How to Become a Social Media Manager: Key Skills, Tasks, and More

Key takeaways

• A social media manager is responsible for setting content strategy and driving engagement across a company’s social platforms.

• To be successful, social media managers often need to possess a knack for storytelling, a keen eye for design, and an ability to analyze what does well with an audience—and what doesn’t. 

• You can become a social media marketer by earning a degree in marketing or equivalent experience in the field plus relevant certifications.

Explore a social media manager's responsibilities, the key skills necessary to do this line of work, and how to get started in the following article. If you're ready to begin building credentials right away, consider enrolling in the Adobe Marketing Specialist Professional Certificate program.

What is a social media manager?

Social media managers are ordinarily responsible for several goals, including developing monthly, quarterly, or annual strategies to increase followers, creating and overseeing social campaigns, reviewing analytics, and communicating with key stakeholders. 

As a social media manager, your specific responsibilities will depend on the size of your company. For example, while many social media managers at larger corporations typically approve copy or videos rather than create them, it’s common for social media managers at smaller companies to take on more content creation. 

What does a social media manager do?

If you’re interested in working as a social media manager, your tasks may include:

• Increasing followers and driving engagement: Boost a company’s profile on all active social platforms by increasing their followers and the amount of engagement (likes, comments, shares) they receive. You may be expected to develop written or visual posts to achieve both.  

• Strategizing content and campaigns: To drive engagement, you’ll be responsible for ideating (and sometimes executing) social campaigns that align with a company’s larger marketing strategies. You may also generate ideas for timely and evergreen content or repurpose user-generated content.  

• Posting and monitoring social media platforms: Depending on the size of your team, you may be responsible for posting and monitoring all social platforms. In that case, you may need to schedule posts and observe followers’ responses. You may also be responsible for responding to comments and messages from followers.

• Analyzing data: In addition to creative work, you’ll also spend time analyzing data to draw conclusions about how a company’s posts and content are performing. This can include social listening—monitoring what social media users say about a brand or competitors.

• Reporting metrics to key stakeholders: Companies want to know the work you’re doing has an impact, so you’ll likely be expected to report your achievements—or any problems that arise—to your marketing team’s and even the company's stakeholders. They’ll probably be looking to see how you grow followers, increase engagement, and develop creative content and campaigns, among other metrics. 

Social media manager salary and job outlook

In the US, social media managers earn between $54,000 and $96,000 per year, with an average salary of $72,000 [2].

Social media continues to be a growing field with strong job opportunities. According to LinkedIn data, the demand for paid social media skills rose 116.4 percent, while the demand for Instagram skills rose 28.4 percent since the onset of COVID-19 [1]. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that advertising, promotions, and marketing manager roles will increase by 6 percent between 2024 and 2034 in the US, which is faster than average [3].

Social media manager skills 

If you’re interested in becoming a social media manager, it’s a good idea to develop and strengthen several key social media marketing skills, including those in the following areas: 

• Writing: Whether you’re drafting posts or crafting captions, good social media writing goes beyond solid grammar and spelling. It will be important to hone your copywriting skills to develop compelling writing that fits into a brand’s story and voice and engages its audience. before applying to become a social media manager.

• Editing: Alongside writing copy, you’ll likely need to review your team members’ work and ensure it's grammatically correct and error-free. Honing your copy editing and proofreading skills can help you develop the eye necessary to reassure a company or brand that they’re in safe hands. 

• An understanding of social media platforms: You’ll need to have a thorough understanding of several social media platforms—their strengths, weaknesses, and user demographics, among other characteristics—to manage accounts successfully. Knowledge of the following platforms will likely be most important: Meta, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.

• An eye for design: Be prepared to communicate about images, infographics, videos, and more with graphic designers, marketing managers, and other marketing stakeholders. Envisioning a post and then articulating the business or strategic reasons for your choices will be critical. 

• Analytical tools: Knowing what messages resonate with consumers requires an analytical eye and the capacity to research. It’s helpful to know how to use social media listening tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and HubSpot, among others.

• Flexibility: Change is constant in the world of social media. New trending hashtags, algorithms, and platform features often require social media managers to think on their feet and incorporate novelty into their work.

• Timeliness: News events can cause some posts to be perceived as tone-deaf or insensitive or otherwise overshadow your post in importance. Staying on top of the news and the bigger conversations happening online can help you react accordingly and maintain an organization’s brand.

The importance of social analytics for social media managers

Social media analytics refers to data that allows social media managers to create successful marketing campaigns. Developing your abilities in this skill can be impactful. Analytics offer insights into how an audience interacts with social media content through likes, comments, and shares. Analytics also show traffic, trends, and click-through rates. With this information, a social media manager can adjust their strategy to improve metrics.

How to become a social media manager

There's more than one path toward a career in social media management. Becoming a social media manager often requires a combination of education and experience, though the specifics can differ by company.

Sample social media manager job description

The Role: We’re looking for a creative, trend-obsessed Social Media Manager to own our brand's digital voice. If you love creating engaging content, building communities, and tracking what goes viral, we want you on our team!

What You’ll Do:

- Create, schedule, and publish daily content across [Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.].

- Shoot and edit engaging short-form video (Reels, TikToks).

- Engage daily with our followers and respond to comments/messages.

- Track performance metrics and adjust strategies to drive growth.

What You Need:

- 2+ years of social media management experience.

- Excellent copywriting and basic design skills (Canva/Adobe).

- Deep understanding of social algorithms and current internet trends.

- Experience with scheduling tools (Sprout, Hootsuite, Later, etc.).

Consider a degree.

Social media managers typically hold a bachelor’s degree, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [1]. Majoring in a field that will build your communication or business skills—like marketing, journalism, or communications—can prepare you for the role. 

Going to college can also expose you to various opportunities where you may be able to gain specific experience in a professional setting. Use your career center’s resources to look for internships, volunteer opportunities, or part-time roles. Otherwise, try joining a club and contributing to their social media efforts.

Get an internship or entry-level social media job.

Experience working with social media is a key part of becoming a manager in the field. If you’re short on experience, look for an entry-level position that can teach you the basics of social media marketing before trying to move into a managerial position.

Keep an eye out for these entry-level job titles:

• Social media specialist

• Social media associate

• Marketing assistant

• Digital content producer

Learn more: How to Write a Social Media Manager Resume

Experience with social media doesn’t have to be relegated to professional realms. If you volunteer for an organization, offer to help run the social media accounts. 

And if you’ve built a sizable following on your personal social media platform, it could be worth mentioning to a hiring team (provided they’re appropriate to the job). Being able to market yourself successfully can indicate a savviness that may translate to running a brand.

Earn a Professional Certificate

Companies like Google and Adobe offer Professional Certificates, which you can earn online at your own pace. Professional Certificates are a smart choice because they often allow you to earn professional-level information from some of the top experts in the world.

Career advancement

After you've gained experience as a social media manager, there are many marketing opportunities you can consider if you're interested in career advancement. These include:

• Marketing analyst

• Brand manager

• Content marketing manager

• Marketing director

Explore social media marketing with Coursera's free resources

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