What Is a Social Media Marketer? And How to Become One

Social media marketers are marketing specialists who use social media platforms to promote a company’s offerings. They often use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and TikTok to reach new customers, engage with current ones, and announce new products or services.

Social media marketers may work in-house in a dedicated role within a company, but many work as freelancers and are hired to work for an hourly rate.

Learn more about what it takes to become a social media marketer, including education and training requirements and related job titles within the social media marketing field.

What does a social media marketer do?

A social media marketer uses social media to promote a company’s product offerings. Some tasks you might do as a social media marketer include:

• Oversee an organization’s overall social media strategy

• Work with copywriters and designers to create and publish social media posts

• Monitor social media metrics to optimize future performance

• Stay up-to-date with social media trends, technologies, laws, and best practices

• Respond to and engage with user comments and messages

• Use social listening tools to understand what people are saying on social media about a company

Do social media marketers put out paid ads for companies?

Generally, social media marketers do not orchestrate the paid ads you might see on Facebook or X. Other marketing roles such as advertising specialists, paid media specialists, and marketing coordinators typically oversee paid ad efforts. However, you may see smaller companies blend the usually distinct roles.

How much do social media marketers make?

Jobs in social media will grow as social media usage for individuals and businesses continues to increase. According to a Smart Insights report, from January 2023 to January 2024, social media usage grew by 320 million people worldwide [1].

According to Glassdoor, social media marketers in Canada make an average salary of $52,617 CAD [2].

Social media manager vs. social media marketer: What’s the difference?

Social media managers and social media marketers have very similar roles, and the two titles are often interchangeable. However, the term marketer is more commonly used for freelance specialists.

How to become a social media marketer

1. Consider a bachelor's degree.

To become a social media marketer, you need a solid understanding of how social media channels operate. While employers don’t always expect social media roles to have a formal education, it does help your resume to show experience and background in marketing and social media. To further develop your skills and prepare for the role, consider studying a subject such as business, marketing, or public relations at a university or college.

2. Learn social media marketing skills.

You’ll want to polish certain skills as you begin your job search. These include:

• Social media: It’ll be crucial to know a variety of social media platforms well. The most commonly used platforms include Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram, but companies may also use WhatsApp, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, and others, depending on their audience. You’ll want to know what kinds of posts do well on each platform, as well as the differences in audiences for each and how to capitalize on trends.

• Analytical tools: Social media marketing analysis tools track performance, analyze trends, and mitigate digital risk. Commonly used tools include Hootsuite, SproutSocial, and HubSpot.

• Content creation: Creating content for social media may look different depending on the platform, but you’ll generally need some design sensibility and a good grasp of writing skills. 

3. Look for entry-level opportunities.

Entry-level opportunities can include jobs, freelancing, or volunteering. Explore different options to see what fits your needs.

Entry-level jobs: An entry-level position generally requires less relevant experience and can provide you with the opportunity to learn about social media marketing on the job. In your job search, keep an eye out for entry-level titles such as:

• Marketing intern or social media intern: $53,355 CAD [3]

• Social media coordinator: $43,702 CAD [4]

• Social media assistant: $40,162 CAD [5]

• Social media associate: $45,138 CAD [6]

• Social media analyst: $43,571 CAD [7]

Freelance: Consider freelancing to build up your experience. You can build a portfolio on a freelance website such as Fiverr or Upwork.

Volunteer: Volunteer opportunities may have less stringent requirements. Look for local or remote opportunities through volunteer search sites such as VolunteerMatch.

Build your own social media pages: Sometimes jumping in and doing it yourself is the best way to learn. Create your own Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Facebook business page to learn how each works and best practices in content creation. You can also point to these accounts in job applications as well.

4. Expand your professional network.

Networking might be intimidating, but it can be a good way to learn more about job opportunities, get job-search advice, and gain knowledge about the field. Your network might include friends, family, alumni of your alma mater, or old coworkers.

If you don’t know where to start, join groups for social media professionals on LinkedIn or Facebook. This can introduce you to different job postings, make you more familiar with the job landscape, and help you research how people in the field landed their jobs. 

For more advice on networking, check out Coursera’s guide on networking.

Related job titles

1. Social media manager

Average annual salary (CAD): $52,647CAD [8]

Requirements: This role typically requires a completed university degree or a college diploma in a field such as business, marketing, or public relations.

As a social media manager, you work alongside the marketing team to advertise a product or service on social media platforms. You may develop and review current marketing strategies as well as adjust these strategies to make them more successful by garnering more views, engagement, and sales via social media.

Read more: What's a Social Media Manager? And How to Become One

2. Email marketing specialist

Average annual salary (CAD): $56,570 CAD [9]

Requirements: This role typically requires completion of a bachelor’s degree in a field related to marketing or digital media.

As an email marketing specialist, you implement marketing strategies for organizations through email communications. Using writing and communication skills, email marketing specialists coordinate emails to consumers about a business’s products and services to promote online engagement and sales.

3. Marketing coordinator

Average annual salary (CAD): $49,934 CAD [10]

Requirements: This role typically requires a bachelor’s degree from a university or a college diploma. Completing certifications for social media managing platforms may also help you qualify for this position.

Marketing coordinators manage a company’s marketing strategies, such as their social media accounts, email communications, and advertisements. As a marketing coordinator, you work with a team of other individuals in marketing a business and analyzing current trends and consumer engagement.

Getting started with Coursera

Social media marketers develop marketing campaigns and strategies for businesses via various social media channels. To become a social media marketer, it’s imperative to know how to use popular social media applications and analyze the impact of your campaigns.

The first step in becoming a social media professional is learning more about the dynamics of social media and how it works in the marketing world. If you’re looking for a place to start, consider the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate or Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate on Coursera. You’ll learn how to create posts, manage accounts, develop advertising campaigns, and assess results. Plus, you’ll get a professional credential to add to your resume, which may help you stand out to employers.