How to Become a Social Media Manager? 5 Things-To-Do in the First Week

Walking the thin line between simply garnering the title of a social media manager and becoming a successful one at that is not everybody’s cup of tea. Even if you succeed in becoming a social media manager, it might fulfill your long-standing dream but what does it do for your organization? When you help your business grow an online presence and build communities of loyal fans that regularly purchase from you, only then will you be considered a successful social media manager!

Do you want to become a social media manager? Have no idea about how to go about your business as one? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you are at the right place. You will learn about how to become a social media manager and what you need to do after sitting on the high chair. Read on to find out more:

How to be a Social Media Manager?

First things first, you need to be drilled in how you can acquire the job you have hankered after for so long. Here is a step by step process you need to staunchly follow up on to nail the job:

1. Build Your Own Community
2. Master Time and Money Management
3. Hone In on Your Marketing Skills
4. Take the Mobile Route
5. Have Something to Show

1.    Build Your Own Community

“Charity Beginsat home”. You might have heard this adage at a number of occasions, but did you know that it fits perfectly on someone who wants to become a social media manager.  Start off by building your own community because if you fail to market yourself, how capable do you think you are at marketing to others?

2.    Master Time and Money Management

Have you ever seen a clown juggling multiple balls at once at a circus? A social media manager swims in the same waters. Managing multiple social media channels simultaneously is no bed of roses. Add to that the budget constraints as well as managing ROI, and things have a propensity of turning quite challenging for social media marketers. This is where your time and money management skills come into play.

3.    Hone Your Marketing Skills

In order to stand out from other candidates, you need to master advanced marketing skills to gain a competitive edge. Things like optimizing YouTube videos, creating custom Twitter and YouTube headers and gaining command over hashtag marketing along with knowledge of webinars and Google+ Hangouts is a big bonus.

4.    Take the Mobile Route

Having a dedicated website is not a big deal anymore. You need a strong mobile presence and a responsive website that delivers a smooth user experience, irrespective of the platform and device. Taking the mobile route is a sensible thing to do as most users now access the web through their mobile devices.

5.    Have Something to Show

Just like a designer, you must have your own portfolio. In the case of a social media manager, you could incorporate your Linkedin profile on your resume but you should think beyond that, and have some successful projects under your belt to show to your prospective employers. Reach out to your clients and engage with them. You can also ask them for an endorsement on your Linkedin profile.

Related Read: LinkedIn Etiquettes: Common Reputation-Damaging Activities That You Must Avoid

What to do when you become a Social Media Manager?

Here are seven things that you should do after becoming a social media manager.

1. Conduct a Social Audit
2. Do A Competitive Analysis
3. Keep An Eye On Social Media Trends
4. Listen to your followers
5. Identify High Performing Posts

1.    Conduct a Social Audit

The first thing you need to do is to conduct a social media audit. Why? A social media audit will help you get a foothold in your new role and adjust more easily. Additionally, it will help you gauge the current performance of social media accounts. Establish a process by which all the social media activities will be executed. This will come in handy as you create a new social media strategy for your company.

2.    Do A Competitive Analysis

Next, do a competitive analysis to find out who your competitors are. You can easily get an idea of the social media landscape of your industry by glancing at the social media account of your competitors. The best way to do that is to narrow down your competitive analysis to three to five direct competitors and look who your audience is following. You can easily find your competitor’s social media pages by a simple Google search and start your competitor analysis.

3.    Keep An Eye On Social Media Trends

Knowing the latest social media trends will help you stay in the loop on what’s trending and what has gone obsolete in the social media realm. This way, you can easily design strategies that are not only able to meet your current goals, but also take you closer to your futuristic aspirations. Social videos, live videos, social selling and social advertising are some of the trends that you need to jump up on.

4.    Listen to your Followers

“Your Brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.”—Jeff Bezos

What are your followers saying about your brand on social media? Listening to your followers on social media can help you answer that question. More importantly, it will help you know about their likes and dislikes and provide you with an opportunity to tweak your social media campaigns according to their feedback. Think about how you can solve your customer’s problems. Monitor the sentiments around your brand and make changes accordingly.

5.    Identify High Performing Posts

If you think that all your posts are poised to do well on social media, you need to hop down from the clouds. Some of your posts perform well, while others don’t. Analyze your best performing posts on social media and look for a characteristic that made it go viral on social media. Design your future posts centering on that trait and see how they perform. A/B testing your social media posts will help you achieve great results. Solicit Google Analytics and other tools to keep an eye on stats and try to extract useful insights from these statistics on how to make future improvements.

Did this article help you become a successful social media manager? Let us know in the comments section below.