The social media manager is one of the newest breeds of marketing professional. With world-leading social media platform Facebook only having opened to the public in 2006, companies large and small have been experimenting and adapting to take advantage of the incredible reach of social networks, while conforming to the unique structures of each platform. The social media manager is tasked with guiding the strategy and implementation of a company’s social media presence, and is a key agent in helping to communicate the company’s offerings, and what its brand stands for. Though this role seems tailor-made for the millennial generation, who grew up with the internet, the job market is competitive, and remarkably few candidates have the necessary skills and qualifications to land the job. We’ve put together some key skills and qualifications that can help you to score your next role as a corporate social media manager
Know the Major Social Platforms
For starters, you should be intimately familiar with the big three social media platforms that companies across the globe work with. Those are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. If you are to be seriously considered for a role in social media management, you must have a profile on all of these sites. Moreover, you should be actively involved with these social platforms, liking, sharing, posting, tweeting, and so on. Spend some time to understand what sort of content gets posted to these very distinct social media sites. What belongs on Twitter often does not belong on LinkedIn. Knowledge of the so-called “netiquette” that applies to each social platform is rare, and largely based on experience and understanding of the nuances of the content and language used on each site. How often can content be reposted? What do link previews look like? It is this knowledge of the commonly accepted standards for each site that make a social media manager an integral part of the company’s marketing function.
This should go without saying, but it is also important to ensure that your profiles on these different social media platforms should follow the commonly-accepted standards of those sites. Just as professional photographer makes her case for employment by leveraging her portfolio, you must reveal your professionalism with your portfolio of social media profiles. The first thing the hiring manager will look at, after your application, is your Facebook profile. Be sure that it conveys the message that you are a disciplined, smart professional that can be trusted with the company’s brand.
Get Familiar with Automation Tools
More than just one. Any hiring manager worth his salt will do a bit of research into what makes an effective social media manager. Therefore, they will be looking for you to have knowledge of the most popular social media automation tools, particularly Hootsuite and Buffer. Both of these have free versions, which will give you a solid introduction to the application and how it works. For an added bonus, try out platforms like Klout and socialoomph. Though many of these platforms have crossover in what they offer, it can be valuable to know what makes each unique. That way, in your interview you can speak intelligently about each, and you can provide your insight about which would be best for each particular type of firm.
Target a company
Or a particular type of company or industry. Learn what you can about the firm that you’re applying to, and analyze its different social media accounts. Then, develop a complete strategy for that company, based on your knowledge of different social platforms and complementary tools. The hiring manager will be impressed with your knowledge of the firm, and you will be able to prove your expertise and your game plan by describing a full social media strategy. This should include a list of social media sites the company should be active on, and a generalized posting schedule that takes advantage of each site and its unique features. You don’t have to reveal all of this up front, though! Tell the hiring manager that you have ideas, and that you would like to meet with her to discuss them.
Bonus: Learn Other Digital Marketing Skills
As a social media manager, you will be a key member of the company’s digital marketing team. You can bring added value to the role if you’re a skilled writer of search engine optimized (SEO) content. Or perhaps you’ve worked with a Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform like Hubspot or Salesforce.com. These skills are all valuable complements to the skills that you offer as a social media manager, and are likely to help you score your job.
Any other traits you look for when hiring? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
