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Do storytelling, social media interactions, and digital marketing interest you? Then, consider becoming a social media manager.

Social Media Managers design, execute and administer social media and digital marketing campaigns to enhance customer loyalty and global recognition of a business brand.

You can become a social media manager without any formal qualifications. However, a bachelor's qualification in communications, business, marketing, journalism, and public relations is beneficial.

This article discusses the social media manager's work profile, academic requirements, earning capacity, career prospects, social media courses, degrees, marketing, salary and the steps to pursue this profession in Australia.

1. Who Is A Social Media Manager?

Social media managers develop, execute, update, and maintain the online presence of individuals, organisations, or companies.

They are marketing and communication professionals who work with the sole focus of making a business successful, profitable, and productive.

Social media managers work as employees or independent contractors managing multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram.

2. What Does A Social Media Manager Do?

The duties of a social media manager go beyond just writing creative captions and posting images. From creating promotional strategies to engaging with the audience, they take on numerous roles to improve the digital presence and bottom line.

Due to their versatility, you can call them a strategist, marketer, copywriter, designer, PR practitioners, customer service representatives, and analysts. Here are the day-to-day tasks of a social media manager:

• Discover new promotional strategies, hashtag trends, and viral content 

• Prepare a content strategy and share it across the social media team.

• Write blog posts and articles online.

• Recognise and foresee patterns and trends 

• Create visual content such as graphics and video posts

• Curate and repost popular and relevant videos, memes, articles, and content from various sites

• Write bold and attention-seeking ad copies for promotional posts.

• Analyse the performance of social media campaigns and update them whenever needed.

• Track online traffic and efficiency of marketing campaigns on all the online channels.

• Communicate with vendors and customers to facilitate social media tasks and manage social media profiles, pages, and sites

• Build and maintain the digital image and reputation of an organisation/business. 

• Ensure to maintain brand consistency across all digital platforms

• Create a solid engagement to build a positive brand experience

• Respond to the comments and complaints of current and prospective customers on the company's social media posts 

• Identify and work with influencers that are associated with their brand.

• Determine the correct usage of organic content and paid advertisements

• Present documents and reports for senior management and sales personnel about the performance of digital marketing campaigns

• Carefully develop and tailor marketing strategies for individual social media channels.

• Use data and analytics to compute the outcome of social media activities.

• Find and prepare content and optimise for search engine optimisation. 

• Use content scheduling and posting tools like Hootsuite and Buffer to schedule posts for publishing on various social media channels.

• Assess social media trends to increase sales, encourage potential customers, and generate new sales leads for the organisation.

3. Essential Skills For A Social Media Manager

Social media is a dynamic, exciting, and evolving space. You need to have the kind of personality that can thrive on change.

Here are a few most sought skills to pursue a social media manager career:

• Strong interest in the internet and social media

• Good understanding of different social media platforms

• Like tracking activities on social media platforms 

• Excellent communication skills

• Creative writing 

• Impressive graphics and videos skills

• Customer service focused

• Analytical mindset

• Good knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data 

• Good Organisation and Time management skills

• Multitasking abilities

• Solid background in marketing 

• Proficiency in digital editing and graphic design software

• Level-headed to confront negative posts, and comments

• Able to spot and predict social media trends 

• Proficient with MS Word, spreadsheets, email management, and presentations 

• Good marketing skills 

• Good sense of humour

• Great attention to detail

• Passion and dedication

• Able to engage with the audience politely and professionally 

• Good grammar and spelling

4. Required Qualifications for A Social Media Manager In Australia

You do not need formal qualifications to become a professional social media manager in Australia. Employability in this sector depends on your experience and accomplishments in the social media industry.

1. You should complete industry-recognised social media manager courses and certifications in digital marketing, social media management, or advertising. It will help you learn the design and implementation of social media strategies and measure the success of social media campaigns.

