Digital marketing is simply advertising through digital channels. This is mainly done through social media platforms, websites, search engines, email and various mobile apps. The idea is to support customer demand for information on various products that they expect the digital world to provide.

According to the latest industry reports, digital advertising in India is set to grow by 20% and reach a market size of nearly Rs. 19 crore by end of 2021.

Brands also rely heavily on digital marketing and marketers are always looking for new strategies to engage audiences. This is called engagement marketing which is putting a set of meaningful conversations out there to trigger curiosity and awareness about the brand. According to industry heads, the digital medium is at the core of all marketing now and social media has an extremely important role to play since this is where brands get to interact with the audience directly and also obtain real-time feedback.

In this blog, we will be looking at various facets of social media marketing — the role of a social media manager, how to become a social media manager and what are the skills required for this position.

What does a Social Media Manager do? 

The basic role of a social media manager is to create content and analyse content required for a brand’s social media pages. They work towards building awareness, engaging with potential consumers and generating positive customer sentiment.

They compose posts, develop social media strategies for a brand, consumer or organization, and keep a tab on how the initiatives are performing. They usually work in a team of designers, strategists and copywriters.

Their tasks can be broken down further into the following:

• Building content calendar: A social media content calendar is basically planning and putting down what your social media posts will be for a certain period. This helps to plan upcoming posts, track what has been put out there and plan with other team members for the execution. The calendar normally depends on the social media platform, whether it is Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter.
• Posting and monitoring social media platforms: Posting & Monitoring Social Media Content: A social media manager is required to monitor what goes on a brand’s social media page. They need to organize posts, creative copies and creative partners. They may also be sometimes required to comment and reply to messages on a brand’s social media page.
• Campaign strategizing: Campaign strategizing: This involves creating campaign plans for achieving business and marketing goals. It may be achieved through product launches, rebranding initiatives and awareness campaigns. The social media manager should also be aware of the goals of a company or brand while building the calendar. Further, the campaign needs to be planned in a way that the goals are met and customers are engaged.
• Analyzing data: You cannot expect to manually analyze social media data and there needs to be a faster or reliable way to do so. You also need to make sure that the figures and percentages are correct.

What are we trying to understand while reading this data?

• Audience identity
• Type of content that works
• Performance of campaigns
• Performance of competitors
• Guiding best practices: A social media manager must know what does not work for a brand and in this process they also come to know what works in favour. This has become extremely important because a brand’s social media presence and relevance goes a long way in making it a profitable venture.

So, here are some best practices that one can follow while managing a social media account.

• Know your customers: With the help of social media, brands can collect an enormous amount of data and use it to guide decisions and marketing strategies. It is important to know what a brand’s customer wants and expects. A brand can also change its customer service and reshape the sales funnel.
• Conduct competitor audit: It’s always a good idea to know how the competitor is performing and what they are doing on the social media front.
• Establish brand voice: A brand’s social media accounts are an extension of its image. Maintaining a consistent voice is important.
• Using tools to plan & automate: These tools will make your job easier and help you to multi-task. You can automate your tasks with the help of these tools.
• Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing creates brand awareness with the help of niche content creators. They reach out to the audience through different channels and this helps the brand to reach across buyer personas.

Read More: Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Learn Digital Marketing in 2021

How to become a Social Media Manager?

If you want to become a social media manager you should first make sure if the interest is real or are you drawn to the pleasing parts of the game. The reason is in today’s day and age a social media manager can help a brand in multiple ways.

To begin the journey of a social media manager, one needs to build a certain skill set. They need to pick up multiple skills like writing and designing.

There are certain steps that can help you to become a social media manager. Let’s look at those in some detail.

