The wonderfully exciting world of social media has become a popular career choice for many budding marketers in recent years. The relatively ‘new’ career in digital engagement for the modern masses offers marketers a chance to learn about many different  exciting areas. And with continuous platform updates, changing trends, and new players entering the market, the day in the life of a social media manager is never a dull one. The modern social media manager wears many hats.  The nature of the profession requires them to be well-versed in many different areas - from copywriting and community management to data analysis and design. While the mounting responsibilities can at times be overwhelming for those in the industry, the good news is that the myriad of skills learned during the career can provide valuable foundations for a future career move.In our latest Slate blog, we discuss some examples of popular career paths many social media managers are choosing to explore based on the transferable skills accumulated.

#1 Influencer Marketing Management

Influencer partnerships have become a huge part of social media management, with more and more brands discovering the benefits of working with authority figures in the digital space on promotional campaigns. it can’t be denied that the industry is lucrative business. In fact, the Influencer Marketing Industry is set to reach $16.4B in 2022. With the influencer marketing space growing at breakneck speed, so too are career opportunities in this industry. Many of today’s social media managers are likely to have experience working on influencer campaigns in some type of capacity. But if this is an area that you particularly enjoy, why not go the full hog and check out a career in influencer marketing management? Influencer marketing managers are responsible for managing the end-to-end operations of campaigns leveraging influencers. It involves tasks such as researching and building a roster of influencer partners, total management of communications/ relationship management, working with the wider marketing team to plan and develop the influencer campaign and helping with reporting on the performance of campaigns. And with more and more businesses unlocking the value of influencer marketing, now truly is a fantastic time to jump onboard the career. 

#2 Community Management

For those of you who thrive off the connectivity and community-building side of social, then you may really enjoy a career in Community Management. In a nutshell, community management is the process of using various forms of interaction to build a strong, authentic and engaged community among a business’s customers, employees, and partners. Community management has become an increasingly popular role in businesses across industries. It helps add a human element to the forward-facing brand, allows businesses to forge greater connections with their audience and helps uncover a greater understanding of their needs and requirements. Typical daily tasks carried out by community managers include:

• Reviewing and replying to comments across social networks

• Collect and recording customer feedback, sharing with relevant parties

• Collaborate with the wider team to create relevant and engaging content for community building 

• Research and analyse the company’s target audience, habits and prefeences

• Energise engagement by interacting with fans and followers

• Monitor online conversations and mentions around brand

• Also build engagement through additional channels such as events, forums, and newsletters.

With brands realising the need to build a strong community of loyal fans in today’s competitive business landscape, the role of the community manager is becoming increasingly popular!

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#3 Content Writing

For the wizarding wordsmiths of the social media marketing world, a career in content writing might just be what you’re after if you’re fancying a change.  Say goodbye to the strict confines of the 280 character limit and let your wondrous words and storytelling sentences flow freely with a profession that allows you to explore all kinds of writing formats. Consumers are continuously taking in content on a daily basis. In fact, digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day.With this in mind, the role of a content writer within a marketing team is growing more and more vital in order to drive engagement through written content. Content writers typically plan and write for a variety of materials. This includes writing blog content, web copy, email marketing, press releases, social media posts, copy for brochures and other print materials, and even video or audio scripts. As well as the importance of having a knack for writing, the modern content writer is required to have at least a basic understanding of search engine optimisation (SEO) practices to ensure that as well as creating copy that engages the reader, it is also written in a way that engages Google and other search engines to help drive traffic.

#4 Design

If you have a flair for design, an impeccable sense of style, and an artistic eye then a career in the creative design field may be one that ticks all the boxes for you. Whether you’re a seasoned pro at Photoshop or have dabbled in designer life through content creation platforms, as a social media manager you have likely experienced creating some kind of visual content for social channels. Whether that’s whipping up a social media graphic, a branded IG reel, or a YouTube video thumbnail, the endless conveyor belt of content output required of today’s competitive brands has meant that social media professionals have had to sharpen up their design skills. And if flexing your creative muscles is something you enjoy then why not explore some of the many types of design careers available today including; graphic design, photography, user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design, photography, animation, video editing, art direction, and more!

#5 Data Analysis

This next career path is for those social media managers who are more into pie charts and percentages than photography and colour palettes. The ability to analyse data and create performance reports is a common and incredibly important aspect of social media management. The process of collecting and analysing data across social channels helps us to track our efforts and adjust accordingly in order to achieve better outcomes and increase business success. For some of us, putting our data scientist cap on, diving deep into the data and uncovering rich insights is an area that brings us great joy… and for others, not so much. If you’re part of the former group who live and breathe data, then you may have just what you need in order to prosper in a career in data analysis. This profession is one of the top in-demand jobs, with companies prepared to pay extremely competitive salaries. The role of a data analyst is to analyse raw data in order to draw out meaningful insights, turning these insights into actionable business recommendations. Analytical thinking, problem-solving and communication are all important skills needed in this career. So if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, why not explore it further?A career in social media marketing is an incredibly exciting one. But in recent times, those in the profession are also experiencing burnout and job fatigue more than ever due to increasing demands.

Fortunately, the wide range of diverse skills mastered during the career means that there are so many exciting career paths for those seeking a new adventure. The options don’t just include ones we’ve discussed above. Additional careers include brand strategy, PR, social media consulting, becoming a marketing generalist, plus so much more.

Learn more about how Slate can help transform your social media content and schedule a demo today.