A career worth a million likes

Ever wonder why something becomes a trend on social media? Why do certain posts, videos, photos or tweets get millions of likes and are shared so much that they go ‘viral’ and others don’t? It’s largely because of the work of those who manage the show on social media platforms. Call them social media manager, specialist, coordinator or planner, it’s because of their content creation, strategy and promotions on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and Snapchat that drive them up the social media chart. But what does it really take to work and manage social media?

Content is king

Since this is a relatively new industry, there are no prerequisite academic qualifications as such to make a career in social media. But it goes without saying that one has to be familiar and comfortable with multiple social media platforms. The other key thing to know is that one can either join a company’s in-house social media team, or work with an agency that manages the social media affairs of multiple organisations and brands. Irrespective, if you are managing content for a brand, it’s imperative to have writing and research skills. A content strategist is expected to research extremely well about a brand and its competitors. “Being updated about international trends, economic trends, pop culture, politics and so on is extremely important. All of these can affect a brand,” says Shreyasi Ghosh, who works as a social media content strategist at Mullen Lowe Lintas Group. A job in social media management also requires a lot of communication skills, understanding the client’s objectives, coming up with ideas and reading a lot.

Social media marketing

Simply put, social media marketing is a platform where there’s two-way communication, where companies — be it an automobile manufacturer or a beauty product firm — get a chance to directly interact with the audience and get feedback.

Social media is the cheapest medium to reach the masses, and so it is paramount to recognise the strengths of each social media platform. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, each of them works differently.

Dipti Doshi, co-founder of Idea Hub, a full-service advertising agency, had enrolled for a two-day course during which she got some insights into how social media functions. “You can sign up for such courses, but every few months, Facebook changes its integration. As a result, what you learnt then may not necessarily apply today. For instance, Instagram was earlier only about posting pictures, but it now has an option to post stories. So how can this feature be used for a client, how will this impact the brand positively and how can I rely on it... all this is something one needs to figure out,” adds Doshi.

BE YOUR OWN BOSS

• If you have a few years of experience in social media management, you can consider being a freelance consultant.
   
• “It is essential to love the Internet and live the Internet,” says Meghna Shah, an independent social media consultant. “Accepting every new fad and every new platform with open arms is also a basic requirement (to be relevant in the social media space).”