2. Alternatively, consider a 3-year undergraduate degree in marketing, public relations, communications, journalism, or advertising. The degree courses will help develop a foundation in marketing and learn methods to reach the vast online audience.

3. A Senior Secondary Certificate of Education in English and mathematics is necessary to enter degree courses. Knowledge of IT, business, and marketing are helpful before taking the university course.

4. Internships are good ways to gain work experience in the real digital world and improve job opportunities. The other way to gain experience is to create your social media channel and build an impressive work portfolio.

5. Becoming a member of the Market and Social Research Society or Australian Marketing Institute will help you connect with social media communities and professionals and stay updated with industry trends and developments.

5. Steps To Become A Social Media Manager In Australia

If you like the work profile and are serious about pursuing this career, follow the steps below to reach your goal.

Step 1: Study Relevant Courses

Though you don't need a formal degree, a relevant qualification will equip you with the knowledge and skills to fast-track your social media management career. Here are the social media manager qualifications to stand out in the job application process:

• Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication

• Diploma in Social Media Marketing

• Certified Digital Marketing Professional

You can also consider completing a university degree in social media marketing, journalism, public relations, or communications. It will teach you essential skills related to copywriting, researching, SEO, and much more to succeed in this profession.

Step 2: Build Your Online Presence

To craft targeted social media strategies, you must strongly understand popular social media channels. Those who want to become a social media manager with no degree should start creating their profile on multiple popular social media platforms. These include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

Read blogs to learn about each platform and the different techniques to create engagement to build your fan base.

Follow niche-related leading businesses and brands across all industries. Look at the frequency and the type of content they post and the engagement they create on each post.

Businesses post content on various platforms and follow them on all their social platforms. You won't miss out on their posts or other asocial media updates.

Step 3: Gain Work Experience In Social Media Marketing

Building a social media presence helps develop a fan following, engage an audience, and prepare brilliant content to entertain your social media fans.

Gaining independent experience is equally desirable as it helps you showcase your knowledge and skills to convince potential employers of your suitability for the job. 

Here Are A Few Things That You Can Do To Gain Relevant Work Experience:

Practice publishing online content to gain practical exposure in highly sought-after social media platforms. Get familiar with different types of online audiences, content formats, analytic platforms, and content types.

Once you have done this, learn about creating content calendars, brand tone of voice, graphics, and social media strategies. Focus on creating an engaging, consistent, well-curated, and constantly updated online presence across all social channels.

You can start uploading thoughtful, strategic content that interests you and promote your social media skills online. Try designing and executing your strategy by evaluating it with Google Analytics and other web tools.

These tools will help determine the performance of your content and social media campaigns. Data analytics lets you identify trends, page views, likes, shares, followers, and comments to learn the likes and dislikes of your audience.

Step 4: Seek Internships Or An Entry-Level Role

Many small businesses, student organisations, and training institutes offer internships and volunteering opportunities to manage their social media presence. The valuable experience, referrals, and references you gain can be beneficial when seeking employment.

Helping others and offering expertise will expand your skill set, portfolio, and network in a professional setting. This work experience can help you gain entry-level roles in organisations such as social media coordinator, content creator, and creative assistant.

By gaining more skills and experience through these roles, you can get the credentials needed for a managerial position.

Step 5: Network And Promote Your Skills Through Social Media 

To work as a social media manager, you must connect and reach out to potential employers. Having an engaging and updated online presence is a great way to demonstrate your understanding, experience, and creativity on prominent platforms and tools to employers.

Follow the social profiles of prospective companies and build connections with their recruiting managers. Also, attend seminars and networking events and join online forums to expand your professional network to find job opportunities.

Industry Bodies For Social Media Managers:

Trusted Resources For Social Media Managers

6. Relevant Social Media Manager Courses In Australia

Completing well-accredited social media courses is the best way to learn how to become a social media manager without experience. Gaining a nationally recognised qualification in social media will help get a competitive edge and grab employers' attention.

