So You Want To Be A Social Media Manager?
You find yourself posting photos and status updates from your phone, while you are on a date, during your friend’s wedding or while a flight attendant is standing over you telling you to power your device down. You’re addicted to social networking and you imagine your perfect job will be to tweet and share all day long on behalf of your employer. And now you hear there is an explosion in hiring of “social media gurus.”
But what does it take to be a social media manager full time? Socialcast recently posted this infographic detailing a day in the life of a busy community manager. The real-time pace of updates and constant stream of conversations clearly requires continuous attention and fresh content. As this post on Social Media Today details, since "social media is a fast-moving game," having the right personality for the job is mission critical.
It will also help to have a searchable social profile that shows your personal adoption – and professional use - of social communication tools. And, a few technical certifications will build your social pedigree, as this presentation, originally given to students at Western Washington University, counsels.
Job Outlook For Social Media Geeks Upbeat
In a recent survey of marketers conducted by r2integrated, a digital marketing agency (and my employer), most respondents indicated that a lack of time and resources have been the biggest factor delaying the execution of their social media programs. However, on the heels of that insight, comes evidence that the social media jobs may be driving an increase in hiring.
In addition to major brands like Walgreens, Coach, Dell and Hyatt Hotels posting for social media and community managers on LinkedIn, traditional advertising firms like Ogilvy and TBWA Chiat are also sourcing specialists in community management.
A search on LinkedIn for both job titles returned over 3000 open positions. The social media manager role comes with an average starting salary of about $40,000 a year, according to Payscale.com, and if the company is a tech startup, the job may come with added perks like stock options, performance bonuses and lots of free junk food and the opportunity to take your pet to work with you.
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