broadened the job-searching net. That means that even if you live in another state, you may be able to land a high-paying digital marketing job in New York City.
The Career Path Of A Social Media Professional
THIS IS AN IPR DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER SIGNATURE STUDY.THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS:
IntroductionMore than 7 in 10 Americans use social media to connect, engage, and be entertained according to Pew Research. With the widespread use of social media, nearly every organization has a social media account, as resources are increasingly shifting to these digital channels and networks. In USCs 2019 Global Communications Report, 38% of U.S. CEOs said social media and online influencers will be the most valuable component of their companys communications strategy in the future, more so than owned, earned, and paid media. Social media managers are responsible for giving brands their voice. However, little research has been conducted on the individuals who fill this critical organizational role that has grown exponentially over the past 10 years.
The Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center,Ragan Communications, and the University of Florida PR Department collaborated on this research project to study the careers and roles of social media managers. We surveyed more than 400 social media managers to determine their job roles and responsibilities, reporting and management structure, history and levels of experience, performance review systems, and career ambitions.
SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
Media Contact:
All materials copyrighted by the Institute for Public Relations.
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From Social Media Strategist To Social Media Manager To Communications Director
With this next-level position comes a set of new responsibilities. Instead of managing the day-to-day upkeep of brands, the Social Media Manager now focuses on establishing the brands specific goals of social and engagement strategies across various channels. At the same time, the SMM will need to take the lead in establishing a brands voice and unique selling proposition. The position also requires reviewing all social media performance scores and holding each against the established benchmarks.
Once the social media manager completes a full round of management tours within the company, the coveted position of Communications Director peaks through the clouds. This job requires the CD to look beyond the year. Instead, the senior executive should aim to devise long-term company objectives. External communications like Public Relations and event management matters will also fall under the Communication Directors jurisdiction. Note that completing the journey from social media strategist to communications director will require an extensive period of preparing for the role. At the same time, undertaking the journey doesnt always guarantee the same end result.
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Social Media Marketing Degrees
Employers in this field recognize a bachelors degree, which takes four years to complete, or a masters degree, which takes between one and two years. Both options are for you, but they are costlier than bootcamps and community college degrees and take a longer amount of time.
Some of the best schools offering in-person and online degrees in social media marketing, social media management, and other fields, include the University of North Texas and Columbia University.
Social Media Marketer Faq
Can You Become a Social Media Marketer Without a Degree?
Yes. You can become a social media marketer as long as you get the right certificates, develop essential skills, and gain some relevant work experience. However, having a degree can make your career journey easier, especially if youre interested in the top positions.
Is It Hard to Become a Social Media Marketer?
It can be fairly challenging to become a social media marketer. To pursue this career, youll typically need a good educational background and to master the use of social media. Its not as simple as sharing an image with a caption, theres a lot of data analytics and strategy behind the scenes.
Is Social Media Marketing a Good Job?
Yes, its one of the fastest-growing career opportunities because of the increasing number of businesses growing their online presence. Its a high-responsibility job and comes with an above average paycheck.
How Much Does a Social Media Marketer Make?
According to BLS, the median salary of a social media marketer in 2021 is $141,490.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
What’s Next?
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How To Become A Social Media Strategist
The job of social media strategist offers different challenges to different types of people. Most see the position as getting paid for what many people do every day for free: checking their phones for new social media posts. While technically true, most people dont really go beyond consuming content and engaging based on their reactions. They like the posts they like, forward the content they want to share, and comment on the posts they feel warrant a written reaction.
Conversely, the social media strategist looks at content through a wider lens. Part of their job is to spot emerging trends before they hit their apex. If they catch the trend on time, theyll be able to get their brand on board before missing the wave. This means that the brand gets to bask in the benefits of a suddenly-viral campaign. At the same time, social media managers will also remain on the lookout for any movement that can spell trouble for the brand or its current campaign.
Apart from heavy expertise in social media, the social media strategist should also possess firsthand experience in the following areas:
- Project Management
- Social Media Networking
Personality Traits And Skills
Do you think you have what it takes to build a career in social media marketing? One major plus of the career path is it doesnt take an advanced degree to get thereanyone with a computer and a dream can build a career in the industry. Along with drive, there are some soft skills that many successful social media marketing professionals have in common.
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Digital Marketer Job Description
A digital marketing manager is liable for the development, implementation, and management of marketing campaigns that are fruitful enough for promoting a company and its services or products.
A manager plays an integral role in improving brand awareness within the digital market, increasing app and website traffic, and acquiring potential customers. Apart from that, a digital marketing manager also helps to discover and assess the latest digital technologies and web analytics tools to evaluate the website traffic to optimize email marketing campaigns, social media ads, and more.
Look For Small Businesses That Need Help On A Budget
While all labour deserves to be paid for fairly, the reality is that sometimes its difficult to break into a career with limited experience.
I got my first writing gig on Craiglist, and it only paid $15 for an entire article, but it also gave me my first sample that I was able to leverage to higher-paying work and an eventual career.
