How To Become A Social Media Manager (Step-By-Step Guide)

Pinterest X (Twitter)Facebook

If you want to learn how to become a social media manager, your instinct for earning an online income must be working on overdrive:

Social Media has ruled the web for years. As a result, there is no better time than now to build a career as a social media manager:

Millions invest in products and services after discovering them on Social Media. Both small and large brands know that Social Media is one of the most essential marketing channels.

These brands need constant content that will turn viewers and readers into loyal followers and members of a community.

However, they can’t deal with such an ambitious task on their own – that’s why they hire social media managers to help them.

Today, I’ll lead you into the world of social media managers:

What is a social media manager, and what does such a person do?
Is social media manager the right fit for you?
Do you have the necessary skills to become a social media manager?
How much can you earn as a social media manager?
And what’s the best way to become a social media manager?

This post may contain affiliate links – read my affiliate disclosure.

Professional social media managers have different reasons for choosing that career path. Everyone’s story is unique, so it’s hard to give an ultimate answer that will cover this question.

With that said, here are some of the most common reasons why people decide to build a career in the social media field:

An opportunity to master a brand-new industry
A chance to start a profitable work-at-home job that pays well
Working flexible hours
Spending more time with loved ones
Leaving a print into a company’s success story
Gaining new skills to get a better-paid position later

In other words, diving into the social media manager role is best for people who want to develop highly marketable skills, help brands increase their influence, and join the process of building a real community online.

Social Media Managers manage the social media accounts of other individuals, small businesses, or companies.

Overall, the job of the social media manager is to handle a brand’s presence on one or more Social Media Networks.

Think of social media managers as professionals who put much time and effort into building an online presence for potential employers.

For example, a social media manager must network, engage with the audience, and track performance.

Of course, social media professionals may have many other responsibilities. Let’s take a closer look at them, shall we?

Related Read:

Before discussing how to become a social media manager, we should cover the job description.

These days, social media managers have plenty of responsibilities:

After all, they’re responsible for managing such an important marketing channel.

You’ll take on different roles and complete many duties as a successful social media manager. How about I glue you in the details?

Generally, these are the most common duties a social media manager has:

Building and developing social media marketing strategies
Planning, creating/posting highly-valuable content
Creating editorial or content calendar
Doing graphic design
Filming video content (or overseeing the content creation process)
Writing captions and descriptions of social media posts
Answering questions/replying to social media users
Tracking content, audience engagement, and social media strategy through data analysis
Data analytics of content performance
Managing communities (if the employer sees that as necessary)
Creating a brand identity and unique voice
Developing creator partnerships and public relations
Running ads, ad campaigns, or other social media advertising

First and foremost, don’t let this extensive list of duties intimidate you:

You don’t have to be an expert in each field to be a great social media manager.

Also, some tools will help you complete the necessary tasks – Canva will take care of the graphic design, for example.

I doubt the social media sites you’re about to see will come as a big surprise to anyone:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest
TikTok
LinkedIn

If this is your first try to be a social media manager, you should be able to do tasks on all these networks (at least the most basic ones).

Why is that? Isn’t it better to focus on only one social media network?

It isn’t since you don’t have the necessary practical experience yet.

As soon as that changes, you’ll have much more freedom to decide whether to work with a particular social media network.

what services can social media managers offer

Before I walk you through the process and show you how to become a social media manager, how about we discuss services?

To be more specific, let’s see some of the services you can offer in the social media management role:

Researching hashtags and implementing the data your research will produce
Developing content strategies or improving existing social media strategies
Moderating groups
Executing general admin tasks
Working to increase the number of followers/engaging with followers on a new level
Branding/rebranding services
Search engine optimization, driving free traffic/paid traffic
Creating, pinning, and scheduling pins
Writing blog articles/updating old ones

Feel free to add different services to that list if you have the relevant knowledge or hands-on experience.

For example, TikTok wasn’t even a thing a few years ago, but it is now the fastest-growing network among various social media platforms.

Maybe you should become a TikTok marketing expert and offer such a service to your social media manager portfolio. That idea is worth the effort and will pay off for sure.

By all means, the social media landscape is constantly changing.

