WVU Online | Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Social Media is a crucial element for building brand awareness and communities around a brand or business. A business needs someone knowledgeable in social media management and adaptable to the changing trends occurring daily.
Let’s explore social media management, why brands need someone to manage their brand and how to get started in this field.
Social media management is the process of creating, scheduling, analyzing and engaging with content posted on social media platforms.
A brand's online presence is managed and optimized through various social media channels to achieve specific marketing and communications objectives. Activities within social media management include:
Social Media Management is an essential piece of brand awareness for businesses and individuals looking to build and maintain a strong online presence. It requires combining creativity, strategy and analysis to be successful.
A social media manager is an individual responsible for providing voice and content for a brand on social networks. They are responsible for responding to comments, creating content and keeping up to date with trends on social media. Social media managers look for opportunities to increase brand exposure for their brand or organization.
Taking a deeper look into the activities mentioned above, some daily tasks of a social media manager include:
Many times, a social media marketer studies and works within digital marketing. Digital marketing is a good career for those who enjoy working with technology, flexibility and being online. Social media marketing is also often part of the brand’s holistic marketing plan and ties in with an integrated marketing communications approach.
Interested in being a social media marketer? Learn how to get into Social Media Marketing with our beginner’s guide!
Social Media Management is important for businesses as it contributes to increased brand visibility, better customer engagement, targeted marketing, trust-building, website traffic, staying updated with trends, and showcasing products and services effectively.
Social Media Management is crucial for businesses for several reasons:
One of the primary benefits of having a dedicated social media manager or team is the ability to increase brand awareness and visibility.
Maintaining an active presence on social media platforms helps businesses reach a larger audience and increase brand awareness. Regularly sharing content and engaging with users contributes to heightened visibility, making the brand more familiar and accessible to potential customers.
Social media platforms provide a powerful channel to showcase products, services, and brand values to a wide audience.
Consumers want to feel connected to a brand. One way to improve customer engagement and communication is through social media management.
It’s a direct channel for businesses to interact with their audience.
A dedicated team can actively respond to comments, messages, and mentions, fostering a direct connection with the audience. Engaging with customers on social media humanizes the brand, making it more approachable.
Social media platforms have a lot of valuable insights into users' demographics, preferences and behaviors.
Social media managers can use analytics tools to gather data, understand their target audience better, and tailor content to meet audience expectations. This targeted approach leads to more effective marketing strategies.
For further reading on target audience research, you can visit What Is a Target Market? A Guide for Aspiring Marketers.
Customers want authenticity before they become loyal. A dedicated social media team can curate authentic content, share customer testimonials, and address concerns promptly.
Consistent, transparent communication on social media helps create a positive brand image and fosters loyalty among customers. Building trust through social media can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
Social media posts can drive traffic to your business's website. By sharing links to products, blog posts, or promotions, businesses can direct followers to their websites, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
In the world of social media platforms, there is constant change. Brands need a dedicated social media manager who can stay informed about industry trends, competitor activities and changes in their audience’s behavior. This allows businesses to adapt their strategies to remain relevant and competitive.
Instagram has its built-in shopping platform, and with the link sharing mentioned above to drive traffic to your website, it's a must-have for promoting products.
Businesses can use images, videos and other multimedia content to highlight features, benefits and use cases. This visual storytelling helps potential customers better understand offerings and encourages them to make informed purchasing decisions.
A good social media marketer possesses a combination of skills, qualities and strategies that contribute to successful engagement, brand awareness and a positive impact on business objectives. Here are just a few skills every social media manager needs:
You need to craft compelling and concise copy for social media posts, ads and captions. It also needs to match a brand’s voice to be effective.
A social media manager with design skills can create visually appealing branded content including images, infographics and social media graphics. Visual content is known to attract more engagement on social media platforms.
To be a successful social media manager, you need to know what works and what doesn’t. This makes data analytical skills are crucial for measuring the performance of social media strategies.
By interpreting analytics data, they can assess the effectiveness of campaigns, identify trends and make data-driven decisions to optimize future content and strategies.
Social media managers need skills in creating and managing paid advertising campaigns to reach new audiences and support the brand's overall marketing plan.
Understanding the intricacies of ad targeting, budgeting, and analyzing ad performance is essential.
Social media is a community. This requires community management skills to effectively moderate and engage with this online community. Social media managers need to be adept at handling both positive and negative interactions.
If there isn’t a plan or strategy behind your efforts, you’re likely not going to grow. A social media manager needs to have a clear understanding of business goals, target audience dynamics, and industry trends.
Adapting strategies based on analytics, emerging trends, and changes in the social media landscape ensures ongoing success in reaching and engaging the audience effectively.
While we dive deeper into this topic in our beginner’s guide, here are a few steps recommended for getting into social media management:
For a more detailed guide on becoming a digital marketer, refer to our article How to Become a Digital Marketer.
West Virginia University (WVU) offers online graduate programs that focus on Digital Marketing Communications and Integrated Marketing Communications, providing valuable insights into Social Media Management:
Overview: This program is designed to equip students with advanced skills in digital marketing and communications. It covers various topics, including social media strategy, analytics, content creation and digital advertising.
Curriculum: The curriculum is crafted to meet the evolving needs of the digital marketing landscape. Students gain hands-on experience and strategic insights into leveraging social media for effective brand communication.
Career Opportunities: Graduates are prepared for roles such as Social Media Managers, Digital Marketing Strategists and Communications Directors.
Overview: This program focuses on the integrated approach to marketing communications, with a specific emphasis on digital and social media strategies. It provides a comprehensive understanding of how various communication channels work together for effective marketing.
Curriculum: Students take courses in audience insight, social media management, branding, and integrated campaign development. The program emphasizes the integration of traditional and digital marketing channels.
Career Paths: Graduates are well-equipped to pursue careers in digital marketing leadership roles, where they can strategically integrate social media into broader marketing initiatives.
Flexibility: Online programs offer flexibility for working professionals to balance education with career commitments.
Expert Faculty: Students benefit from the expertise of faculty members who are experienced in the field of digital marketing and communications.
Networking Opportunities: Engage with a diverse group of peers and industry professionals, fostering valuable connections for future collaborations.
For more detailed information about these programs, you can explore the offerings on the WVU Online Digital Marketing Communications page and WVU Online Integrated Marketing Communications page.
Get started on a rewarding career in Social Media Marketing with WVU Online! Our comprehensive programs are designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the dynamic world of digital marketing and communications.
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