If you’re a recent digital marketing graduate or self-proclaimed social media wizard you may be thinking about pursuing a career in social media marketing. With social media marketing being such a growing industry, it may be overwhelming when thinking about how to get started. We'll share a few tips here that will help you get noticed and gain the competitive edge you'll need — read on to find out more!
1. Confirm Your Career Choice
Social media roles are often very demanding and fluid, as the industry is ever-changing! If you’re after a steady job with no surprises, a social media career may not be the best choice for you. However, if you consider yourself creative, highly organized and love engaging with people social media is a great choice for you!
2. Become an Expert
Often times social media managers are creating content or managing multiple social accounts. So it’s crucial to be an expert in at least 4-5 different social platforms. Pick your platforms and take the time to browse them, and research how each algorithm works. Being an expert on multiple platforms will help you stand out in the crowd when seeking a job.
3. Follow People in the Know
Imagine where you want to be in 5 years and follow people in the social media field that are already there. There are plenty of people who have established themselves in various fields, and if you like their style and want to learn from them, social media engagement is a great way to do so.
4. Know the Ins and Outs of Influencer Marketing
If you’re going to work in any kind of role in social media marketing, chances are you will be doing some influencer marketing. You will need a firm understanding of what influencer marketing is and how you can use it to build customer relationships.
Social influencers are a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. Various businesses use influencers, partnership campaigns, or other engagement techniques to boost a brand's image. The influencer you choose for your brand must represent both the brand and target demographic in an authentic way. You should understand the person’s reach and message, as well as the type of engagement they have with their audience.
Knowing how to lead a successful influencer campaign, or how to contact and network with them, is a crucial point to add to your resume.
5. Get Creative with Content Creation
There are so many different ways to create content for companies such as blog posts, videos, photos, and stories. Chances are you will be creating some kind of content so make sure you practice creating content to show your authentic style.
You'll also want to ensure you have a basic knowledge of image and video editing as well as the associated tools and platforms. Photoshop, Canva, and iMovie are great places to start when it comes to learning more about visual production.
6. Build Your Personal Brand
Think of your personal social channels as a portfolio, now is the time to use them professionally. Ditch the silly pictures and stories about your weekend, and showcase your expertise by creating meaningful content that gains followers and fans and kick start your social media career in your own time.
It’s key to demonstrate that you understand not just how to “use” a given platform, but be completely clear about engagement strategies, audience statistics, and even your process for market research. You should be able to demonstrate your skills at any given moment.
7. Volunteer Your Social Media Services
Offer to help a friend, company, or non-profit organization with social media marketing work. Most people are eager to accept help! As you take on small unpaid projects, you'll not only build your portfolio, you’ll also help the company out, which is a win-win experience. To avoid any mistakes or negative results, make sure that they are clear about their social media goals from the start.
Learn, Learn, Learn Some More!
Online learning has never been easier than it is today. There are plenty of courses available online to get you started in the world of social media and content marketing. Having an official certificate in social media marketing will be another added advantage!
We offer an online social media training course that you can check out here! This will equip you with the tools and knowledge to run social media for businesses with confidence. Be sure to also check out our other resources on our blog, and follow us on Instagram for more social media tips!
