Being a social media marketer seems like the ideal job to anybody with only a rudimentary idea of how the industry works. The line usually goes something like “You get paid to be on Facebook all day?!”, which to anybody who does know the social media marketing industry is similar to asking someone in the airforce “You get paid to fly jets all day?!”. While it is true that a lot of the job revolves around these functions, this dismissive sentence ignores a lot of the behind the scenes work that goes into these kinds of jobs.
But let’s say you do want to become a social media marketer, even if you only have a basic understanding of what the job entails – how do you go about learning more, and how do you get a job in the industry? Below, you’ll find a few pointers that will hopefully guide you in the right direction.
Research the job
Just so you know it is a sector you would like to work in, you really need to look into what a social media marketer typically does. Again, from the outside it looks relatively simple – you are using social media to fuel sales, just like any other kinds of marketing. But there is so much more to it than that.
For example, a lot of time is spent on researching target demographics. In some ways, the advent of the internet has made it easier to get direct contact with these groups, clearing up what is trending. But on the other hand, the demographics can be overwhelmingly large, making it hard to get a read on one specific marketing scheme that will appeal to all of them. This, on top of the fickle nature of online demographics these days, makes social media marketing more work than it may outwardly seem.
Education
So of course, in order to get the best skills for tackling these kinds of on the job tasks, you need to be educated in them. If you are a self-employed businessman and want to use social media as a marketing tool, you likely haven’t got the time to go to University. Fortunately, the internet is awash with online marketing courses, and a wealth of videos that can give you a working knowledge of the do’s and don’ts.
But if you want to be employed solely as a social media marketer, chances are you’ll need at least some education in media and marketing. Media is usually an option on the curriculum in high school, but you are likely going to have to go to college to do marketing or advanced media, if not University. The field may seem more informal than usual marketing, but social media marketing is still a professional industry, with entry requirements to match.
Know your outlets
Fortunately, there are things you can do in the meantime, or to supplement your studies. Firstly, learn the key differences between the popular social media adverts. Unlike with TV or radio, which can afford to run the same adverts across all channels, what works on Facebook won’t necessarily work on Twitter, and vice versa. Learn how each site works, it’s unique selling points, and how that can benefit different styles of marketing.
Practice on your own work
Furthermore, practice using these sites for online marketing by promoting yourself! Set up your own website (social media marketers will need to be at least slightly savvy when it comes to working on websites anyway) and try different techniques on these sites, and see what works. This can be of great benefit once you do eventually land a job.
Basic job sourcing techniques
Once your education is complete, it is, unfortunately, time to start hitting the job market. There are plenty of guides out there that can help you create a good CV, or stay productive during the job search, but one unique trait for finding a marketing job is trying to show off your marketing skills by marketing yourself!
The website you set up is a good start, but if you can think of other, more imaginative ways to attract the attention of would-be employers, utilise them. There is no better calling card than catching a marketer’s eye with a marketing campaign of your own!
