Becoming a Social Media Manager: Your Complete Guide

With social media fast becoming a leading platform for brand awareness worldwide, we look at becoming a Social Media Manager, what it takes and where it can take you!

Today, any serious business will have at least one social media account. Social media is a field that has grown exponentially over the last decade, and in doing so, has created a large number of exciting and lucrative career opportunities.

We’ve all seen the Instagram feeds of our favourite designers or local cafes on our screens, keeping us up to date with their latest offering, news or even funny quotes and jokes. This constant flow of attractive, engaging content is now integral to maintaining businesses relevance and making them memorable, much like the traditional advertising of the past.

Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Pinterest started as an informal, unrefined way to connect with friends on a social level. Now, they are some of the most implemented social network and brand awareness platforms. Almost all businesses will have social media as a huge priority in terms of marketing and PR.

The popularity and success of such media giants have paved the way for a whole new career avenue, with many businesses hiring a social media manager full time – meaning job opportunities for those looking to progress down this path are aplenty!

Often tailored to the specific company, a social media management role can vary. Typically, they are in charge of planning and executing key messaging with great content for the business or current social media campaigns on several platforms.

Social media managers ensure brand consistency throughout and often work with the marketing team to ensure a cohesive relationship between the social accounts and other marketing structures. They also monitor activity and engagement, analyse metrics relating to audience demographics, campaign performance and reach.

As one of the most fun jobs out there, for anyone who loves social media, loves being creative and enjoys engaging with others, this role can be enjoyable and satisfying.

From this role, you could take yourself in a few directions, including the following:

There are new courses on the scene these days explicitly built for social media, like the TAFE Diploma in Social Media Marketing. Among other things, this course equips you with planning social media strategy techniques, familiarises you with marketing and, most importantly, teaches you how to interpret market trends.

Hot tip: Having your own substantial social media presence, along with making sure you are always researching and keeping your finger on the pulse with what is trending are super important.

With social media platforms not going anywhere, especially now offering prime advertising real estate, roles in this industry are ripe for the picking. A highly skilled, intuitive social media manager is becoming a must-have for any business so with the correct preparation, understanding of the role and upskilling, the time is now to head down this exciting new career path.

Fun jobs give you satisfaction, let you harness your skills and interests, and couple good work-life balance with job security. Here are some of the most fun jobs that tick all these important boxes.