Social media marketing (SMM) jobs are one of the most in-demand positions in the market today. If you're looking to break into this industry, it's important to know what these jobs entail and what skills you need to succeed.

In this article, we'll discuss what an SMM job requires, other social roles you may have never heard of, how influencer marketing relates to SMM, examples of brand social media posts, and where to find these jobs. Our hope is by the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of what social media marketing is and whether this industry is for you.

What is a Social Media Manager?

Before we dive into all things social media marketing, let’s first understand what a social media manager is. A social media manager is responsible for creating, scheduling, and publishing content across a brand’s social media channels. But that’s not all they do – a social media manager also engages with followers, builds relationships with influencers, and creates campaigns to increase brand awareness.

Social media managers manage a company’s social media accounts as a specialized role typically on the marketing team. Often rolling up to the brand, PR or content teams, social media managers are often the voice of the company because they are responsible for putting the company's message and story out into the world.

Other Roles in the Social Media Sphere

In addition to social media managers, there are a variety of other social roles that may exist within a company. Here are a few you may not be as familiar with.

Community Manager: As a community manager, you should understand everything about the customers and/or fans of the brand you represent. Community managers know who the key players in a brand’s industry are, what they like and dislike, and how to keep them engaged. They’re currently on all the latest news and updates surrounding your industry, and one of the first to break any new news to the community. Community managers are often tasked with real-time engagement with brand supporters, customers, and fans both online and in-person.

Social Strategist: This role is all about strategy. As the social strategist, you work with the social media manager to develop social media plans, goals, and objectives. This may involve competitive research, identifying target audiences, and coming up with creative content ideas. You also track social media metrics to see how well the brand is performing on social media and make recommendations for improvement.

Customer Service Representative: This role is often seen as the frontline of a company. A customer service representative is responsible for handling customer inquiries and complaints directly, and sometimes via social media. They also work to resolve any issues the customer may be having or can simply provide general information about the company and its products/services. Depending on how a customer is treated, they can either be a brand’s biggest fan or its worst nightmare. This is why it’s important to have a great customer service team in place.

Content Creator: A content creator, as the name suggests, creates content for a brand’s social media channels. This can include anything from blog posts to infographics to videos. While social media managers can create content themselves, they may also work with a team of content creators to produce high-quality content for the brand.

Influencers, brand ambassadors, community members, UGC Creators, and even a brand’s employees can also serve as content creators for brands. In any content role, you’ll typically be working with these outside creators to build a strategy, as diverse content performs best on social media — and you may not have the bandwidth to create all content in-house.

Copywriter: A copywriter understands that there's power in words used to tell a story. They work with the content creator(s) to come up with eye-catching headlines and copy that speaks to the brand's target audience. Whether for an email marketing campaign, a social media post, or even just a simple blog post, a copywriter knows how to craft informative and easily digestible messaging that resonates with the reader.

Analyst: As an analyst, your job is all about numbers and data. You track social media analytics to see how well your brand is performing on social media and make recommendations for improvement. This may involve looking at things like engagement rates, reach, impressions, and click-through rates. 

Analysts also keep an eye on the competition to see how they’re performing and what strategies they’re using that could be applied to your own brand. An analyst can make use of the intricacies of financial reporting tools to track your finances to see where your money is being spent and whether or not it’s worth it in terms of social media marketing.

These are just a few of the many different social media roles that may exist within a company. While social media managers may wear many hats, their job can be niched down into specific roles, depending on the size of the company and the team they work with. Look over these examples and find the role that best suits you.

User-Generated Content and Social Media Marketing

For brands of all sizes, social media marketing jobs often come with an element of user-generated content (UGC) collection and management. UGC refers to any type of media created by users in your brand community, typically satisfied and passionate customers.

As it’s 35% more memorable and 50% more trusted than traditional branded content, UGC plays a big role in social content strategies for top brands. From simply resharing UGC on your social channels to designing social media contests aimed at garnering community content, there are many ways UGC can enhance a brand’s social performance and growth.

Impossible Foods frequently features content on Instagram from restaurants, chefs, and everyday people using their products.

Brands like Impossible Foods, Delta, Airbnb, and more tend to use UGC and influencer marketing platforms like Pixlee TurnTo to automatically collect, curate, and publish content across their marketing channels. An ideal candidate for social media jobs knows this, and has interest or even experience in utilizing a UGC platform as part of a brand’s social strategy.

Influencers and Social Media Marketing

Similarly to UGC, influencer marketing may be an element of your role in a social media marketing job.Simply put, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that focuses on using individuals skilled at building and maintaining their online presence to promote a brand or product.

These opinion leaders can have a significant impact on potential customers, and they can help to build brand awareness by introducing your brand and products toa relevant, engaged audience.

An influencer is somebody with a following on social media who has the ability to influence their audience (either small or large.) Companies use influencer marketing as a way to promote their products or services to a relevant audience in a way that feels more natural and organic.

For example, let’s say you’re a small clothing company trying to break into the fashion industry. You could hire an influencer with a large or small relevant following in the fashion industry to wear and promote your clothes to followers. This would give you exposure to an audience that you might not have otherwise had access to. 

