Is a Social Media Management Career a Fit for You?

Sheryl Silver By Sheryl Silver
on August 02, 2013 at 5:20 PM, updated October 09, 2013 at 2:43 PM
Writing skills are primary for social media managers. Mark Story, author "Starting Your Career as a Social Media Manager"


According to Mark Story, author of the recently published book "Starting Your Career as a Social Media Manager," a dramatic increase in social media use by private companies, non-profits, and professional associations has fueled a growing demand for social media managers.

"First people learned how to use social media for personal reasons. Now businesses are learning how they can use social media to make money by increasing awareness of their services and products and by creating online communities of their fans," explained Story, former director of new media at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and an educator who designed and teaches courses on social media at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland University College.

Incorporating insights both from his own career and those of other successful social media management practitioners, Story's book is a user-friendly "how to" guide that can help social media enthusiasts determine whether or not they possess the skills and sales and marketing acumen needed to be effective social media managers.

"Writing skills are primary for social media managers," said Story. "In fact, you need to be a good editor as well as a good writer because people tend to scan things when reading online. They don't necessarily want to read lengthy prose no matter how well it's written. So people need to be able to edit their own writing to make it concise and precise."

"The ability to verbally communicate complex ideas in clear and succinct ways is also important ," added Story. "Being a good educator, able to break down complex ideas into simple, straightforward benefits-oriented statements is critical. Truthfully, being a social media manager is a communications role first and a technology role secondarily."

Through the individuals featured in his book, Story makes it clear that people are successfully launching social media management careers as a result of internships, formal educational programs, and even self-taught learning via books, blogs, and articles. During our interview, Story also stressed that being passionate about Facebook and Twitter for your personal use isn't enough to qualify you for a career in social media management.

"Just loving the tools isn't enough. You have to also want to learn about the context in which you're a practitioner," he said. "For example, if you're a social media manager for a widget company, it's important to learn all you can about widgets: what they do, how they benefit your company's potential customers, etc. There's also a big difference between knowing how to use Facebook on a personal level and how to use it for an association on behalf of hundreds of thousands of association members."

When asked how someone can land a first job in social media management, Story offered several ideas. "I urge people to work for a public relations agency with a digital arm because although the work is very hard, the advancement potential ---in terms of title and salary potential --- is generally greater than working in a single company where there might only be 5 or 6 people involved in social media activities."

As to why he said working for an agency is harder, Story said, "In an agency, you have multiple clients. This forces you to become a subject matter expert quickly on diverse industries and/or businesses. It's also a very demanding, pressure and deadline-oriented work environment, much more than a role in a single company might be. If you're not comfortable working in a high pressure, deadline driven environment, you're not a good fit for an agency job."

Story said employed people might also be able to start social media management careers in the organizations where they're currently working. "If a job in social media management doesn't already exist in your organization, you could create one by becoming a knowledgeable advocate for the benefits of your company's more proactive use of social media," he explained. "If you're already in a public relations, public affairs or marketing role, that's a good training ground."

What if you're unemployed -," and new to the field of social media management? Can you create relevant achievements to impress prospective employers?

You can, said Story. "Create a blog that has appropriate posts about trends in social media. You can share your own ideas on the subject or quote experts in the field," he said. "For example, if you're interested in search engine optimization (SEO), write articles about it, quote authors and authorities on it."

Another approach suggested by Story: "Find a non-profit and volunteer to build a Facebook community or a Twitter following for it, then include the results of that effort in a 'Selected Accomplishments' section of your resume. Your initiative and ability to produce results should impress employers."