Published on Jan 30, 2024

Is a Career in Social Media Marketing Right For You?

Kristen Michaelides

Is a Career in Social Media Marketing Right For You?

Working in social media sounds like a dream come true – imagine spending your days switching from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, without the added anxiety that your boss may be looking over your shoulder while you’re updating a status?

That being said, a career in social media marketing isn’t all retweets and double-taps – there is a lot more to the job than meets the eye.

So, what is it really like to have a career in social media? Explore the ins and outs that are unique to this fast-paced industry.

Michelle’s Career Story

Social media marketing is the practice of using social mediums and social networking websites as a tool to market an organisation’s products or services. By using social media marketing, companies are given a platform to engage with both new and existing audiences, and deliver these users different kinds of relevant content to create a community and grow brand exposure.

Copywriting

Copywriting is the written content and promotional materials for the purpose of marketing. For example, the text that you see accompanying an Instagram post, or the online articles that you find on your favourite fashion website, are all some form of copy. Copy writing comes in different forms – you can be a creative copywriter, a digital copywriter or even an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) copywriter – the possibilities are vast when looking at the scope of marketing content.

Creativity

When you are a social media marketer, it is imperative that you capture the attention and interest of your audience, otherwise you will fall behind your competitors. Thinking of inventive methods to engage your social community, whilst still keeping it relevant to your business, is a tricky thing to do. Creative visual content is a central element of SMM.

Analytics

Content is only one part of the job – your ability to effectively track information is crucial to measure the success of your efforts. How will you know if your content is really resonating with your audience otherwise? There are plenty of social media networking tools that are designed to track information and deliver data and results.

SEO Knowledge

SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the practice of employing different techniques to increase the online visibility of your website in a search engine’s unpaid results. This is relevant to social as Google considers your social platforms when deciding where to rank you on its results page – the more reputable and genuine your website and social media platforms are, the higher up your website will appear in a search.

Organisational Skills

In this industry, organisation is a fundamental skill that all successful social media marketers possess. Managing content and coordinating it depending on several factors such as its type, goal, audience and platform, is all part and parcel of the role. The way you communicate to your audience and measure your interactions is assisted by timely organisational skills – it will definitely make your job a lot easier!

Working with business owners to find out what their ‘secret sauce’ is has been a job and a delight. We have so many unique people who have gifts that I help to share more effectively with the world, and more importantly, with their ideal clients.

- Emma Sidney, Digital Strategist at Digital Copywriting

Top 5 Knowledge Areas in Marketing

English Language – 87%
Communications and Media – 87%
Administration and Management – 82%
Sales and Marketing – 78%
Customer and Personal Service – 76%

Top 5 Skills in Marketing

Active Listening – 80%
Social Perceptiveness – 80%
Speaking – 80%
Time Management – 78%
Critical Thinking – 75%

Freddy’s Career Story

Depending on the size of the business that you are working for, social media marketing can be split into several different roles:

Social Media Manager

The Social Media Manager puts a social strategy in place depending on organisational goals, whilst also supervising any action from other team members to put these goals into action. They also have final say in which social platforms are best suited to the businesses industry and what kind of content and copy you will make.

Content Creator

A fundamental factor of SMM, the content creator is responsible for just that: content. The content made for social channels can range from blog posts, images, video content and much more. As this is an ever-growing field, the Content Creator must always be on the ball when it comes to social trends and successful content.

Community Manager

This role is accountable for building and managing relationships within your social communities. Audience engagement is not defined by pushing out content and hoping for the best. It is listening to your audience, answering their questions and providing customer service, then utilising this information to make changes to the dynamic of the business when necessary.

Social Media Monitor

This role is another aspect of customer service, more so the management of negative feedback and disgruntled customers. Social media monitors respond to customer complaints that are received on social media, as well as up keeping brand image and generally monitoring social platforms.

These are only a few of the roles that fall under social media marketing – as there are so many aspects involved, positions can be broken down further and further depending on company resources and the importance of social media within the organisation. Want to know more? Meet a marketing professional here.

Social Media Coordinator Salary

$48,819

Social Media Manager Salary

$57,871

Social Media Strategist Salary

$75,000

I have been in social media marketing for about 6 years and what becomes very obvious very quickly, is that the industry is basically a game – you’ve got to play otherwise you’ll instantly fall behind. You need to know the platforms back to front and how to use the algorithms to your advantage.

- Bronte Cresswell, Director at She the Social

Social media marketers in Australia have some sort of basic degree or certificate directly relating to marketing, or equivalent experience. Depending on the path you decide to take, you can either get your qualification in marketing and then build on your social media marketing skills from there, or you can dive directly into a social media marketing course – the choice is entirely up to you depending on your career goals. There are plenty of social media courses in Melbourne and social media courses in Sydney, as well as a variety of study options, ranging from in-class, social media online courses, or a blend of both. These courses are designed to suit even the busiest of students, with the flexibility to study on your own terms.

The four P’s of marketing is a simplified concept that encompasses four components:

Product

‘Product’ is not just limited to tangible items, but can also be a service offered or even intangible ideas.

Price

‘Price’ refers to what the targeted audience might do to gain the product. Price is not limited to money, but can also be time and effort.

Place

The ‘Place’ is the way in which the product will be distributed to the customer. For social marketing, the so called ‘Place’ is generally confined to social media channels.

Promotion

And finally, ‘Promotion’ is the combined employment of elements like advertising, PR, promotional materials and various others.

If you consider yourself to be a social media enthusiast and think you’ve got what to help brands launch and develop their social platforms, turn your passion into a career in social media marketing. Whether you see yourself working in-house for a brand, as a freelance writer, at a social media marketing agency, or even as a blogger, there are a variety of courses and pathways to suit your career goals and study style, ensuring that you get the most out of your qualification.

If you’d like to find out even more about the marketing industry, read our Industry Insider: What Do Marketing Professionals Do? here.

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Kristen Michaelides

Kristen is a writer specialising in education, careers, and the future of work. She is passionate about bringing industry trends and insights to light to help students, career changers, and professionals confidently take the next step in their career.