How to Start a Career in Social Media
By Laura Birch
We are now at the point where social media is both a non-negotiable part of nearly every single company's digital marketing strategy and part of their branding and PR strategy. Social media is a great and viable career option if you know how to go about it the right way. Below are some recommendations and tips for starting and sustaining a career in social media.
Recommendation 1: Show your worth
Social media marketing is constantly evolving, so you need to be able to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable in the field. This means you need to be able to think on your feet and adapt as the industry does. It also means being able to communicate that worth on your CV.
Recommendation 2: Gain experience
Your first role is unlikely to be your dream job so take any opportunity you can. Companies are increasingly looking for candidates with actual social media marketing experience over traditional marketing qualifications. If you have no experience, consider student placements or volunteering for charities, then build up your knowledge on forums, blogs and online articles.
Recommendation 3: Build your story
Develop a personal brand that reflects who you are as a person not just what you do professionally. It's important to stand out from the crowd but make sure it's something that authentically represents who you are and what makes you unique rather than simply sticking your name behind a company slogan or motto, this might seem like good advice, but it could come across as false. Communicating your personal brand in a way that is genuine helps you stand out from the crowd and helps employers remember who you are.
Recommendation 4: Do what you say
Your reputation is everything, so always deliver on promises - if you're asked to do something, then do it, don't just assume someone else will take care of it. All businesses have basic expectations for employees, so you should be able to complete them quickly and competently; demonstrating this ability upfront shows potential employers that they can trust you to get the job done.
Recommendation 5: Remember why companies hire people like you
There are two types of social media marketers - those with qualifications and experience, which means they are expensive, and those without qualifications or experience, which means they are cheap.
Why would a company want to hire someone with no real-world experience? It's simple really; they need to know that you can complete the basic tasks that all employees should be able to do.
If you can show that you have what it takes, then your lack of experience will not matter so much. This is why it's so important for new recruits to demonstrate their ability quickly - if you don't, the person next in line probably will.
Recommendation 6: Always be professional
Don't ever post anything on social media platforms about your job, during work hours or using company equipment that could damage your reputation or theirs. This does extend to personal time, so be careful about the type of content you post on your personal profiles. Your colleagues will not appreciate having to defend (or worse, ignore) your comments in public - make sure your activities are always professional.
Recommendation 7: Master social media but don't rely solely on it
It's unlikely that any employer will expect you to manage all aspects of their social media accounts, so keep up with what else is out there (and read this blog), find out how other people do things and formulate your own ideas along the way. You may even come across major opportunities where you can branch into different areas, especially if you're willing to learn new skills or volunteer for free if necessary. Get experience however you can, when opportunity knocks take it.
Recommendation 8: Be humble but confident
Don't come across as arrogant or pretentious, you have a lot to learn, and there's no reason why you can't admit that. There is a strong chance that there are people out there who know a great deal more than you, so it's good practice to listen before speaking - this goes for all areas of life, not just social media marketing.
Be willing to stand up for your ideas if someone challenges them but also remember that although you might be right, they could have other valid points or opinions that need to be considered. It pays off, in the long run, to be open-minded about things like this; even if they're wrong at least, you'll know what type of person they are.
Conclusion
In summation, forging a successful career in social media requires constant work, dedication and commitment. Focus on what you can control, do your best to make connections with people who might be able to help at some point in the future but always remember that their main concern is probably not finding a new social media marketer - sometimes they won't have time for anything outside of work anyway.
The kind of stuff that Social Hire do...
We won't just do social media strategies. Social Hire will work collaboratively with your team to ensure your business gets genuine value from us and that your team gets the most out of the service. Our experienced social media managers are motivated to make a enhancements to your social media marketing and reaching targets in a way that realistically makes a difference to your business goals.
We're a company that helps our customers further their social media presence by providing social media marketing on a monthly basis.
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