So, the essential skills necessary to work as an in-demand social media manager will change over time, too.

Still, there are sets of social media marketing skills I believe will stand the test of time:

Writing Skills

Earlier in this article covering how to become a social media manager, I mentioned that you must plan, create, and probably update content.

A social media managerial position won’t be possible unless you develop above-average writing skills (or improve your existing ones).

If you doubt your writing abilities, you can always spare time to go through a professional writing course.

My Freelance Paycheck is an extensive online training that will teach you how to earn at least $3,000 a month from freelance writing alone – read the full review here.

Related Read:

Graphic Design/Video Editing Skills

I won’t dwell too much on developing graphic design skills. These are key skills for anyone who wants to be a good social media manager.

Nowadays, you can learn tons about graphic design and video editing from any relevant YouTube channel.

Marketing Know-How

Working as a professional social media manager requires a greater understanding of social media network channels and algorithms.

On that note, take the time to learn the social media marketing fundamentals and target the right audience.

Verbal Communication Skills

It doesn’t matter what type of work-at-home job you want to do:

Whether you work as a social media manager, virtual assistant, proofreader, transcriptionist, etc., the ability to communicate with influencers, content creators, or potential clients is priceless.

Flexibility

Many of you might think that once they learn how to become a social media manager, the job is over, but that’s not true:

Building a successful career as a social media manager requires constant testing, adjusting, and adapting strategies.

And if you want to do the job well, being flexible is crucial.

Leadership Skills

More often than not, social media managers don’t create content but spend lots of time overseeing the creative writing process.

That’s almost always the case if you work for a large brand or corporation, so leadership skills are essential.

Easy Online Jobs Anyone Can Get Paid To Do:

By all means, you don’t need to go back to college to be able to work as a social media savvy specialist.

So, if you have a kid researching “how to become a social media manager as a teenager” on the other laptop, this article will help both of you.

With that said, here are the steps you have to take to start earning from social media manager jobs:

how to become a social media manager refresh your social media knowledge first

Considering you’re learning to be a social media manager, it’s easy to see why you won’t accomplish that without a profound knowledge of the field.

If you ask working social media marketing managers what’s the number one skill you need to do the job, most of them will tell you the same thing:

Above all, you won’t become an in-demand social media manager without a deep understanding of the social media channels, landscape, and latest trends.

It’s one thing to be a social media fan as an individual. But as a professional, you must have your thumb on the social media pulse.

So, immerse yourself in the social field, brush up on your knowledge, and pay attention to the hottest social media trends.

As you know, you need specific skills to find the best work as a social media manager. Be honest about your writing, graphic design, video editing, and communication skills.

Do you lack transferable skills in any of these areas? Then, start developing them.

What if you have some skills that are far from a professional level? Well, the best way to improve any skill is to practice it.

For example, if you want to hone your graphic design skills, consider creating graphics for bloggers or your website (if you have one).

Generally, you don’t need a certification or marketing degree to find a job and build a strong foundation as a social media manager.

Be that as it may, going through a social media course will be beneficial to you:

Such online courses will get you up to date faster without getting a Bachelor’s Degree.

There are a couple of certification courses you should consider to learn about brand management and building a social media presence.

Assuming you don’t want to spend a lot, I can direct your attention to the Social Media Marketing Course at HubSpot (free of charge).

Now, some might want to expand their digital marketing expertise as well. While not free, the Digital Marketing Career Blueprint is one of the best digital marketing courses.

At this point, you must improve your social media skills and gain deep knowledge of the industry. Think about checking your social media training by jumping into the practical side of the job:

You can start being a social media manager by managing a couple of professional social media accounts of a friend, for example. Now, there is something else you’ll have to keep in mind during that process:

Social Media is not a static field – it changes and evolves constantly. Subsequently, expect to stumble upon new social media specialties and niches.

Most social media managers look for clients on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, but you can discover your niche on other social platforms.

