The latest statistics show that in October 2023, there were 4.95 billion social media users around the world, which is equal to 61.4 percent of the total global population. The number of social media users continues to grow. The same data survey revealed that it has an annualized growth of 4.5 percent. So, if you have a business, you must be on social media and have good social media management skills.
GWI data shows that social media users on average visit 6.7 different social platforms each month and spend 2 hours 24 minutes per day using social media. Therefore, you need to be present on multiple social media platforms to attract these users’ attention and make them your customers. You need to have a good social media management strategy and have professional social media manager skills.
Social media management skills have evolved considerably over the past few years. The increase in the number of social media networks and their fragmentation, dynamic SEO changes, changes in content trends and preferences, changes in social media algorithms, and emerging new technologies in social media management have made it necessary for social media managers to adapt and diversify their skills to keep up to date.
Even small businesses’ social media management requires most of the skills mentioned.
In this article, we’ll explore what social media manager skills you should have to be successful in the coming 2024.
Must-Have Skills in 2024 for Every Social Media Manager
Social media management has become quite complex, requiring a combination of different skills. A social media manager needs to be good at several skills. If there is a team of social media managers, ideally, they should cover most of the skills. They should know community and crisis management, strategy, design, and video content creation, as well as use analytics to understand data, and be able to learn new skills continuously and quickly.
Let’s examine the essential social media manager skills you should have in 2024 to excel in your role.
- Content strategy and planning
You should start with a good and data-based content creation and publishing strategy, which plays a pivotal role in a successful social media presence. Social media managers should use data analytics to plan, schedule, and deliver content that both aligns with the goals of a business and resonates with the target audience. Users of different social media platforms prefer different types of content and a mix of content types, such as longer articles, short posts, stories, images, videos, or reels. First, you should know what your users like, and be ready to deliver it in the preferred format. Second, optimize your content for different platforms, not only for your users’ interests. In addition, don’t be rigid- you should collect data, analyze, and optimize your content creation and publishing strategy on a regular basis. - Data analytics and insights
Each social media platform is getting increasingly crowded. With the help of AI in social media posting, the number of posts will continue to increase. In 2024, the ability to analyze data and extract meaningful insights will be more crucial than ever for social media managers. Understanding metrics such as reach (impressions and views), engagement rates (comments, likes, shared, etc.), click-through rates, and conversion rates will help you measure the success of your social media campaigns. Analyze the performance of your social media activities regularly and make changes to your strategy instantly. Dismiss what did not work, and repeat, boost what worked the best for you. A good social media manager should be proficient in using various analytics tools and platforms to track performance and make data-driven decisions. Use analytics tools provided by platforms themselves, as well as Google Analytics, and social media analytics tools like Postus. - Graphic design
Proficiency in graphic design is very important for any social media manager. Studies show that the average user’s attention span has decreased to 1.7 – 2.5 seconds, depending on the device used. So, you must create aesthetic and eye-catching images or reels to target your audience. Graphic design skills should be on top of your priorities which helps you to build a strong brand presence. - Video content creation
According to a recent report by Hubspot, users prefer the most video content. 55 percent of social media users closely pay attention to video content, followed by social media posts with images. The importance of video content is expected to grow in the coming years. Social media managers should have skills in video production, editing, and optimization for different platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and YouTube. Social media managers should learn or improve their skills to create engaging and shareable video content for better reach. - Community management
Building a community around your brand is essential for social media success in 2024. The social media manager must engage with the audience you have built to keep your customers loyal to your brand. You should build a strong relationship with your audience by actively engaging with your followers, responding to questions, comments, and messages, and fostering a positive online environment.
