Being a social media marketer has its perks, especially if you are a freelancer. From flexible hours, to working on interesting projects for multiple clients (which means you’re never bored) –the list is endless. But it’s not for everyone. The multi-faceted nature of the job requires certain personality traits that translate into skills for success for you and for the client’s social channels. Wondering what these are? Let’s dig deeper.
Make Sure You’re Super Social
This one’s pretty obvious, the job itself has “social” in the title. As a social media marketer, community management is a significant part of the role. Whether you are replying to comments, direct messages, tagged posts and more, you need to love chatting with strangers and making conversation –while making sure you’re timely about it. According to Sprout Social, “13% of US consumers expect brands to respond within the first hour of reaching out on social media, while 76% expect a response in the first 24 hours”.
Count on Being Creative
From writing up post captions to developing and designing next month’s content, a social media marketer needs to be creative. This is more than just being able to come up with the content ideas. You also have to be able to execute them and make them come to life through strong photography, videography, and design skills. Whether you’re creating reels, static timeline posts, stories, and more, you should develop on-brand pieces that both reflect the client’s products/services while also adhering to current trends and best practices.
You’re Proudly a Planner
You like to make your list and check it twice! When you are managing multiple social media networks, it really helps to plan ahead. What key content buckets do you want to feature? Which national days and holidays are relevant to the business(es) you are working with? Are there any new promotions? Based on this, you can create and get approval on your posts and pre-schedule them for the month ahead. This will free you up to use remaining time throughout the month for community engagement.
Be Seriously Spontaneous
Yes, you have to plan. But breaking news? New song trend? You’re on it. A social media marketer also needs to be able to pivot from one moment to the next in order to accommodate new developments in the real world and on social media networks. This can sometimes mean moving pre-scheduled content to another date or time, creating new content day-of, and often being available outside of “regular hours”.
Change Like a Chamaleon
Any content you’re producing and any message you are sending needs to be in the voice of the brand you are working with –not yours. This means that your voice needs to adapt accordingly. From subtle and professional, to light and cheerful, you have to have an aptitude for blending in.
Stay Constantly Curious
The social media world is always changing. With new trends and updates continually emerging, you have to remain curious in order to succeed. A prime example of this is the rapid emergence of new platforms. According to data from ourworldindata.org, there were only 3 social media platforms in 2005, while by 2019 there were 11 and counting. Some, like MySpace, disappeared altogether. All this means that you must be willing to learn about the latest developments, take the initiative to research new ways of doing things, and most important of all –don’t assume that your old way is the right way!
So, if you are looking to grow your social media presence or hire the right social media marketer, these are the top 6 traits that you should have on your list!
Author:
Nora is an excellent communicator with extensive experience in the digital marketing, communications, and public relations fields, combined with a passion for the health, wellness, beauty, and food industries. Nora is a social media marketer freelancer that loves devising social media strategies in order to drive follower growth, engagement, and brand awareness on the different social platforms.