5) Create A Business Strategy And Plan

OK, what does creating a social media manager business plan entail? Well, the first step is answering a couple of essential questions, such as:

Why am I starting this business? (You need to be sure about your mission and long-term goals).
What services should I offer? (Chances are, you already have a pretty good idea about the services you want to provide. Write them down. Remember, you can always modify them later).
Who is my target audience? (While it’s OK not to be super niched down, you shouldn’t start the job without knowing who your future employer might be. After all, you can’t help everyone, so decide what potential customers you should target).
Who is my competition? (Doing some competition research is a must. Once you know the type of clients you’ll be going after, try to find out who you’ll compete with for their attention.

6) Build A Strong Portfolio

Once you gain enough social media experience, you’ll be ready to take the next step – creating a portfolio.

A portfolio is a valuable asset that allows you to showcase your social media management abilities to potential employers and customers.

Alright, and what’s a great way to create such a portfolio? I recommend launching a simple website:

First, you’ll need to come up with a name, which will be your domain name and the name of your business. Then, choose a blog hosting provider – SiteGround offers affordable plans and stellar customer service.

When your site is ready, include all the social media work you’ve done on various platforms to demonstrate your abilities.

It doesn’t matter which social media network you want to develop a career in:

The best way to build a social presence is to create an account on at least one platform and grow it from scratch.

Spending time on that social media platform will help you gain practical knowledge that will prove valuable experience later:

You’ll have a chance to see first-hand how analytics work and understand how an algorithm operates.

8) Update Your Resume

First and foremost, your resume can’t be a static medium. As your social media skills and abilities develop, so will your portfolio.

Think of updating your resume as designing and re-designing your brand:

Do your best to revamp your resume in a way that shines a bright light on your abilities as a social media manager.

Including an About Me section on the top of your resume is an excellent idea and one of the best practices you can leverage:

That About Me paragraph should include your experience, previous jobs or social campaigns (if you have any), and the social engagement skills that make you the best hire.

9) Do Lots Of Networking

Nowadays, networking is a crucial traditional route for building a career in all freelance fields.

Waiting for clients to find you instead of going after them on a daily basis is a mistake you don’t want to make.

Take some time to find your community:

Connect with other social media managers and establish relationships with them. Both LinkedIn and Facebook Groups will help you achieve that.

10) Keep Learning

Earlier in this article about how to become a social media manager, I mentioned that the social media landscape evolves constantly.

Naturally, your social media management skills on different platforms have to keep improving, too:

Don’t hesitate to test a fresh content strategy and try new things. Becoming an in-demand social media manager is a never-ending process:

Be the best person for available jobs, and potential clients won’t have a reason to skip hiring you.

To sum up, your average salary as a social media manager will depend on a few factors. Such factors are your geographical location, experience level, whether you manage social media as a side hustle or full-time employment, etc.

USA-based full-time social media managers earn $45,000-$85,000 annually, including benefits (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

However, freelance social media managers should expect different earnings. Again, your hourly pay rate as a social media manager will largely depend on your experience.

Newbie social media managers can charge between $25-$35 an hour, while expert specialists (over ten years of experience) can ask for $150-$250 an hour.

Money-Making Ideas You’ll Probably Love:

Now that you know how to become a social media manager, it’s time to see how you can score your first job.

My advice is to start looking for entry-level positions on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with potential employers, businesses, and brands hiring social media specialists. Facebook Groups are also an option you should look into:

Consider investing in an ad campaign to spread the word about your social media management services.

Learn as much as you can about social media marketing
Develop/improve your social media skills
Gain experience
Build a portfolio
Network
Get an entry-level social media specialist job

If you don’t mind spending time developing communication skills and immersing yourself in the social media industry, becoming a social media manager won’t be hard.

More often than not, people think that managing social media is easy.

However, becoming a professional social media specialist requires much more than replying to messages, answering questions, and completing daily tasks.

Working as a social media manager might not be the most stressful job, but it can be tiring.

Social media managers have many responsibilities, and completing them might be exhausting for some people.

According to Payscale, the average social media manager’s salary in the USA is over $58,000 annually.

My Closing

What else is there to say?

You already know what it takes to be a social media specialist.

Instead of discussing it, maybe you should start working on your portfolio and learning to use social media management tools.

If you have any questions, use the comment section below.

More Ways To Work From Home

Pinterest X (Twitter)Facebook

How To Become A Social Media Manager (Step-By-Step Guide)