Now that digitalisation plays such a vital role in business, social media is where you will find most of your customers.
With the average internet user spending almost 7 hours of their day online, internet usage is showing no signs of slowing down. Pursuing social media as a career demands agility to stay abreast of the latest trends and software offerings so you can stay at the top with ever-changing customer needs. But where should you start? Keep reading and find out some of the key points that you need to consider when looking to start a career in social media.
What would you like to do in five or 10 years’ time? Your answer will determine the path you should take. Research marketing jobs and their specifications – this will help you to gather a deeper understanding of the requirements to secure a particular role and provide you with a better understanding of what each job entails.
In 2022, you can choose between the usual face-to-face, distance learning, or combined. Experience is valuable for every possible job role, but learning will only stimulate your work and provide you with a strong foundation to build on.
Alternatively, there are plenty of online courses available to get you started, and some of them you can do at your own pace. Juggling multiple things at once can exhaust you so make sure that you don’t take on too many things at once.
Gaining experience in running social media accounts for businesses could be easier than you think. In times like this when the cost-of-doing-business and cost-of-living crises are affecting all of us, local businesses would welcome extra help. This need is mainly present in non-profits and start-ups that may be extremely busy and struggling with funds so volunteering locally could be the answer that you are looking for.
As you start to volunteer, you’ll not only build your portfolio, but you’ll also help the company out, which is a win-win experience. One of the benefits of being a social media professional is that you have plenty of options for freelancing and even working remotely with multiple companies if you wish. Just remember to make sure that the company is clear about its social media goals from the start to avoid any mistakes or negative results.
Content can come in many formats, with blogs, images, and videos being the most basic types. But these days there are more options to choose from and plenty of new ways to engage with audiences.
Temporary content like Instagram stories are an example of a simple way to connect instantly and authentically, and even add some creative elements in a way that shows your personality. You’ll also want to ensure you have at least a basic knowledge of image and video editing as well as the associated tools and platforms. Photoshop, Canva, and YouCut are great places to start when it comes to learning more about visual production.
In conclusion
There are many more things that you can do, such as creating a strong online presence for yourself, getting an internship, or finding a mentor, but the main thing is to make a start and get the ball rolling.
Find your strongest areas and capitalise on them. Social media is complex and the opportunities are endless – the secret is to decide on the path you are taking, commit, and work towards it. You can always change the direction slightly on the way but do your research, the rest of it will follow as you go.
The Generation Next team is on hand to help budding entrepreneurs and young professionals navigate the world of business. To find out just how we do that, get in touch at gennext@emc-dnl.co.uk for more information on our membership package, or sign up to the newsletter below.
