How to Become a Social Media Manager
By Marta Gongos To become a social media manager, gain hands-on experience through internships or freelance work, master essential skills like content creation and analytics, build a strong portfolio, and obtain relevant certifications. Formal education in marketing or communications helps, but isn’t a dealbreaker.
Social media management is the new “it” job. And why not? You get to create trends, make things go viral, and build brands online. It’s creative, strategic, and always evolving.
But let’s be real: scrolling all day and posting memes doesn’t automatically qualify one as a social media manager (unfortunately). You need real skills, strategy, and business savvy to succeed.
Ready to learn how to become a social media manager? Let’s unpack the qualifications, skills, and insider tips you need to get on the right track!
What Do Social Media Managers Do?
Social media managers develop and execute marketing strategies specific to social platforms. They’re typically responsible for managing a brand’s social media presence. Often, they wear multiple hats, acting as content creators, copywriters, community managers, analysts, and strategists.
The exact responsibilities depend on the company (small brand vs big agency), the team size, and their workflow. But in general, here’s what social media managers do day to day:
- Create a social media strategy and content calendar
- Plan and schedule posts for various social media platforms
- Write captions and scripts
- Create or outsource content (images, videos, graphic design)
- Respond to comments and messages
- Monitor and analyze social media analytics, i.e., engagement and conversion rates
- Stay up to date with social media trends (social listening)
- Manage paid ads and social media campaigns
- Find relevant curated content (for user-generated content)
Learn more: See what it’s like to be part of a rockstar social media marketing team!
How Much Does a Social Media Manager Earn?
The average social media manager salary in the United States ranges from $61,500 to $110,000 per year, with entry-level positions starting around $52,500. Salaries vary based on roles, with those managing strategy, analytics, or paid campaigns often earning more.
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What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Social Media Manager?
Character, skills, experience, and potential are key qualifications for social media manager roles. While a specific bachelor’s degree isn’t required, a background in marketing, communications, journalism, psychology, or business can strengthen your application.
Tip: Hiring managers value abilities over degrees. Build a portfolio and enhance your resume with paid internships or volunteer work to showcase your skills.
Can you be a self-taught social media manager?Yes, absolutely! Some of the best in the business came in with zero marketing degrees. However, self-taught doesn’t mean untrained. Enhance your skills and gain experience through online courses, professional certificates, freelance work, or personal projects. |
Learn more: Discover how to answer social media manager interview questions
How to Become a Social Media Marketing Manager
Start your journey to becoming a social media manager with these steps:
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Experience real-world social media.Explore the ins and outs of each platform and learn how it works. Pay attention to platform-specific features (Instagram Reels, LinkedIn carousels/articles), native analytics, creator tools, and best practices.
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Learn social media skills. Master the essential skills we’ve listed below.
- Get a degree or relevant work experience. A degree in marketing, communications, psychology, or business is a great starting point. If you don’t have a formal education, gain experience through freelance work, internships, or entry-level roles. Consider industry-recognized certifications like Meta Certification or Sprout Academy Certification to boost your resume.
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Build a portfolio of work.Build a portfolio from freelance work, volunteer work, or even personal accounts. Include content calendars you’ve created, accounts you’ve grown (even 100+ counts!), and content you designed. Anything relevant, add it!
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Apply through reliable recruitment firms.Put your resume in the right hands. By that, we mean specialized recruitment agencies, such as Ad Culture, with a good understanding of social media platforms, so they can effectively assess your skills.
10 Essential Skills You Need to Become a Social Media Manager
Here are the non-negotiable skills you need to succeed in this role:
Social Media Content Creation + Editing
Social media is all about content. To become a successful social media manager, you need to know how to create scroll-stopping content for different social media platforms. While you don’t need to catch them all, it helps to have basic knowledge of:
- Photography
- Videograph
- Graphic design
- Photo + video editing
- Copywriting (captions, scripts, etc.)
Tip: Including tools like Canva, CapCut, or Adobe Creative Suite on your resume helps showcase your content creation skills.
Creative Direction
Social media managers often set the visual and tonal direction for brands. Creative direction for social media is a combination of strategy, storytelling, and audience psychology.