Ask around, and let friends and family know that youre looking for work. There are plenty of small businesses that have a few hundred dollars a month that need help with their social media management.
If you are in the financial position to do so and are struggling to get a full-time job, taking on lower-paying opportunities as long as you can get a testimonial or share the samples can pay off, but make sure that you arent signing any contracts that forbid you from doing so.
In addition to small businesses, you may also have luck offering pro-bono services to local nonprofits. This is a great way to give back while honing your skills, and plenty of employers love to see this.
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Why Get Into Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a fun and exciting, yet challenging and competitive field. There is always so much to learn and experiment, since trends shift, and new technologies emerge at breakneck speeds. In a market with more job seekers than there are digital marketing job positions available however, one has to be equipped with the right skill sets and be willing to work very hard to progress far in this field.
Experienced digital marketers are highly sought after and are able to apply for positions across different industry sectors with ease. However, there seems to be a lack of skilled digital marketers attributable to the rapid evolution in digital technology according to Upwork.
As Roy Wee, Digital Director at Raffles Medical Group highlighted, One should aim to cross over to different industries throughout his/her career while still seeking roles in digital marketing. A digital marketing professional working in the health sector for more than a decade may find it harder to secure a digital marketing role in a different industry compared to another who had transited across three different industries over the same period.
A career in digital marketing can be a lucrative one with high flying executives earning over S$180,000 to S$216,000 per annum. Digital marketing salaries start from S$2,500 $4,000 as a Digital Marketing Executive and can rise to $5,000 $9,000 for managerial roles.
Is Social Media A Good Career For A Woman
Women are now more than ever in social media. In fact, women make up the majority of social media users.
So, yes, social media is a good career for a woman. There is a level of creativity, interaction, and multitasking required for social media success. And women are often well-suited for this career.
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The Digital Marketing Career Path
The digital marketing career path can be broken down into three steps: entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level. Job titles are generally going to be some form of digital marketer, but digital marketing responsibilities may be the responsibilities of another role on the team, such as marketer, analyst, or manager.
ENTRY-LEVEL: ASSISTANT DIGITAL MARKETER
Entry-level digital marketing roles include Assistant Media Planner, Assistant Digital Marketing Planner, Assistant Brand Manager, and Associate Paid Search Manager. People generally spend 6 months to 2 years in entry-level digital marketing roles before moving into a mid-level role.
What does an entry-level digital marketer do?
An entry-level digital marketer tends to wear many hats in an organization. Typical responsibilities include helping develop media plans, reaching out to vendors for RFPs, and meeting with their manager to decide which media buys to execute. An entry-level digital marketer may also help with billing, overseeing delivery, creating presentations, drafting POVs and sometimes hopping into platforms like Facebook, Google Ads, Reddit, etc to manage media spend.
Entry-Level Digital Marketing Salaries
The typical salary range for entry-level digital marketing roles is between $35K-75K. Salary depends greatly on the type of organization you work for as well as location.
MID-LEVEL: DIGITAL MARKETING SUPERVISOR
What does a mid-level digital marketer do on the job?
Mid-Level Digital Marketing Salaries
Challenge : Data Privacy
Data privacy is a concern that digital marketers should be aware of. Data privacy is a challenge in digital marketing because it can be difficult to get consent from customers to use their data. Customers are also concerned about their data security and how it will be used. Marketers need to be careful to protect customer data and only use it for legitimate purposes.
The main challenge that Legiit has experienced, is keeping abreast with the legal digital changes as they occur. This will ensure that we are compliant with the privacy and data sharing obligations as a company.
ChrisCEO & Founder at Legiit
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Social Media Trends Are Always Changing
Any successful digital marketing strategy has to keep up with the ever-changing trends. This means adopting new tactics and tools every now and then. There will always be something new to learn and challenges to overcome. This, coupled with the fact that you are dealing with diverse client bases and needs, makes each day exciting.
Get An Education Or Training
Your first move towards landing a job is to learn what social media jobs entail and how to engage an online community through your social media presence, with social media posts on social networks. You can attend a college, digital marketing bootcamp, or self-study using online courses. Potential employers usually prefer someone with hands-on experience, which bootcamps can give you.
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Social Media Strategist: Career Path Roadmap For Aspiring Digital Marketers
Being a social media strategist is your entry-level access to the world of digital marketing. Let WriteForMe be your guide to the world of managing content.
Posting on social media for the sake of posting just wont cut it anymore, especially if youre goal is to build awareness for your business.
Random posts made at random intervals will leave viewers confused at best and indifferent at worst. However, employing the right social media strategist will ensure your content is consistently relevant and engaging.
Promoting your content on social media helps drive the global economy.
New social media users spring up every second and over half of the world population is online and growing by over 4% steadily. Capturing even half a percent of this market means getting the attention of 23.5 million potential customers.
Conversely, its easy for a brand to get lost in the collective noise of competing brands and products. Without a coherent social media strategy directed by a savvy strategist, companies can find themselves relegated to the sidelines.
