How to be an Effective Social Media Manager

If you are a rookie in the social media management industry, then you need to understand that a social media manager is a jack of all trades who shoulders multiple responsibilities like planning, creating, and publishing content that works with a brand’s identity. To shoulder all these responsibilities and be an effective social media manager, then it is paramount to know all the skills required to become an effective social media manager. These skills are wide and may require you to leave your comfort zone but they are guaranteed to put you on the right track to becoming a successful social media manager. Here are some of the skills required to become an effective social media manager:

1. Flexibility

To become an effective social media manager you need to be flexible. You must be ready to learn, evolve, and experiment. Being a social media manager requires that you switch between duties like copywriting, editing, graphic design, shooting videos, creating content calendars, photography, content strategy, community management, and analysing content performance. All of these roles require that you are flexible enough to fit whatever job description that is required to create content that promotes any brand. As an effective social media manager you need to stay up to date with the latest upgrades because social media platforms and their features evolve everyday. 

Also, you need to be flexible enough to adjust your content plan to fit into what’s trending. Sometimes you might analyse the impact of previous content and realise that the platforms you are promoting your brand on isn’t bringing the desired result, then you have to revisit your content strategy and find out what works. You might also get feedback from your audience and this might shift your strategy to a new direction.

2. Communication

Social media is often the front line of communication with customers. If the line of communication is broken, then how does a brand connect with its consumers? This is where your communication skill as a social media manager comes in. To be an effective social media manager, you need to create important posts or content that preaches the brand’s identity and what they offer. Any video, photo, tweet, Facebook Ad, or email must all communicate a clear message. That’s why creative copywriting, graphic design, email marketing, and video editing skills are must have skills for social media managers. 

It is important to make sure whatever content is clear, easy to understand, and passes the right message. If your audience misinterprets your post, then you are not an effective social media manager. If the audience isn’t engaging with your post, then it means you are not communicating the right way. An effective social media manager are communication professionals who craft engaging content and promote a brand’s identity. You need to keep people entertained and engaged, while communicating with confidence and clarity. Asides communicating the right messages, social media managers also respond to DMs and engage followers in the comment section, thus they have to communicate appropriately.

3. Content Curation

In order to achieve your goal of being an effective social media manager, you need to have content curation skills. As a social media manager, you don’t have to build content ideas from scratch, thus this is where Canva and other content creation tools come in handy. These tools will help you repurpose content created by others, like trending videos, songs, memes, and user-generated content (UGC). While it is important to be flexible and communicate the right messages as a social media manager, it’s important to have an aesthetic eye when scouting for inspiration for your next post.

4. Independence 

As an effective social media manager, you need to be able to carry out projects on your own. Whether or not you’re working on a team or under supervision, you will be in charge of creating and publishing content that works across multiple social media platforms. Whatever you create will be seen by millions of people and this might cause anxiety, hence it is important to be confident in your abilities and trust yourself.

5. Creativity

Each day, humans are bombarded by different content from many brands, hence they are often distracted. So, many brands are working hard to develop creative content that sticks in the minds of their targeted audience. This is where a social media manager comes. Being creative is one of the core requirements of an effective social media manager. The ability to take something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary is an important skill that will guarantee that whatever content you create grabs your audience regardless of the inherent social noise. To be an effective social media manager, you need to creatively craft content around trends and come up with innovative ideas. 

How do you develop creativity? You might ask? Well, the first step to unlocking your creative side is realising that creativity is not bestowed on selected people. Dedication and focus can help you develop creative skills and become a top-notch social media manager. It also helps that you study other creative social media campaigns. By doing that, you can draw inspiration and create the next viral social media campaign.

6. Copywriting 

A regular social media manager who wants to be upgraded to an effective social media manager status they must have well-honed copywriting skills. Unlike regular writing, copywriting is action-driven. It pushes consumers to take action. A good copy will speak to the targeted audience. So, before you write any copy, always remember to conduct research in order to write copies that fit your target audience. Apart from creating engaging and attention grabbing content, always make sure your writing is adaptable for other social media platforms. For instance, a copy for an Instagram post might not work for LinkedIn because the tone of writing is different. 

Read also:

• Never Underestimate The Power Of Social Media -Kemi Afolabi
• 7 Tips on How to Manage Your Instagram Account
• Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Viral YouTube Content
• How to Make Money on YouTube Without Monetisation