Become a Social Media Manager? Here’s How – Course, Tools, Amount to Earn: Everything you need to know

So you want to become a social media manager? We can’t blame you. It sounds like an exciting career managing social media profiles, creating content, building brand awareness, and helping businesses succeed online. The demand for social media managers continues to grow as more companies recognize the power of social media marketing. The good news is, you don’t necessarily need a degree to become a social media manager. However, you do need to develop a strong skill set, gain experience, build a portfolio of clients, and stay on top of the latest social media trends. In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to become a social media manager, from the required courses and tools to use to how much you can expect to earn. The path isn’t always easy, but for the social media-savvy, the rewards of this career can be huge. If you’re ready to become a social media manager, let’s get started!

What Is a Social Media Manager and What Do They Do?

As social media managers, we help businesses build their online presence and connect with customers. Our job involves creating social media strategies, managing content creation, engaging with followers, and analyzing metrics.

What does a typical day look like?

A normal day for us involves:

• Checking notifications and messages across social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Developing social media content calendars to plan future posts
• Creating and curating content like blog posts, photos, videos, and more
• Engaging with our followers by replying to comments and messages in a friendly, helpful manner
• Analyzing metrics such as likes, shares, and click-through rates to see what’s resonating with our audience
• Reporting on the performance of our social media campaigns and content to key stakeholders
• Staying up-to-date with changes in social media platforms, tools, and best practices

How much do social media managers earn?

According to Glassdoor, the average pay for an entry-level social media manager in the U.S. is around $50,000 per year. Pay depends on factors like location, experience, education, and job responsibilities. Many of us earn additional compensation from performance-based bonuses, commissions, and profit sharing.

With the demand for social media managers growing over the next decade, now is an excellent time to start a career in this field. The key is gaining the necessary skills and experience, whether through courses, internships, or entry-level roles. If you have a passion for social media and community building, becoming a social media manager can be a very rewarding career path.

Skills and Qualifications Needed to Become a Social Media Manager

To become a social media manager, we need a certain set of skills and qualifications.

First, excellent communication abilities are a must. We have to be able to connect with people and build relationships. Strong writing and editing skills are also important since we’ll be crafting social media posts, blogs, and other content.

Creativity and an eye for visual media come in handy. We should be adept at creating engaging images, infographics, stories, and videos to share on social platforms. An understanding of design principles and photo/video editing tools is useful.

Of course, we need to be tech-savvy and stay on top of trends. Familiarity with major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube is key. We have to understand how each platform works and the best ways to optimize content for them.

Analytical and marketing skills

To be effective, we must have a solid grasp of analytics, metrics, and data analysis. We need to know how to measure the performance of social media campaigns and make data-driven decisions. Some knowledge of search engine optimization, online marketing, and market research methods is also valuable.

With the right skills and experience, we can land an exciting career as a social media manager. The job outlook is bright, and according to Glassdoor, the average pay for a social media manager in the U.S. is over $50,000 per year. If we’re ready to get started, build up our skills, create a strong portfolio, and start networking! The opportunities are out there.

How to Get Started: Social Media Management Courses and Certifications

If you want to become a social media manager, the good news is there are many resources to help you develop the necessary skills.

Here are some of the ways we got started:

My first step was to take an online social media management course. There are many free and paid options out there. I chose a popular course that covered all the major platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. The course taught me how to optimize profiles, post engaging content, build communities, and analyze data to improve results.

After taking a few courses, I pursued social media certifications to strengthen my credentials. The Social Media Marketing Institute offers a Certified Social Media Marketing Specialist (CSMMS) credential. To earn it, you have to pass an exam demonstrating your knowledge of major platforms, content creation, analytics, and more. Other certifying bodies include Hootsuite Academy and HubSpot Academy.

With courses and certifications under my belt, I started building experience by managing social media for a local small business. I spent several months refining their profiles, creating and posting content, engaging with followers, and tracking metrics to optimize the results. This experience was invaluable for learning the day-to-day responsibilities of a social media manager.

