15 Top Skills Needed to Become a Social Media Manager

Are you an aspiring social media manager? Let us find out about some of the top key skills of a social media manager. 

The role of a social media manager has now become one of the most significant marketing roles over the last few years. With businesses going online, the career scope of social media is promising. More and more professionals are now venturing into the field of social media. 

Who is a social media manager?

Social Media Managers help represent a brand across various social channels. They help a brand grow their business on social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. 

What does a social media manager do?

A social media manager helps improve website traffic and optimize brand awareness through a proper marketing strategy. They are also in charge of creating good content, analyzing data, and improving customer satisfaction. 

Listed below are a few of the tasks a social media professional does-

• Create content calendars

• Come up with creative briefs

• Curate, create, schedule and publish high-quality content

• Build and manage community online

• Create campaigns for product launch/brand awareness

• Network and build rapport with influencers

• Create weekly/monthly reports

• Develop relationships and expand community outreach efforts

• Manage promotions and social ad campaigns

• Monitor and manage a community online

How to become a social media manager? 

While an online marketing course is one of the ways which can help you gain advanced skills as a social media manager, a university degree in any of the following fields will also steer you in the right direction-

-Journalism

- Advertising

-Digital and social media marketing

-Marketing and public relations

-Business management

Becoming a social media manager can be rewarding and challenging. It has become one of the top emerging careers in India.

The field of social media is constantly changing, and everyday research and learning are one of the prerequisites of being a social media manager. 

Every social media manager should know to refine and develop essential social media skills to continue advancing in their careers. A social media manager needs a wide range of skills to create engaging content that converts as many followers as possible into loyal customers. 

So, what does it take to become a social media manager? What are the key skills of a social media manager that can help level up your resume?

Below are 15 skills that one must possess as a social media manager. 

15 Key Skills of a Social Media Manager

Listed below are ten essential hard skills to become a social media manager. Hard skills are concrete professional skills learned over time. They are measurable, quantifiable and can be studied in the classroom or on the job.

Ten must-have hard skills for social media manager-

#1. Strategy Planning- Laying Out the Best Social Media Plan

Search, content and social media work together. It is crucial to have your content strategically planned to drive engagement on a page.

A social media manager must have a well-documented social media plan. It is the first step towards meeting social media marketing goals. The more specific and concise a plan is, the more effective and attainable it gets. 

Adhering to a plan will help get an insightful summary of all the marketing efforts and have a well-set workflow. 

Strategy Planning Tips:

• Have clear goals

• Define your target audience

• Choose the right platforms

• Know your competition

• Create high-value content

• Post and engage frequently

• Measure your results 

• Seek advice from experts when in doubt

 #2. Community Management- Being A Good Facilitator

The ability to build a community is one of the top skills of a social media

manager. Building an online community is a must for a brand to grow and

succeed, don't you think so?

All the big brands have a strong community in place. The role of a social media manager is to establish and manage groups and online communities on various social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest boards, etc., as per the target audience. 

Community management is part PR to respond to posts, engage with followers and brand advocates, moderate comments, remove spammers, and answer queries. 

Remember, the more you show up for your community, the more they will show up for your brand. 

Community Management Tips:

• Show support whenever required by commenting, re-sharing posts/stories.

• Keep your followers engaged by creating polls and questions.

• Moderate comments and remove fake and ghost followers without caring much about the numbers.

• Send personalized replies as it creates deeper, long-lasting connections.

• Be firm but empathetic.

#3. Knowledge of Latest Digital Marketing Trends- Be Future Ready

One of the essential qualities of a successful social media manager is to stay on top of digital trends. The world of social media is constantly changing, and it's essential to identify new trends and stay ahead of the competition.

A social media manager needs to be more agile and develop dynamic social strategies. It helps in a better understanding of the consumer's needs and sentiments. 

Digital Marketing Tips:

• Connect with professionals in the same field to get the latest industry insights.

• Be active on social media platforms and get updated with emerging trends.

• Follow industry leaders and top brands on various social media pages.

