Social media platforms have come a long way since their beginning as social networking sites. They’ve evolved into digital public squares for friends, family, brands, and even pets - after all, who doesn’t follow at least one adorable dog on Instagram? There’s no denying social media is an integral part of our day as consumers. Each of the top 3 most popular social media networks - Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram - has over 1 billion monthly active users. Facebook has 2.41 billion monthly active users worldwide.
As social media networks continue to advance and grow, it’s an exciting time for students to consider jumping into the social media marketing industry. After five years working in the world of social media, I can confidently say you will always be challenged and never bored. Here are a few tips for any student interested in social media marketing:
Be comfortable in a team.
One lesson I’ve learned from my work in social media is that social media shouldn’t be an “island.” Just like graphic designers and account executives work together as a team to execute campaigns from start to finish, social media professionals should work in tandem with other departments. This can include public relations, account services, and the creative department. The best way to integrate social media into a bigger picture strategy is to start from the ground floor of a campaign and work in collaboration with the rest of the team.
Hone your writing skills.
Writing captions and summarizing ideas within Tweets is different from other forms of copywriting, but these job functions still require writing and grammar skills. There are a lot of resources out there that provide social media copywriting advice in blogs or podcasts. One podcast I’ve enjoyed is The Science of Social Media by Buffer. Find a few resources you trust, keep learning, and practice. Don’t be discouraged if writing isn’t your thing. Just like most skills we want to improve, practice makes perfect.
Embrace change.
Within social media, if you stop learning, you’ll get left behind. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are constantly changing their algorithms to refine what people see on their feeds and improve user experience (or at least that’s their goal). The minute you get good at creating one type of content, the platform could change something, making it obsolete. In this job role, you have to be flexible and willing to stay up-to-date on platform changes and trends and not easily discouraged when change happens... because it always will.
Social media is an always-changing industry, which makes it exciting. If you’re interested in working in social media, it’s also a good idea to pursue an internship so you can see how you like it.
At Sells Agency, we offer social media management and consultation to help you create, maintain, and strategically optimize your brand’s social media presence. Contact us here or give us a call at 501-666-8926 to learn more.