If you actively use many platforms, you may not have enough time to engage with your followers. Use the following tips for effective community management on social media. First, prioritize incoming communications, and reply for top priorities first. Your top priority could be user feedback, complaints, user inquires, or simply social media campaigns. Second, engage with loyal customers. You should be able to identify the most engaged followers and loyal customers and make communication with them your priority. You can ask them for customer testimonials, entail brand mentions, and deliver user-generated content. Third, use social media automation tools to post on multiple platforms at once. - Customer service
Recent studies show that social media is increasingly becoming one of the most popular channels for customer service. Users start using social media platforms more often for sharing feedback about a product or service, looking for a recommendation, and reaching out to customer service with a problem or question. You should interact with your audience on social media regularly, and that will ultimately lead to enhanced customer experience. - SEO Knowledge
Search engine optimization (SEO) is not limited to websites anymore. In 2024, social media managers should understand the principles of SEO and how to apply them to social media. This includes optimizing social media profiles, using relevant hashtags and keywords in posts, and understanding the factors that algorithms of social media platforms consider important. For example, algorithms of social media platforms consider important posting time, early engagement, and other factors, and rank your posts accordingly. - Influencer collaboration
Influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly popular and efficient strategy for reaching a wider audience. Social media managers should have the skills to identify and collaborate with influencers who align with the brand’s values and target audience. Partnering with influencers can help businesses increase brand exposure, improve brand credibility and reputation, and boost sales. Influencer collaboration should be well-organized and efficient. Set clear goals and KPIs, create compelling offers using discount or coupon codes, and encourage user-generated content that comes from your influencer’s audience. Personalize the collaborative relationship and let the influencers suggest the form or content of posts. - Mobile-first approach
In our days the majority of social media users use mobile devices to access social media. So, it’s crucial to have a mobile-first approach when creating and delivering content. The design and format of the content must look great and function well on mobile screens. Differentiate mobile marketing content from desktop marketing, specifically designing for smaller screens. When creating new content, start with the mobile version first, and then adapt it to larger screens. - Crisis management
In the age of social media, when everyone uses many platforms and is connected online, crises can escalate quickly. Social media managers need to be prepared to instantly handle negative comments, public relations issues, and other emergencies effectively. Prepare a crisis management plan that could be used for various types of crises. Social media managers should respond calmly and professionally, act quickly, and be prepared to execute the crisis plan during non-business hours to protect the brand’s reputation. - Behavioral psychology
With a huge amount of data and analytics, you know what type of social media posts perform well. You should not only repeat these posts but also understand, why they performed well, in order to create other well-performing posts. Behavioral psychology could help you to answer these questions. Why do people engage with certain posts? Why do people comment or share certain posts? For example, your data might tell you that posts with images or videos perform better than posts without images or videos. Maybe you used relevant hashtags? Or maybe your posting timing was the crucial factor. You don’t need a degree or expertise in psychology to be a social media manager, but trying to learn and understand human psychology would contribute much to the success of your social media marketing. - Agility
The social landscape changes fast and even the best, data-based strategies can become irrelevant. Social media managers should be able to quickly react to new trends, opportunities, or crises. Be flexible while using new opportunities, responding to a frustrated customer or an appreciative fan, and creating and implementing your long-term social marketing strategy. Social strategies have to be dynamic and flexible since the platforms are also dynamic. Experiment with different tactics and try to adapt to new opportunities, trends, or competitive forces.
Customers’ preferences for the content type on social media.
Summary
Social media has a huge growth potential for your product or service. The social media and its algorithms are rapidly changing and will continue to evolve in 2024. The ideal social media manager must possess a lot of different skills, including data-driven decision-making, mastering video content creation, excelling in community and crisis management, even knowledge in behavioral psychology, and staying updated on the latest trends in social media.
However, in many cases, one person can’t have all these skills. Social media automation tools can help you. AI-based social media management tools like Postus allow you to post on multiple platforms at once, generate and schedule posts, and be efficient in social media management.
Get started with Postus!
Frequently Asked Questions
Social media management skills have evolved considerably over the past few years. Social media managers to adapt and learn new skills, including content strategy and planning, data analytics and insights, graphic design, video content creation, customer service, community and crisis management, have SEO knowledge and implement a mobile-first approach. Social media automation tools like Postus can help you in small business social media management, posting on multiple platforms at once, and choosing the best time to post on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
As a social media manager, you need to be good at content strategy and planning, data analytics and insights, graphic design, video content creation, customer service, community and crisis management, and even behavioral psychology. Use social media automation tools like Postus to post on multiple platforms at once, generate and schedule posts, and save time for other tasks.
In social media management, a mobile-first approach means designing and formatting the content that looks great and functions well on mobile screens since most social media users use mobile devices to access social media. Marketers should differentiate mobile marketing content, specifically designing for smaller screens. When creating new content, start with the mobile version first, and then adapt it to larger screens. Social media automation tools like Postus can help you generate content using a mobile-first approach.
In social media marketing, community management means building a community around your brand and building a strong relationship with your audience by actively engaging with your followers, responding to questions, comments and messages, and fostering a positive online environment. First, prioritize incoming communications, and reply for top priorities first. Second, engage with loyal customers. Third, use social media automation tools to post on multiple platforms at once.
Set clear goals and KPIs, create compelling offers using discount or coupon codes, and encourage user-generated content that comes from your influencer’s audience. Personalize the collaborative relationship and let the influencers suggest the form or content of posts. Use social media automation tools like Postus to generate and schedule social media posts and be excellent in influencer collaboration.