• Be part of relevant groups on social media platforms to stay updated.

• Set Google Alerts to keep a close eye on search terms and topics important to your business. 

• Attend relevant webinars and conferences from time to time.  

• The latest digital marketing trends to watch out for are- voice search optimisation, automated email marketing, video marketing, micro-influencers, augmented reality and influencer marketing.

 #4. Experiment With Various Content Formats-Make a Brand Stand Out

Customers behave differently on various social media platforms. A social media manager must customise content accordingly in text content, video blogs, or a podcast to create engaging content.

Producing a mix of content that adds value to the customer experience is one of the qualities that a social media manager should possess. A few of the latest popular content formats are- Articles/blogs, E-Books, Infographics, GIFs, Memes, Case Studies, Webinars and Video/Audio Marketing.

Content Format Tips:

• Go with the trend and pick up the latest user-friendly formats. 

• Segment your audience.

• Stay up-to-date with all the social media statistics.

• Explore latest social audio platforms and formats such as Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces. 

• Be active on discussion forums.

 #5. Copywriting- Be the Brands Voice on Social

A social media manager should have strong writing skills. Communicating a message in a straightforward yet attention-grabbing way is a must. 

A social media manager does not necessarily be a content writer writing 1000-word long articles but should be able to articulate a message in short. Knowing basic grammar, punctuation, and the correct use of power words in social media is again a must-have skill.

From writing compelling ad copy that sells to content that drives engagement, copywriting is a non-negotiable skill of a social media manager. 

Copywriting Tips:

• Use relevant power words in your copy to awaken emotions.

• Create an exciting title.

• Know your brand's persona and your audience.

• Have a solid call to action.

• Be conversational.

• Use writing tools such as Hemmingway Editor, Grammarly, Contentrow and Headline Analyser to write effectively.

 #6. Knowledge of SEO- Boost Traffic Effortlessly

SEO and social media management are closely related. While SEO aims to improve a site's visibility organically, social media marketing is all about making the best use of social platforms to get found by the right people. 

While they both aim for two different things, both SEO and social media management work together in reality. For a social media strategy to work, it has to have a solid SEO plan in place. 

Embracing SEO will not help a social media manager present content in front of a larger audience but also help in understanding what content their social audience wants to consume.

From inserting relevant hashtags to a post to having a clear understanding of on-page, off-page and technical SEO, a good social media manager should strive to write SEO optimised copy.

SEO Writing Tips:

• Share new blog posts on all your social media account.

• Repurpose existing content.

• Make your content easy to share.

• Use relevant long-tail and short-tail keywords.

• Write for humans first, not for search engines.

• Link to other websites with relevant content.

• Make your image file name readable.

• Make use of headings and subtitles for skimmable content.

#7. Networking- Be People Person 

The ability to network-being social and make connections has to be one of the key skillsets of a social media manager. Creating digital connections with relevant brands, big social accounts, and influencers is one of the most crucial tasks of a social media manager. 

A social media manager must be a people person and comfortable making humanizing conversations.

Social Networking Tips:

• Join communities and establish your connections.

• Ask questions and advice.

• Listen and learn.

• Add value, give more than you receive.

• Be open and flexible.

• Be persistent and follow up.

#8. Analytic Skills- The ability to dig deeper 

Observing, researching, and interpreting data is essential for social media managers. Gone are the days when there were no tools for measuring the impact of a campaign on social media. Every social media platform has its ways of measuring data. 

Targeted analysis always proves successful in understanding consumer behaviour and aligning your campaigns, and budgeting in the right direction. 

As a successful social media manager, understanding social media metrics is essential for measuring your company's performance across various social channels. 

Social media is all about generating positive ROI like any other business. A great social media manager should know how to dig deeper and extract data using social analytics. 

A social media manager should have a thorough knowledge from analysing and accessing social media data such as the number of likes, comments, and shares to business metrics such as leads, revenues, and time spent on-site to bounce rate. 

Data Analytics Tips:

• Use analytic tools such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite Analytics, Mentionlytics, etc., to create easy-to-understand reports.

