Social Media Skills: Definition, Examples And Tips To Learn

Updated 30 September 2022

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Many companies hire social media managers or specialists who possess the significant skills required to market the products or services through various social media platforms. Social media management skills can help professionals maximise the reach of their products and engage with an online audience. Learning about important social media management skills can help you highlight them during the job search process. In this article, we define social media skills, learn how to improve them and discuss ways to highlight them in a resume, cover letter and during an interview.

What Are Social Media Skills?

Social media skills are the traits and abilities that allow social media managers and specialists to engage with online audiences by using effective strategies and campaigns. There are various skills that help social media managers to run the social media handles of companies and improve their online presence and reputation. Social media management skills include both hard and soft traits that can help professionals to plan social media strategies and create content as per the company norms. You can learn such skills by earning a professional degree or certification in fields related to social media management.

Examples Of Social Media Management Skills

Here are some examples of social media management skills that you can learn and use in the workplace:

Writing skills

Many promotional posts on social media are text-based and require great writing skills. With the help of excellent writing skills, social media managers can write effective, clear and engaging text posts. The key elements which can help professionals in creating a good and engaging text post include grammar, punctuation, spelling, humour and intelligence. Social media managers can use their writing skills in the following ways:

Ad campaigns
Blogging
Editing
Email marketing
Branding
Publishing

Designing skills

Many social media managers use their design skills to prepare images and videos. Designing skills can help them choose the right colour, format and size of the text. Designing can play a significant role in the visual appearance of your post and make it more engaging and visually appealing. You can use your designing abilities in the following tasks:

Graphic design
Image editing
Image creation
Media creation
Video editing
Web marketing
Advertising
Campaign creation

Public speaking skills

Public speaking skills can be helpful in using the live video feature to engage with online audiences. Professionals working in the field of social media management can improve their presentation and communication skills to collaborate with other professionals. Public speaking skills can also help you in preparing podcasts and leading teams. An effective social media manager can develop good relationships with their colleagues and address the questions of customers.

Customer service

Social media platforms may serve as a tool to deliver messages and receive queries and feedback from clients. Social media managers can benefit from improving their customer service. With the help of customer service, you can address the concerns and issues of customers. Customer service can be helpful in increasing engagement, building customer relationships and improving quality products.

Analytical skills

Social media managers are responsible for reviewing posts and engagements on online platforms. Post analytics and performance can provide an overview of total likes, shares and comments. Social media managers with great analytical skills can take advantage of these features and determine the areas that require improvements. They can use several analytics tools to evaluate the current data and develop effective strategies for better engagement. Analytical skills can also help social media managers in the following ways:

Competitive analysis
Research
Reporting
SEO practices

Project management

From posting content to marketing, social media managers may require project management skills to ensure better content engagement. Project management can help them plan budgets, delegate tasks and track data. This skill can be helpful in the effective allocation of resources and multitasking. With the help of project management, you can manage and lead various projects at a time. You can also become responsive to deadlines and address sudden changes in projects.

How To Improve Social Media Management Skills

By improving their skills, social media managers can perform better in the competitive market. Here are some effective ways to improve your social media management skills:

1. Pursue certification courses

Social media managers can pursue several online certification courses and improve their skills. Gaining certifications can also help them in understanding the latest trends. Many online courses focus on learning and improving both technical and soft skills. Here are some common areas in which you can become skilled by gaining a certification:

Digital marketing
SEO
Web designing
Project management
Media management

2. Find a mentor

A mentor can help you understand the basics of social media management and improve your skills. Find a skilled mentor who has some years of experience in social media management. A mentor can guide you through the initial stages of projects. Mentors can suggest ways to practise your skills in the workplace. Mentors can provide you with feedback and help you strengthen your weaknesses. They can also motivate you to take tests and evaluate your abilities.

3. Practise your skills

Joining an internship or freelancing can help social media managers practise their skills. You can search and apply at companies that hire social media managers to design and create engaging posts. Expanding your vocabulary and practising your writing skills can allow you to perform better. You can learn new words, idioms and phrases that can help you to attract potential customers. Staying up to date with the latest trends can allow you to become more relatable to the current audience and maximise engagement.

Social Media Management Skills In The Workplace

Here are some essential social media management skills you can use in the workplace:

Creating engaging content: With the help of excellent writing, designing and creative skills, social media managers can create engaging texts and posts.
Tracking metrics and performance: The knowledge of digital marketing tools can be helpful in tracking the performance of each social media post.
Delegating tasks to team members: You can use your project management skills to delegate tasks to each team member depending on their abilities.
Completing projects within deadlines: Social media managers can use their time management and organisational skills to schedule their tasks and complete projects on time.
Understanding customer behaviour: Analytical skills can be helpful in evaluating customer behaviour and finding areas for improvement.

Highlighting Social Media Management Skills

Here are some helpful ways to highlight your social media management skills during the job search process:

On a resume

When highlighting your skills for a resume, it can be helpful to include both hard and soft skills. You can highlight hard skills by mentioning your experience in managing social media services, analytics, CMS and other aspects of social media posts. Other additional skills which can be beneficial to add are good communication, time management, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Keep in mind that the main goal of highlighting your skills on a resume is to provide the recruiter with your experience and abilities as a social media manager.

Make sure your resume is free of errors, clear to read and easy to understand. Many companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS) for scanning resumes in bulk so it can be helpful to write a resume that is ATS-friendly. Here are some skills that you can include on your resume:

Data analysis
Marketing strategy
Social media management software
Flexibility
Problem-solving
Development and research
Time management
Community management
Digital marketing
Creativity
Communication
Project management
CMS
Graphic design

During a job interview

During a job interview, it can be helpful to highlight your skills and experience in social media management using your answers. Sharing your achievements can be a great way to represent yourself as a strong candidate. Doing prior research and studying the company's philosophy can help in many ways during an interview. Research about the company and explain why you want to work with the organisation.

Answering skill-based questions can allow you to mention your abilities and explain how your experience level and qualifications can benefit the company. Research about the company and explain why you want to work with the organisation. Provide examples from your previous work experience showing your ability to overcome challenges.