Social Media has created a whole raft of new types of jobs. Most are essentially within marketing focussing on using online platforms for marketing, data acquisition, or communication with a target audience. The challenge is to understand what content is best suited for Facebook and what’s better for Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or any number of other channels.
You might be working for a social media agency where you would work on a number of different accounts. Alternatively you may work ‘in-house’ where you would work for one company.
What would you be doing?
There is a host of different roles which may be titled social media, digital media brand manager, Internet marketing, multi media etc. Here is a list of responsibilities that an executive in a social media role would be engaged with:
- Creating social media accounts
- Creating content, which may include images, videos, e-books, promotions, and landing pages
- Promoting products, events, contents etc on the social media platforms
- Writing for a blog
- Responding to comments and messages
- Generating a brand or voice for the company
- Increasing brand awareness
- Managing social media accounts across multiple platforms
- Planning publicity campaigns that will be marketed through the various social media platforms
- Producing online content, which might have an interactive element
- Organising and generating advertising either on the company’s site or others
- Generating traffic to a website and influencing the target audience to share posts and re tweet posts
- Cultivating leads and sales
- Tracking social media trends
- Tracking and measuring social media efforts
- Working with Influencers who have large followings on social media platforms
Qualifications
Formal qualifications are not absolutely necessary, however many firms will want you to have a degree. Relevant degrees include advertising, public relations, business, digital marketing, media and journalism. No specific A levels are required, but relevant ones include: English literature, English language, media, psychology, sociology, communication studies and law.
You may want to look at completing an recognised digital marketing course. Take a look at what they offer: Digital Marketing Institute.
By doing so, not only will you learn the fundamental skills and knowledge for a career in digital marketing but you’ll also obtain a working understanding of the key areas that make up the vast majority of digital marketing jobs. This will allow you to decide which area you may want to focus on. For example:
- Social media marketing
- Social marketing
- Digital strategy & planning
- Content & inbound marketing
- Email marketing