• Create an audit spreadsheet with metrics you want to measure. 

#9. Visual Skills- An eye for design 

A social media manager with graphic design skills can be a lethal combination. From being a wordsmith to creating visually stimulating content is one of the most desired skills of a social media manager. 

Designing visually appealing graphics or picking up a trending video that complements a post can benefit social media strategy. By doing this, a social media manager is fully immersed in the brand and can represent it wholeheartedly.

Check out our free Digital Design course here.

Tips For Creating Visually Rich Content:

• Keep an eye out for all possible social video trends and incorporate them in your posts.

• Pay extra attention to the quality of the video/images you post.

• Make use of user-friendly designing sites like Canva, InShot or PicMonkey to design your creatives.

#10. Budgeting Pro- Being Smart and Cost Efficient 

Most small to medium-sized organizations don't like to spend much on social media marketing. Hence, most social media managers need to work on a tight budget. 

 A few things that a social media budget plan should include are- training, paid social media campaigns, influencer marketing, content creation, software and tools.

Basic financial and budgeting knowledge is a must-have skill in a social media manager. It's essential to ensure that resources are allocated correctly and in the right direction.

Budgeting Tips: 

• Use free or affordable design tools. There are plenty of options available.

• Use stock photos.

• Do more and more live sessions to connect with your audience.

• Go for user-generated content. 

• Repurpose content.

• Understand your audience, target them on the platform they love the most, and invest in paid advertising. 

Listed below are five essential soft skills to become a social media manager. Soft skills are a part of one's personality that lasts a lifetime. They are highly subjective and get developed with time. 

Five must-have soft skills for social media managers-

#11. Communication

"Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know."

Jim

Rohn 

Communication is one of the top skills needed in a social media manager. Putting across new ideas, keeping the team motivated, engaging with different stakeholders are essential things a social media manager does.

A social media manager should convey a message to effectively communicate the brand's story on various social media platforms. It is one of the interpersonal skills needed in a social media manager. 

Join our free course on Communication Skills and learn to communicate effortlessly. 

#12. Creativity

"Creativity is inventing. Experimenting. Growing. Taking risks. Breaking rules. Making mistakes. And having fun."

Mary Lou Cook

A social media manager should always strive to create innovative and buzz-worthy content. 

With millions of brands and businesses trying to make their mark and get noticed, differentiation is one of the critical challenges a business faces. 

A social media manager should always be ready to take risks and develop creative ideas that are not repetitive. Providing quality content will help in keeping followers intact. 

Join our free course on Creativity and Entrepreneurship and tap into your inner creativity. 

#13. Learning

"Never stop learning because life never stops teaching."

Anonymous

The urge to learn and be on top of the latest digital marketing trends is one of the top skills required in a social media manager. With technology changing every day, a social media manager should yearn to keep learning new things.

Being curious and willing to grow is one of the essential traits needed in a social media manager. 

Here are a few reasons why Online Courses Work Well for Working Professionals. 

#14. Leadership

"The role of a leader is not to have ideas; it's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they are valued."

Ken

Robinson

An excellent social media manager needs to be a leader. Being able to create processes, delegate tasks effectively, support ideas from team members and inspire them in the process is a trait that every social media manager should possess.

Learn how to become a top women leader in India with this list of 12 leadership qualities and skills. 

#15. Adaptability

"Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt."

-Nolan Ryan 

The world of social media is constantly changing. A social media manager should quickly adapt to new scenarios. Being flexible and ready to incorporate last-minute changes into a strategy is a necessary skill for a social media manager.

Keeping abreast with the social trends and paying attention to feedback makes a social media manager more adaptable and flexible.

Conclusion

Being a social media manager can be overwhelming. Whether you want to start your own social media company or are looking for online jobs from home without investment, a career in social media can give you good returns.

Do not wait any further if you think you have all the required skill sets to become an excellent social media manager. Get guidance for your dream career in social media marketing on Glow and Lovely Career Community on SHEROES, and create an identity for yourself.