You decide:
- What the feed looks like
- How captions sound
- What vibe each post gives off
Tip: Mastering creative direction requires a deep understanding of your brand and its target audience. Study brands you admire and analyze their visual consistency, tone of voice, and how they adapt across platforms.
Research
A successful social media manager is part detective. In this role, you’ll face new trends, features, and platform updates on the go, so research on industry trends and best practices is a daily habit. Most applicants we encounter stay on top of social news through:
- Google Alerts
- Hashtag research
- Social listening tools (e.g., SproutSocial, BuzzSumo)
- Platform trend/discover tabs
Social Media Expertise
Each social media platform has its own culture, features, and best practices. What works on LinkedIn won’t work on TikTok. That’s why many social media managers get social media marketing certification from each platform or tool they’re likely to use. Meta, TikTok, and SproutSocial are some of the most popular ones!
Digital Marketing Fundamentals
Social media doesn’t exist in a vacuum, especially when you’re working for a brand or agency. Social media strategies often tie in with larger marketing initiatives, such as product launches, email campaigns, SEO, influencer partnerships, and paid media.
As a social media manager, you must know how your social efforts support (and are supported by) other channels. To do that, study up or find a mentor who can guide you in:
- Basic SEO principles
- Influencer or partnership collaborations
- Marketing funnels and customer journeys
- CTR (click-through rate), CPC (cost per click), and ROAS (return on ad spend)
- Email marketing
- And more.
Customer Engagement
Social media channels often double as your brand’s most public customer service channel. Interact with your audience, answer questions, and yes, manage complaints when things go wrong. Knowledge and practice in customer service and engagement are a must-have if you want to build trust and loyalty (and you always do!).
Community Management
Social media is social. While many brands use social media exclusively to sell, the best ones build actual communities. Many social media managers assume the role of community manager (or builder, if not yet established) for their clients.
Going beyond surface-level interactions, they cultivate relationships and foster a sense of belonging among audiences by:
- Initiating conversations beyond promotional content
- Highlighting community members through features, shoutouts, and user spotlights
- Creating shared experiences (e.g., live events, challenges, collaborative projects)
- Building trust through authenticity and transparent communication
- Setting and enforcing community standards to maintain positive environments
- Gathering community insights that inform product and content decisions
Data Analytics
How do you know if your social media efforts are paying off? Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest have built-in analytics that help you get data. Marketing professionals also use third-party analytics tools like Hootsuite and Socialinsider.
As a social media manager, your role is to track and interpret the data to learn:
- What your audience likes and dislikes
- Which content generates a real response
- The best time to post for maximum reach
- Which campaigns drive sales or sign-ups
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
AI is in almost every platform imaginable, and most marketing teams and agencies use it to optimize their workflows. Social media managers use AI tools for:
- Content ideation and generation
- Performance analysis
- Automation (post-scheduling, chatbots)
- Hyper-targeted ads
Learn more: Top Skills Marketing Teams Need Beyond Traditional Digital Marketing
Project Management
Social media marketing is a constant time crunch. You’re going to need to plan campaigns weeks or months ahead, so project management skills are a must.
Tip: Learn how to use project management tools like Asana, Trello, Basecamp, and Monday.com. Mention your expertise in your resume whenever possible!
Key Takeaways
- A specific degree isn’t required to become a social media manager, but education in marketing, communications, or business can enhance your application.
- Invest in certifications and hands-on experience to build a strong portfolio and boost your employability.
- The 10 essential social media management skills include: content creation, creative direction, research, platform expertise, digital marketing fundamentals, customer engagement, community management, data analytics, AI proficiency, and project management.
- Real-world experience often matters more than formal education. Start by managing accounts, studying successful brands, and tracking your results.
- Apply through specialized recruitment firms like Ad Culture that understand social media skills and can match you with the right opportunities.
Do You Want to Be a Social Media Manager?
You’ve got the roadmap on how to become a social media manager. Now comes the fun part: landing the job.
Ad Culture is a recruitment agency specializing in marketing and advertising roles. We work with social media managers and get them in front of brands that value their skills, expertise, and potential. Send your resume our way, and we’ll ensure the right people see it.