Micro-influencers are typically a great choice for smaller companies or brands looking to work with more creators on a longer-term basis, without spending a fortune. These creators tend to have more focused, engaged audiences on social media.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas works with influencers of all sizes to grow their brand audience and content libraries, even reusing their content on-site with Pixlee TurnTo and in email to generate maximum benefits.

There are a few additional tips to keep in mind when it comes to influencer marketing. First, must make sure that the influencer you’re working with is a good fit for your brand. They should have a similar audience to the one you’re trying to reach, and their values should align with your own.

It’s also important to remember that influencer marketing is not a quick fix. It takes time to build up relationships with influencers and even more time to see results from your campaign.

If you’re patient and you work with the right influencers, you can see some great results from your efforts. As of recent, growing companies have been hiring influencer marketing managers to completely dedicate their time to finding and working with influencers. Their role is responsible for identifying, reaching out to, and working with social media influencers.

Skilled influencer marketing managers typically learn to work with influencer marketing platforms like Pixlee TurnTo to discover online creators in their industry and manage campaigns from start to finish.

What Makes a Great Brand Social Media Post?

When discussing social media content, what exactly does a successful social media post look like? This will, of course, differ depending on the brand, but there are certain elements that are essential for all social media posts. Below are examples of some of these elements:

Posting With a Clear Goal

Every social media post should have a purpose. Whether it is to generate leads, increase brand awareness, drive traffic to a website, or even just foster community on social media, each post should have a specific goal in mind. The content of the post should be tailored to match this goal.

Delta uses UGC sourced through Pixlee TurnTo on Instagram to announce company news like new nonstop flights to Tahiti.

Visuals that are eye-catching

Social media is a visual platform, so it is important that posts include compelling visuals. This could be images, videos, infographics, or any other type of visual content. The best posts tend to be both eye-catching and aligned with a brand’s overall style and tone.

‍

Cotopaxi’s Instagram feed features a variety of adventurous photos from the brand and its community members to showcase their travel and active products in-action.

A Call-To-Action (CTA)

A call to action is essential in every social media post. A CTA tells the audience what they should do next, such as clicking on a link, visiting a website, or maybe even commenting on the post. Without a CTA, it is unlikely that the social media post will achieve its desired goal.

Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to increase the reach of a social media post. When used correctly, they can help a post reach a wider audience and attract new followers. However, it is important not to overuse hashtags, as this can appear spammy and turn people off.

Developing a branded hashtag like Morphe’s #MorpheBabes encourages your brand’s followers to post content related to your products and share their unique experiences. This is a great way to promote UGC and simply learn what your customers like to see and interact with on social media.

To further examine what goes into social media posts, below are examples of brands that successfully use social media:

Nike

Nike is one of the most popular brands on social media. The brand has over 235 million followers on Instagram and frequently posts eye-catching images and videos. A recent post by Nike shows collaboration with influencers and athletes who value the brand’s products. The post includes an image and a CTA to learn more.

‍Starbucks

Starbucks is another example of a brand that uses social media effectively. The coffee chain has over 1.9 million followers on Tiktok and often posts videos that are creative and engaging. A recent video posted by Starbucks shows a newlywed couple that met at one of the chain’s stores. The video is heartwarming and shows the company’s commitment to its customers.

Sephora

Turning towards the makeup industry, Sephora is a brand that excels at social media marketing. The brand has over 21 million followers on Instagram and posts stunning images of products in action and looks that followers can recreate. Sephora is all about influencer marketing and uses this strategy effectively on social media. The brand often partners with popular influencers to create content, which is then shared on Sephora’s social media channels.

As shown above, there are many different elements that go into a successful social media post. By keeping these examples in mind, brands can create posts that are more likely to achieve their desired goal. And, of course, depending on the brand, the goals, visuals, and CTAs will differ. Remember to have fun, be creative, and experiment to see what works best for your brand.

Where To Find Social Media Marketing Jobs

Listed below are four popular job boards where you can find social media marketing jobs today:

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great platform to search for social media marketing jobs. Simply type in "social media marketing" in the search bar and a list of relevant job postings will appear. You can also filter the results by location, company, and other factors.

2. Indeed

Indeed is another job board that offers a wide variety of social media marketing jobs. To find these jobs, simply type "social media marketing" in the search bar. You can also filter the results by location, salary, and other factors.

3. Upwork

Upwork is a freelancing platform that offers many social media marketing jobs. To find these jobs, simply create a profile and then search for "social media marketing" in the search bar. Here you can create your own profile, set your own rates, and then apply for jobs that interest you.

4. Google Search

You would be surprised how many social media marketing jobs show up via a simple Google Search. We recommend using quotation marks around your search term to get the most accurate results. For example, try searching "social media marketing jobs" or "remote social media marketing jobs."

There are many different job boards and websites that offer social media marketing jobs. By using the ones listed above, you're sure to find a job that's a perfect fit for you!

We hope this article has given you some insights on social media marketing jobs and directions on where to start your journey. Remember to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and be creative in your approach. Who knows, your creativity might just be the thing that secures the job.