• Social Media Marketing Course: A course of this kind will help you pick up skills like copywriting and give you a fair idea of design. This will also make you aware of pop culture and the trends that are vital to follow while putting out social media posts.
• Certifications: A certificate after completing a social media course can help you build a career because you have now taken the test to prove yourself and you are equipped with the knowledge of the basics.
• Internships: This can be a solid push in starting your career as a social media manager. Having worked in a real office environment and accomplished some challenges, you will gain the confidence to take up any tasks when on a job.
• Build Your Social Media Presence: When everyone seems to be on social media then how do you make yourself stand out. Well, you first need to make sure that you are on the right platforms. You also need to tell your audience that you are on social media. This can be done by inviting your friends to like your page. You can include your social media handles in email campaigns too.
• Get A Social Media Manager Specialist Job: We all have to start somewhere and the best way to start in this case is by taking up the job of a social media manager’s job. This will tell you about your weaknesses and strengths.
• Create Business Accounts On Major Social Platforms: A business account on social media will make your posts look more authentic. Customers treat such accounts with more trust and it makes it easier for you to sell your products and ideas too.
• Know The Target Audience: The target audience in case of the social media is a group of people to who you want to appeal. So, you need to know the demographics of your target audience in terms of their age, job title and income level.
• Set Realistic Goals: You need to accept that you can’t build social media presence for yourself or your brand in a day or two. This needs consistent work and strategy but having a goal in place is key as it will help you find a direction and a path. So do your research and find out what goals can you actually achieve in a given period of time.
• Build Your Manager Skills: As the name suggests, this role requires you to develop managerial skills. In this case, it is not just about managing your team. It is also to a large extent about managing your social media posts, trends, feedback and analytics.
• Define Your Services: In a smart way, you can communicate to your audiences what are the services of your brand or company. The key is to stick to your messaging and change it if the results are not conducive to your goals.
• Learn Social Media Marketing Tools: Tools can really make your life simpler but you need to know which ones to use and when. Some of the common social media tools that you need to be familiarised with are:
  • Sprout Social
  • Hootsuite
  • HubSpot
• Build Your Client Portfolio: The first step is to reach out. You may start by offering free services. This can create an impression. Working Bono with good clients can have long-term benefits. They can give you a nice testimonial. With time you will be able to chart your path and win over a list of clients.
• Work On Some Brand Development: If it is in the initial days then you can help some upcoming brands on a pro bono basis. It could also be some established brand. Your fresh ideas can help them create a new look or attract a new client base. These experiences will help you make a mark for yourself in the industry.
• Create Case Study (Impressive portfolio): This can come after a few successful stints in the industry. A nice portfolio of work can come in handy for approaching new clients or starting your own consultancy.
• Apply for Social Media Manager Jobs: Being employed with a company has its own perks. While it gives you the convenience of working in an office set-up, you are provided with essential devices and tools. You also get to interact with their clients and who knows you might be able to win them over when you start out on your own.

Read More: Jobs for Freshers in Digital Marketing Sector After Covid-19

What skills does a Social Media Manager need? 

A social media manager is definitely wearing many hats at the same time. While it can get challenging, it can also be very exciting if you know the tricks of the trade. There are a certain number of skills that you can learn before getting into the profession and then there are others that can be picked up on the job. Let us look at some of these key skills and why they are important.

• Social Media Expertise: You need to know the industry well to be able to make a mark. Get to know about the different social media platforms, the trends and what works in drawing the consumers.
• Social media savviness: You can start working on this by first putting yourselves out there. Test the waters on your own. This is a great way to start because you will learn from your mistakes before putting big brands in the line of fire.
• Analytical tools: These tools are essential to know how good or bad are you doing with your social media management. They also provide you with information about your consumer base and what has been working for you or not.
• Copywriting: This is a skill that can be developed with a bit of interest, practice and being aware of what others are doing. There are several courses that teach you copywriting. You can also enrol for them if you feel the need for some professional guidance.
• An eye for design: Great content can also fail if it does not come across as appealing. This is where the knowledge of design comes in handy. You may not be designing the element but be aware of what may work or not in your case.
• Research skills: This is probably the most important part of the process because it helps in making value addition to the posts. It helps your social media handle’s output to stand out from the rest.
• Customer service: All your efforts will go to waste if your customers are not satisfied. Answer their queries and keep them happy. This should be your motive and all your efforts should be directed towards it.

Summary 

Social media managers manage a brand’s voice and help it to grow. It is your responsibility to ensure that your brand is able to engage with the public and promote its vision as and when needed. You can do so through different forms of social media marketing. Now, with digital marketing growing in leaps and bounds this is the opportune time to consider this as a career choice. Social media managers are much in demand now and are also one of the well-paid executives in any company.

However, it is essential that you get your certificate and training from a reputed institute. You also have a good chance to bag your dream job if your institution provides you with good placement opportunities like in the case of DigiAcharya.

Why enrol with DigiAcharya

DigiAcharya provides various courses in digital marketing. These programs are focused on professionals as well as entrepreneurs. The students are provided training in various aspects like:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Search Engine Marketing
• Social Media Optimization
• Social Media Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Google Adwords &
• Pay-per-click.

DigiAcharya’s courses are all certificate programs. They open up various career opportunities too. It also offers great placement support and helps students grow into digital marketing professionals. All this is achieved with the help of expert trainers who are qualified and experienced in the various facets of digital and social media marketing.

Now you know why DigiAcharya is your best bet. Check out the course details and apply now!