Social media has become a huge part of digital-age marketing, proving essential for brands that want to establish a strong online presence and stay ahead of their competitors. 

As a result, the demand for social media marketing professionals is higher than ever. If your professional future includes any type of marketing career, fine-tuning your social media skills is a must.

Here are the top 9 social media marketing skills you’ll need in this competitive and ever-evolving field.

Outstanding Communication

It should go without saying that representing a brand or organization on social media requires you to possess excellent communication skills. You’ll be directly interacting with customers and social media followers – or managing the people that do – and serving as your brand’s voice. Good communication skills are also important for collaborating with your team, articulating your ideas, and more.

Creativity

Anytime you’re involved with marketing strategy, creativity is a major asset. Consumers (and social media users in particular) are fickle and easily grow bored with brands that post unoriginal or repetitive content. You’ll need to be prepared to think outside the box to keep followers engaged, developing creative initiatives that prompt user interaction and sharing.

Writing Skills

While it’s true that much of social media is made up of images and video, written content also plays a part. From developing an attention-grabbing headline to creating a witty caption, your writing skills will constantly be on call.

Project Management

There are many moving parts to social media, so social media professionals must be able to manage their work effectively. Be prepared to multitask daily as you balance publishing schedules, various social media profiles and platforms, contacts, and more. 

Willingness to Learn

Social media is constantly changing, especially as new technology and trends emerge. Preparing to stay on top of new knowledge and skills will enable you to execute your job successfully. 

Flexibility 

In order to manage a brand’s social media presence, you’ll need to be ready to think on your feet. Trends and content can go viral within hours, and positive and negative stories can quickly snowball. If you can quickly adapt to changes, you’ll be far better equipped to tackle whatever comes your way.

Strategy

For most users, social media is a fun place to enjoy interesting and funny content and interact with friends. But for marketers, it’s a serious business – one that necessitates strategic thinking. Social media strategy is certainly a learned skill, but you should ideally have a certain natural ability. 

Content Curation

Much of social media management involves developing original content, but every single post can’t necessarily be something the brand creates on its own. Rather, sharing relevant content is another valuable component of a strong social media presence. Social media professionals tend to have an “eye” for content and are skilled at understanding the right content to share with their target audience. 

Research and Analysis Skills

Gathering and reviewing data is how you’ll know which social media efforts were successful, so analytical skills come in handy. You can learn how to check various metrics and performance indicators, but making informed decisions relies on your ability to understand the information.

How to Learn Social Media Marketing Skills

Now, you have a better understanding of the skills you’ll need to navigate social media marketing – but exactly how and where do you build this knowledge? 

Unless you already have a career in marketing, it can be challenging to figure out how to develop and practice real-world social media advertising strategies. That’s why we’ve developed a cutting-edge training and diploma program that empowers students with the skills they’ll need to succeed in the digital world.

At the Beonair Network of Media Schools, with campuses located in Miami, Chicago, Colorado, and Ohio, students in our Digital Media Production program participate in a comprehensive, hands-on curriculum that delves into all forms of digital content creation, production, and marketing. You’ll have the opportunity to develop a diverse skill set that can be used in a wide range of positions in digital media and marketing – including the rapidly-growing field of social media advertising.

Learn more about what training you need to work in social media when you contact us today!

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