Do You Want To Be A Social Media Marketing Specialist: Here Are 5 Ways You Can Be One

20.06.2020

Did you know that the top Social Media Marketing Specialist working at agencies make upwards of $150K annually?

Are you aware of some of the tools, which can help you, become an SMM specialist, and create award-winning campaigns?

Have you tried listening to podcasts, following best practices, and keeping in touch with the blog sections of eminent publications?

The Social Media juggernaut continues to roll, even when the world is in the midst of a pandemic. According to data, social media usage has increased by three times during the lockdown in the USA and other European countries.

This means that more and more brands are looking to make their social media presence felt in meaningful ways. With more than five billion active users on social media, brands cannot afford to ignore the medium at any cost.

In this article, we look at the growing demand for Social Media Marketing specialists in the industry. We also discuss some tips, tricks, and tools, which can help you become one.

What is a Social Media Marketing Specialist?

An (SMM) Social Media Marketing specialist is one who-

Designs social media strategies on social platforms on behalf of brands
He or she is responsible for ensuring social media success in terms of KPIs
They lead social media campaigns during festivals, holidays and other topical
Responsible for creating high-quality content across the different platforms
Interacts with the audiences, answers their queries and build exposure

In short, an SMM specialist is tasked with creating the optimum brand presence on social platforms. As social media is a digital medium, which can ensure- sales, revenues, brand building, publicity, and customer relationships, the task of an SMM specialist is incredibly diverse and varied.

One also needs to pay attention to the fact that the dynamic nature of social platforms. These platforms are evolving at all times. What might be a best practice today, might become obsolete in a few months.

A Social Media Marketing specialist always needs to be at the top of their game. They need to be aware of what is happening on platforms and come up with the appropriate responses. This is the only way to ensure not only their brand’s success but also their professional growth.

5 Ways to Become a Social Media Marketing Specialist: The List

1. Be aware of how technologies and software work-

The best SMM experts try to automate as much of their daily tasks as possible. This means that you need to be aware of simple things like converting YouTube to MP3, using post-scheduling software, CRM dashboards, etc.

You do not have to be an expert software engineer or a Python Developer to ace social media. However, you need to have an aptitude for knowing about how the software works. This will not only help you automate a major share of your daily tasks, but also make your work organized.

2. Keep learning and improving yourself the right way-

One major mistake that most people who want to become SMM experts make is not being aware. While this may seem trivial in nature, it is very important on multiple levels. As an SMM specialist, you always need to follow the blogs and pressrooms of social platforms.

You should also listen to what some of the major agencies and their Creative Directors are speaking about. All of them have YouTube channels and you can listen in to their guides, suggestions, and strategies. If you do not know how to download videos from YouTube to learn, you can always take help from credible platforms like oDownloader.com.

3. Have a balance of creativity and tactical strategy-

SMM experts tend to either lean on too much towards creativity or ignore the tactical aspect, or they do the opposite. This is the reason why SMM performance does not deliver on the KPIs. The best way to proceed is to have a confluence of the two.

The creative storytelling narrative should form the foundation, on which the tactical strategy should be placed. Always remember, the tactical strategy is the execution. This involves analytics, paid promotions, content mixing, and types, and so on. Creativity is the brand story, the philosophy, and the emotion, which you want to connect the audiences.

4. Always be guided by data and be ready to change-

I have always seen SMM specialists be biased towards certain ideas or concepts. This is natural in many ways, as it is your creation and we can get impartial towards the same. However, a good social media expert does not let his or her prejudices get in the way of performance.

This is why experts always need to pay attention to data and see the results of their efforts. Using data in a progressive manner can help in making major course corrections, streamline performance, and ensure KPIs. Remember, data is your friend and not your adversary.

5. It is a team effort and centralization is often counter-productive-

In all my years of being a social media marketing executive, I have realized that you cannot do everything on your own. You need to have faith in your Copy Team, Design Team, and Account Executives. You need to learn to delegate responsibilities and avoid centralization.

This not only helps you get the requisite peace of mind but also allows the team to grow in a responsible manner. Yes, you can oversee things and major campaigns, but it is very important that you create a process-oriented structure for day-to-day functioning.

Conclusion

As social media platforms, continue to grow in user base, functionalities, and other aspects, the role of an SMM specialist increases. There is no doubt that the job of an SMM expert is a highly stressful one. However, it is a highly rewarding one when you see the fruits of your labor lead to success in awards, sales, and brand performances.

In this article, we have tried to shed some light on how you too can become a social media marketing specialist. If you need further help in fleshing out the details, drop your queries in the comments section below.

Ejaz Ahmed

Part-time blogger, full-time dreamer! Ejaz Ahmed likes to think about how technology will ultimately transform human lives for the better. He is deeply fascinated with using technology to democratize the spread of useful information on the internet.