Finding Your Career Fit in Social Media

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom there lived a student, grappling with the inevitable choices they would have to soon make in their career. After a disastrous pandemic took their kingdom by storm, all their plans lay foiled. The only silver lining of the pandemic was a team of knights, part of a group named Social Media, traveled from door to door delivering news and keeping the entire kingdom connected. The student, inspired by the reach of this team, wants to now join their quest and be a part of their team. There’s just one hurdle the student has to cross - knowing where to even begin. Can you relate to this story?

Luckily for you, we decided to put together a list of possibilities for somebody looking to get into social media. Social media is a much broader umbrella term that consists of all sorts of roles that you can fit into. First thing to keep in mind, are your strengths and which part of social media specifically interests you. Whether it is content creation or the cool graphics you come across. It is also vital to understand that to work in this field one has to take on multiple roles whether as a leader, a writer, a data analyst or a researcher, it all depends on the job you choose. 

Now to the main bit, which jobs are most commonly available in this stream?

1.  Social Media Manager : As a Social Media Manager, you are responsible for curating your company’s brand online and making sure the company’s online presence reflects what it stands for.. The exact sites you will use will definitely depend on the company’s brand but they will mostly include Facebook, Instagram, Quora, Linkedin, Youtube, Snapchat and Twitter. But knowing your way around these sites alone will not help you. In order to manage all the content being put out on all the sites, you will likely need to work with a Data Analytics software to meet all your deadlines as well as analyse how your content is performing in real time.

Some important skills to work on in order to be a social media manager would be - time management, since you will have to juggle multiple projects in a go and they all need to be completed within the set deadline. Creativity in order to always be set apart from the crowd. Writing since you’ll either be writing captions or you will need to judge what is written. Communication, you need to communicate well because you will have an entire team, plus clients depending on you and any miscommunication can cause massive delays. You have to have a keen eye for trends and how they can be applied to your brand.

Challenges as a Social Media Manager look like, having no fixed hours and oftentimes having to work longer hours to meet deadlines or to complete a project. This is also why time management is important, so that you have time to yourself as well. 

2. Copywriter - A copywriter is responsible for coming up with all the writing material of a content piece. The writing can range from captions to blogs to emails to web page copies; it can include anything. As a copywriter, you are expected to be well versed with what the company stands for and what the company sells. Along with these, you also need to know the consumers well in order to write to them.

As a copywriter, you are expected to be a good communicator, creative thinker, interpersonally skilled, able to conduct thorough research apart from which you also need to have technical knowledge.

Copywriters often struggle with having to be creative constantly and not be too creative at times. Sometimes being overly creative can cause the copywriter to lose sight of what their company/ client originally asked for. So, as a copywriter, you need to balance your vision with your brand's vision. Writing can sometimes be isolating, and therefore, having good interpersonal skills can help you avoid loneliness.

Talking about experience, copywriters usually need at least a bachelor's degree in journalism or English. However, sometimes even a high school diploma with relevant experience and strong writing skills are enough to get you hired.

3. Creative Designer- A Graphic Designer typically works with their intuition, while working commercially, to create art for brochures, logos or any other marketing material. Designers are also needed in the tech and advertising or publishing industries, so you could find yourself working in any of these fields that interest you.

Consider Creative Designing if you have an eye for aesthetics, art  and details. To become a creative designer, you need to be familiar with designing softwares and have an excellent portfolio. To increase your skills and knowledge, taking up a graphic designing course will help. Take up internships to gain experience in different fields and it will also reflect well on your resume.

4. Brand Ambassadors- Brand ambassadors are responsible for representing a company and their products. You need to be influential and have a strong online presence and at least some knowledge of Marketing. College students fit best into the role of a brand ambassador as they are young and energetic, plus they have access to their campus community. 

If you are a people’s person or someone who already has an established online presence, consider brand endorsement. You can endorse any brand that fits within your values and whose products you stand by. Brand endorsements can also take place in any sector. 

You don’t typically require any specific educational qualifications for becoming a brand ambassador. 

5. What else is there? Freelancing as anyone of the above job roles, is a great alternative to working for one corporation solely. Freelancing is great if you have good networking skills and can therefore find work easily. It also helps if you want to work remotely. You can also make use of websites and apps to find potential clients and increase your client base.

The term “Content Creator/ Influencers”, although vague, is actually an amalgamation of several of the above roles. As a content creator, you can either work for small brands as a brand ambassador or work on your brand itself. You also need to have knowledge of marketing and you need strong writing skills to write captions/ scripts etc.

There are many more career options out there that work within the social media arena whether directly or indirectly. You are bound to find something that fits your niche sooner or later, so don’t fret! In the meantime, check out our course on Digital Marketing to get the necessary skills, essential to your career in Social Media. Hope now you have a better picture of where you best fit in the vast and ever-changing universe that we call Social Media.