Social Media Guru
First things, first and in case you didn't know...
A social media 'expert' is responsible for creating, editing, and uploading content across all social platforms, or managing those that do. They engage with customers, plan and launch social media campaigns, create the content, and generally manage and improve an organisation’s online presence.
A social media specialist is usually hired to boost visibility, reach, engagement, and ultimately click-throughs to whatever the end goal is.
A large part of social media management is about formulating and carrying out successful strategies, which means staying up to date with all the latest trends and creative tactics - and these change weekly, if not daily.
Key skills/talents
Social Media Manager
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Solid knowledge of media production and communication
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Highly creative approach to thinking and content execution
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Highly adaptable to trends and societal shifts
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Ability to be thorough and pay attention to detail
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Ability to confidently sell products and services
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The ability to work well with others
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The ability to use initiative and think 'on your feet'
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Good thinking and reasoning skills
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Good business management skills (knowledge of KPIs and ROIs etc)
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Excellent written communication skills
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Excellent verbal communication skills
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Ability to use all the main computer software packages confidently
Qualifications required
Social Media Manager
Most business owners and/or employers looking for a social media manager require or prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree. Fields like marketing, advertising, communications, or journalism will likely offer classes to help you improve your social media skills.
UCAS lists some Universities that carry a Social Media Manager course.
The Open University carries a Social Media Marketing course.
The chartered institute of marketing offer a range of (highly regarded) marketing courses.
Rules and regs
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is important, as you may be working with several clients and each of their details must be kept strictly confidential.
Likewise, and when working with third parties and their brands/personas, you may also be required to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), in order to protect confidential information shared with you.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) details vital information surrounding the regarding rules and regulations of advertising and promoting products and must be strictly adhered to.
We also strongly advise (as always) that you get some Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance cover. You'll hopefully never need it, but certainly in the corporate world, it will be requested as validation of your suitability to work. Plus, if anything does go left-field, you've at least got some back-up. Here are a few links...
https://www.axa.co.uk/business-insurance/advertising-insurance
https://www.policybee.co.uk/marketing-agency-insurance
https://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-insurance/advertising-and-creatives
Remuneration framework
This area is very much 'how long is a piece of string', because remuneration can be charged/earned in a few different ways and at a variety of levels.
If not salaried, this type of work is charged out at an hourly or daily rate. Sometimes retainers (written agreements on an amount of hours/days per month, for a set rate) can also be agreed and these are great to try and secure, so that you can plan your time well (and your monthly finances).
Salaried Social Media 'Managers' can earn between £30k to £60k per annum, but as you rise through the ranks of this specialism, as Annie has done, you can easily look to be earning £100k plus (and beyond) for your expertise in this specialism.
However, and as always, location matters hugely, as does your experience/portfolio. Likewise the type of work you are doing impact rates... Jess only works with small businesses and charges an appropriate amount for this. But if you want to work for bigger businesses then your rates should increase accordingly... As should (and would) the client expectations; remember there's no such thing as a free lunch.
How to get started
Indeed gives a pretty decent step by step 'how to get into" guide here, but the main thing is to gain experience by establishing a strong online presence for yourself! Make sure you're able to show how you can use social media on a personal level and track the engagement of your posts and record it as evidence of your social media prowess.
... If you've not got a relatively kick-ass 'personal' social brand (which doesn't necessarily mean big follower numbers, but can at least demonstrate a solid creative and trend-orientated approach), then we wouldn't recommend even trying to get started in this field. This is a 'live by example' kind of situation.
The National Career Service also has a good 'intro' for the world of social media.
And of course, get some qualifications (links above). This wasn't a big requirement 5-10 years ago, but now, with competition being mighty fierce for these kind of roles, proof of study, qualification, on top of real-life experience (as described above) is key.
Associations or official bodies to register with
The International Association of Social Media Professionals (IASMP) is an organisational trade body for social media professionals around the world.
Creative UK is another great body that you might want to register with: https://www.wearecreative.uk/connect
And The Creative Industry Standards Authority (CISA) is worth keeping check of, because they are committed to upholding and improving standards of behaviour across the different creative industries :https://ciisa.org.uk
Job site links
All the usual job sites will have job ads on them, but Linked In is probably your most prevalent for this type of role. Both with your own page and what it showcases about you, but also in building a solid network and through that, keeping an eye on work opportunities as they arise.
Some links as starters for ten...
https://uk.indeed.com/q-social-media-marketing-jobs.html?vjk=bb06a039a3b427bb
https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/social-media-jobs
https://www.totaljobs.com/jobs/social-media
Progression pathway
Within reason, the more experience you have/acquire over time, the more you can charge yourself out at, and the higher the role you can get, just like Annie. Annie started out as a Social Media Exec, progressed to Manager, then 'Head of', until she got to Director and from there she took on more responsibility (from EMEA - Europe, Middle East, and Africa - to Global), which duly increased her salary, and then she is now a 'Senior Director'.
In order to undergo this progression, Annie needed to change jobs and employers, and that is very common with a social media role. 'Churn' is quite high and people rarely stay with one employer for longer than a year these days.
Another progression route might see you undertake exclusive contract work, whereby you are freelance and a business in essence books you for days at a time, sometimes on a rolling contract, or, they 'buy you out' for a 1, 3 6, or even a 12-month period to work exclusively for them, and either cover maternity, or indeed manage a growth/launch project.
A final progression route might be to set-up your own social agency. 5-10 years ago this was a massive thing and lots of social agencies set-up... It is argued that agencies like this have potentially had their day, as roles are managed in-house or via lower-cost freelancers. That said, social remains the single most important sector of marketing, so never say never.