Posted by Social media marketing is becoming more competitive by the day as businesses compete for the attention of over 5 billion users around the world. The aim is to create more awareness and generate high-quality leads that can convert to sales.
Social media marketers who are paid to deliver on these goals are under pressure, as what worked a few years ago doesn’t work today.
Are you a social media marketer who is struggling to move the needle in terms of helping businesses achieve their social media marketing goals?
This guide is for you because I showed you 10 skills every social media marketer must have in 2024 to remain competitive and also deliver results to clients.
1. Graphics Design
Users on social media are captured by what they see, and it’s hard to pass a message across without using captivating graphics. One thing is to know the type of graphics that move the needle on a social media platform, and another is to design it easily. This is where the graphics design skills come in.
Using text, colors, and images to create an appealing visual which is what graphics design involves is a compulsory skill for a social media marketer. Some clients’ campaigns may require only the use of graphics, and it will become a setback if you can’t design graphics, at least at the amateur level.
But the good news is that there are platforms where you can learn graphics design for free. Udemy and Alison have free courses on graphics design. You can even search on YouTube for graphics design channels to learn directly from graphics design experts who have been in the game for years. When you are confident enough, use Canva, a free graphics design tool, to start practicing all you have learned.
2. Communication
This is a crucial skill considering you will have clients you handle their campaign and a team that works with you. Your ability to work with your team and deliver results to clients depends on your communication skills.
Let’s assume you are running paid campaigns on Facebook and Instagram for your clients. You need to communicate with your team daily to know how they are doing their respective tasks aimed at meeting the goals of the campaign. You also have to communicate with your clients for them to know how far you have gone with their campaigns and the gains made.
Poor communication skills can cost you damages as a social media marketer. It can lead to your team making costly mistakes that will mess up client projects. On the side of you and your client, it can create misunderstanding, which may lead to them not working with you on subsequent projects.
Here are tips that can help you:
- Employ a consistent voice when communicating with your team and clients.
- Clearly state expectations and campaign goals.
- Listen to TED talks on communication to learn from experts.
- Always measure your communication skills to know if you are improving.
3. Video Editing
Videos appeal to users, especially on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. It captures and retains attention as many people find it entertaining as against text which requires you to read to understand.
Before now, long-form videos were trendy, but TikTok has made users engage more with short videos.
According to a report, 66% of users found short-form videos to be the most engaging form of social media content.
No wonder, YouTube was quick to introduce shorts, which has helped to grow its monthly users.
So what does this tell you as a social media marketer?
Learning how to create and edit videos, including short videos, has become an essential skill in 2024 and beyond. If you must help your clients generate leads and sales on Instagram and TikTok, being good at creating and editing videos is a must.
Just like graphics design, there are plenty of courses where you can learn how to create and edit videos for social media.
Also, there are different video editing tools with free plans that you can use to practice and perfect your video editing skills.
4. Strategic Planning
As a social media marketer, you must have a strategic approach to achieving results through well-thought-out campaigns.
Below are common steps to help you develop strategic planning:
Goal alignment: Ensure every effort directly contributes to the goal of the campaign
Target audience: Have a clear understanding of who your target audience is on each of the social media platforms
Competitor analysis: Assess your competitor’s social media marketing strategies and identify their strengths and weaknesses
Allocate resources: Use resources where it will yield a maximum result
Content calendar: Have a plan to create valuable content and schedule them
Integration: Connect with other marketing tools to automate repetitive tasks
5. Copywriting
If you’re going to play the long-term game on LinkedIn and Twitter, copywriting is a skill you must acquire.
Users on this platform tend to engage in text posts more. And for you to convince someone to take action, your copywriting skills must be on point. You need to create a hook, help users identify the problems they face, and create a demand for the products and services you promote which serves as a solution.
While taking courses on copywriting for social media is good, learning how established content creators on LinkedIn and Twitter do it will get you there faster.
6. Analytics
Without analyzing, you won’t know if your social media marketing strategies are yielding results. You won’t know what works and what you need to improve on. Keep in mind your competitors want to outdo you, and you must analyze performance to stay on top of your game.
Agreed, each of the social media platforms have analytics features but understanding the metrics and how to use them to boost performance is what matters. If you plan to use advanced analytics tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, or Buffer which provide detailed reports, then you must learn how to analyze social media marketing reports.
YouTube is a great platform to learn this because there are plenty of videos on how to analyze social media performance.
7. Community management
Social media is like a community of people who are interested in a particular subject. That’s why users join Facebook groups and follow pages. As a social media marketer who wants to generate as much sales as possible from community members, you must learn how to manage them. For example, community members will ask questions, seek advice and expect you to respond in a friendly manner. This is how you build a large audience who remain loyal to brands and also spread the good news about the products and services you sell.
8. Basic Ad Campaigns
As a social media marketer, you must learn the basics of ad campaigns. While organic traffic is free, it requires more effort and time to get results from it. Some clients may prefer paid ads to get results faster, so you should learn how to set up ad campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media platforms.
Facebook and Instagram ad setups are easy, but you need advanced knowledge to make the best out of every dollar you spend.
A good way to start is to read up Facebook and Instagram guides on ad campaigns.
Other social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok also have guides to running ad campaigns, but those of Facebook and Instagram are well-detailed and easy to implement.
You can also learn from helpful videos social media ad experts post on YouTube.
Below is a screenshot of some videos you can watch on YouTube on how to run a profitable Facebook ad campaign.
9. Customer Service
Social media is one of the popular channels customers prefer when it comes to customer service. As a social media marketer, you should learn the skill of using it to offer support. Customers will send you DM, comments on posts, and tag you to get your response to their questions.
Providing helpful feedback not only contributes to a better customer experience but also gets you more loyal and returning customers.
10. Adaptability
Being a social media marketer requires you to adapt to changes, especially algorithm changes. What worked yesterday might not work today, and you will be playing the loser’s game if you aren’t aware.
You must keep an eye to know when there is a major algorithm change. This helps you to adjust accordingly and continue to promote your businesses and services. Another is to know when a feature is trending on a social media platform and see how you can jump on it to create more awareness and generate leads and sales.
Summary
Social media marketing will continue to evolve, and it’s only those who have the required skills will remain competitive and high in demand.
I have shown you 10 important skills that can make you the go-to social media marketer in 2024. It’s up to you to acquire these skills and use them to your advantage which can lead to you charging premium fees for social media marketing and delivering superb results to your clients.