As a Social Media Manager, you understand that using social channels to drive sales and engage with your client’s target audience to build positive relationships is an integral part of any good marketing and communications strategy in today’s market.
But are you able to explain to leadership the value of having a strong social media presence in a clear and concise way? Or, can you build and execute an effective social campaign from the ground up? The right social media training can help you learn how to create strong strategies while also teaching you how to communicate why both your work and your role matter when speaking to clients or leadership.
When considering whether or not you should invest in social media training for yourself or your team consider this:
Social Media Is Constantly Evolving, And So Should You – Whether you’re a young professional or a seasoned veteran, to stay at the top of your game you need to keep up with emerging social media platforms, new platform functions, industry news, and more. Social media and marketing conferences are typically aimed at networking and big picture thinking, while internships can leave out the professional development you need to manage accounts and leadership. YouTube can be a great resource but you don’t always know if the person you’re getting information from is actually a Subject Matter Expert or if the results they mention are actually real. All of the typical training options SMMs use to stay abreast of the latest social media news and information leave a lot of grey areas for your professional development. Social media training ensures that you’re being educated in the most recent social media best practices by an expert in the field, leading to better social overall and thus, opportunities for career advancement.
Building An Effective Game Plan Is The Key – On the surface, the key to excelling on social media may appear as simple as posting frequently to be seen on a platform as often as possible, however, no successful social media account got there without a plan. Learning to create a social strategy with expert social media training teaches you how to boost engagement on the platform, build brand awareness, how to ensure that your social media platforms are built to impact business and communications goals and what to look for in the analytics in order to improve your approach.
Credibility Means Everything – Social Media Managers are often just one person within a larger team, requiring you to be the social media expert in the room. It’s your job to sell your clients or leadership (or both!) on the social strategy, and often that means getting them to buy into something they don’t fully understand. Being knowledgeable of the subject matter gives you the credibility to make necessary recommendations that could make or break your campaign, advertising budget, or social media program overall.
Are you a Social Media Manager interested in getting social media education while also gaining a strategic partner? Click here to find out more about OSM’s social media membership group for Social Media Managers, October University.