Several Australian training institutions offer online courses that teach content planning, content creation, implementation, content curation, analytics, follow-up engagement, and industry information. The courses equip students with the necessary training to prepare for entry-level employment.

The Diploma of Social Media Marketing course provides an in-depth understanding of niche social media marketing strategies, email marketing, managing blogs, content marketing, and personal branding.

The program comprises dedicated training modules for various social media platforms. It equips students with the skills to create content for their unique audiences.

A Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication explores technical aspects of social media management. It teaches students about market profiling, performing market research, copywriting, product promotions, and consumer behaviour.

• Bachelor of Business (Marketing)

• Bachelor of Communication (Digital and Social Media)

• Bachelor of Media and Communication (Public Relations And Advertising)

• Bachelor of Applied Business (Marketing)

• Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication - TAFE

• Diploma of Social Media Marketing - TAFE

7. Working Conditions For A Social Media Manager

Social media managers work standard hours but may be required to work late evenings or weekends. The profession gives the flexibility to work from the corporate office or run their social media business from home or any remote location.

Social media managers work closely with marketing professionals to offer coverage across many marketing channels. Although it is office-based work, they may have to visit their client's offices.

8. Where Do Social Media Managers Work In Australia?

The social networking world is developing at a rapid pace every year. Various job opportunities are available for qualified social media managers who can identify and evaluate social media trends and determine the best ways to implement them.

Social media managers mostly work as part of the in-house marketing team in various industries. They may also work in outsourcing agencies that provide social media services to a diverse range of clients.

With the realisation of the potential of social media, more and more businesses are now focussing on creating a robust online presence. Digital channels such as websites and mobile have become preferred to advertise and promote services and products.

The increased adoption of social media marketing strategies will likely create steady and heavy demand for social media managers in companies. This trend will continue to create many more social media manager job opportunities in this sector in the coming years.

9. Job Prospects Of Social Media Managers In Australia

Social media has brought a revolutionary transformation in communication and marketing in the past few years. With nearly a third of the global population using social platforms, social media will see an exciting rise in employment opportunities.

Numerous work opportunities will be available in content creation, social media strategy development, and overall social media management.

With a growing number of businesses on social media, there is no doubt that social media will continue to stay for many more years. 

Thus, social media enthusiasts who aspire to become social media managers can assure themselves of a thriving career in this rapidly advancing and exciting industry.

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10. How Much Does A Social Media Manager Earn In Australia?

The average social media manager's salary in Australia is AU$ 62,337. The social media manager's hourly rate in Australia is AU$ 25.74.

The social media marketing manager's salary in Australia is AU$ 25, equivalent to AU$ 67,407 per year.

Social Media Manager Salary Based on Experience

• Entry-level Social Media Managers (< 1-year experience) earn AU$51,132 

• Early career Social Media Managers (1 to 4 years of experience) earn AU$60,138

• Mid-career Social Media Managers (5 to 9 years of experience) earn AU$73,239

• Experienced Social Media Managers (10 to 19 years of experience) earn AU$89,769

Social Media Manager Salary Based on Location

• Sydney, New South Wales: $92,616 per year

• North Sydney, New South Wales: $87,849 per year

• Melbourne, Victoria: $83,209 per year

• Surry Hills, New South Wales: $81,245 per year

• Richmond Victoria: $73,738 per year

• Brisbane Queensland: $73,540 per year

Social Media Marketing Manager Salary Based on Experience

• Entry-level Social Media Managers: AU$45,781

• Early career Social Media Managers: AU$60,984

• Mid-career Social Media Managers: AU$76,856

11. Conclusion

Social media has become a necessity in today's ever-digitised age. With businesses focussing on creating an engaging online presence, the world will see more social media job opportunities in the coming years.

Generous salaries, a strong employment outlook, and exciting innovations make the social media industry an attractive career path.

Acquiring training and experience is the ideal route to transform your social media passion into a full-blown career.

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