The social media boom has created an increasing demand for social media managers, or else, for people that are devoted to the management of your social networks. However, you might be wondering, how can you become a social media manager?

It is easy to be self-entitled a “social media guru” since social media management does not necessarily require a degree, but you still have to possess several talents in order to cope with this demanding profession.

  • First of all, and maybe the most important, you have to be keen on social media. If you don’t appreciate its power, none of your clients will. Your interest in social media will push you to explore new networks and entice your curiosity for greater things.
  • Although posting on social networks requires writing only a few sentences per post, it doesn’t mean that your writing skills should not be more than average. After all, it’s not that easy to craft a clever tweet in less than 140 characters!
  • Apart from good writing skills, you should also handle the English language fluently. You need to be confident that you represent your clients in the best possible way. That’s why many job ads that are related to social media require a degree in English Studies.
  • Multitasking is highly important when managing social media, and it is a skill that can be developed if you don’t have it yet. Try to keep up with the fast pace of the networks and increase your productivity when juggling from one network to another as you are becoming even more familiarized with your tasks.
  • Communication skills are definitely part of the job. You need to know how to respond to a professional email, how to handle a demanding client and how to engage a fan on your page.
  • Traditional marketing knowledge can also be useful. You are not required to obtain a Master’s degree in Marketing in order to become a social media manager, but even being aware of what your fans want and how to create the right message for the right audience can be of great help.
  • Tech literacy is something that you should not forget. You are not expected to be aware of programming, but you need to be able to reply to a client’s question on any of the social networks. Make sure you familiarize with the terms that each social network has.
  • Photo editing skills might also be required sooner or later. Since social media often focuses on visual attraction, cropping, resizing and the creation of picture quotes could be a great source of brand new content for your clients.

If you feel that the skills mentioned above are too many to encourage you to become a social media manager, don’t worry. They might look scary, but in action, if you love using social media, you will end up learning new tools and skills on your own. Promise yourself that you will try something new every week and after some months you’ll be surprised of how many things you can do!