We also invested in tools to help streamline processes. Hootsuite and Buffer are popular social media management platforms. They allow you to schedule posts in advance, engage with followers, analyze data, and collaborate with a team. Google Analytics and Facebook Insights provide metrics to track the impact of your social media efforts.

Continuously improving your skills and staying on top of trends are musts in this field. Social media is always changing, so we follow industry leaders, take additional courses, and experiment with new features as they emerge. With hard work and persistence, you too can become a social media manager. The opportunities for this fast-growing career are abundant.

Social Media Management Tools and Software

As a social media manager, there are several tools and platforms you’ll want to become familiar with to help streamline your work and maximize your efficiency.

Hootsuite

One of the most popular tools for managing social media is Hootsuite. This platform allows you to schedule posts in advance, monitor multiple social media profiles at once, and analyze the performance of your posts. We use Hootsuite to plan and schedule posts for our clients to save time. The free version works for individuals and small teams, but larger organizations may want to opt for one of their paid plans which provide more advanced features.

Buffer

Buffer is another excellent tool for scheduling social media posts in advance. They have simple but powerful features for organizing and publishing content across networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Buffer’s affordable pricing and intuitive interface make it a great option for solo social media managers and entire marketing teams.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management platform used by many social media managers and agencies. It provides a single dashboard to publish and schedule messages, monitor social media profiles, engage with followers, analyze social data, and more — all while encouraging collaboration between team members. Sprout Social does have higher pricing plans, so it may be better suited for larger organizations and social media teams.

Google Analytics

To analyze how your social media efforts are impacting your website traffic and conversions, you’ll want to connect Google Analytics to your social media accounts. Google Analytics is a free tool that provides in-depth reports on metrics like pageviews, bounce rate, location of visitors, referral traffic from social networks, and much more. Understanding this data can help guide your social media content creation and strategy.

With the variety of tools available, we have everything we need as social media managers to efficiently manage social media profiles, create and schedule engaging content, monitor our efforts, and optimize our strategy based on analytics. The key is finding the right mix of tools for your needs and budget.

How Much Does a Social Media Manager Make? Salary and Income Potential

As social media managers, our salaries can vary quite a bit depending on factors like location, experience, education, and job responsibilities. According to Glassdoor, the average pay for an entry-level social media manager in the U.S. is around $50,000. Experienced social media managers with 5-10 years of experience can make $75,000-$95,000 or more.

Location

Where the job is located has a big impact on pay. Social media manager salaries tend to be higher in large cities and tech hubs. For example, average pay in San Francisco and New York City is over $75,000. In smaller towns and suburban areas, the average is closer to $55,000. Some companies may allow remote work, in which case location may be less of a factor.

Experience and Education

Not surprisingly, those with more experience and relevant education or certifications tend to command higher pay. While a bachelor’s degree isn’t always required, earning one in marketing, communications or a related field can increase your salary potential. Relevant social media certifications from Facebook, Twitter, Google and HubSpot are also helpful and may lead to higher pay. Staying up-to-date with trends in social media platforms, digital marketing tools and analytics is key to career growth.

Job Responsibilities

A social media manager’s pay depends a lot on their level of responsibility. An entry-level role may focus mainly on content creation and community management. More senior positions involve developing social media strategies, managing budgets, analyzing metrics and ROI, and supervising a team. These higher-level jobs typically pay $75,000 or more.

The earning potential for social media managers is quite promising. With the demand for social media expertise growing, salaries are competitive. By gaining experience, pursuing ongoing education, and taking on more responsibility, social media managers can achieve a rewarding and well-paying career.

Conclusion

So there you have it – everything you need to know to become a social media manager. While it may seem like a lot of work, being a social media manager can be a rewarding career. You get to help businesses grow their online presence, engage with their customers, and spread their message. If you have a passion for social media, branding, and digital marketing, this could be the perfect role for you. The demand for social media managers is high, the pay can be good, and you have the flexibility to work remotely. Why not give it a shot? Start by developing your skills, building your knowledge, and creating a stellar portfolio of work. Then, go out and land your first social media manager role. You’ve got this! The digital world awaits.