With around 3.8 billion social media users worldwide (as of 2020, according to Hootsuite), today’s businesses need to capitalise on social media to maximise their reach and enhance their engagement with existing and new customers.
To do this, they need to find people who have the necessary social media skills. They are usually social media professionals who have a combination of hard and soft skills to plan and execute marketing strategies on social media in driving an organisation’s business objectives.
These diverse set of skills will enable these experts to perform tasks such as running branded social media channels; designing and implementing social media marketing campaigns; creating and/or curating social content; and measuring, testing and reporting on social strategies using analytics tools.
The following are some of many social media skills, as described by job search expert Alison Doyle for The Balance Careers (https://www.thebalancecareers.com/social-media-skills-2063726):
Writing: “Most social media posts include text, and many are text-based. That means, for your posts to be effective, your text has to be worth reading – clear, engaging, and on-message.
“There’s also the aspect of understanding a company’s “voice” and employing that with consistency, intelligence, and sometimes with humour.”
Design: “While most social media posts include text, images and video are becoming increasingly popular.
“Designing these elements well will make the visual dimension of your posts clearer, more engaging, and more effective.”
Public Speaking: “Video, especially live video, is one of the best ways to engage your audience. And if you’re going to star in your video, you are going to have to be comfortable and well-presented in the public eye.”
Customer Service: “Social media is not just a way to get your message out, it is also a way to listen. You can use these channels to engage in dialogue, receive feedback, and address concerns. If you work for a business, this type of work falls mostly under the heading of customer service.”
Analytics: “Social media services provide a variety of ways to measure the performance of your posts and tweets (through social media metrics like shares, likes, plays and comments).
“To make sense of (metrics), you must also know a bit about behavioural psychology, so you can make good guesses about why a tweet or a post is doing well, and adjust your social media use accordingly.”
