Why learn social media marketing?

If you are looking to start a business, work in advertising, or build your own personal brand identity online, you are going to want to spend some time learning about social media marketing. Social media platforms are some of the most visited websites on the internet, with only search engines regularly outperforming them, and many users primarily engage with the internet as a tool for accessing social media. Thus, if you want to advertise online, you are going to want to learn the finer points of building and executing a social media marketing strategy.

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Social media marketing is a thriving industry

As social media platforms remain a constant factor in our daily lives, it’s no surprise businesses are heavily invested in this growing industry and utilizing the space to connect with their customers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates the demand for those in marketing-focused roles to increase at about a 6% rate from 2022 to 2032, creating more opportunities than ever for professionals who understand how to use these platforms. In addition to taking a social media marketing certificate course, there are some practices you can adopt to build your skills and stand out from others in the field. 

• Create and post your own content on different platforms to practice writing captions and using hashtags
• Keep track of your personal analytics to get a feel for measuring performance 
• Follow a variety of content creators to stay on top of new trends or updates
• Learn to use free tools like Canva, as well as industry-standard ones, for a well-rounded set of skills

Learn useful, in-demand skills

Social media marketing skills are versatile skills that are used in a wide range of professional and personal projects, and they are excellent primary and secondary skills. This means that whether you are focusing on social media marketing as a career or using it to supplement other skills (either in marketing or in another field), you stand to benefit from even a small amount of dedicated training.

Social media marketing experts are in high demand as more and more companies realize the value of paying a dedicated team of professionals to handle their online presence. What was once imagined to be the work of a single intern is now the responsibility of a team of professionals with budgets in excess of millions of dollars (depending on the size of the company). Thus, learning how to work as a social media manager is actually a gateway to a high-paying, in-demand career. For example, an advertising and promotions manager can expect an annual salary of nearly $128,000. While starting salaries are likely to be lower than this, and they will vary between regions, it is indicative of the kinds of salaries you can hope to make as a professional social media marketer.

Social media marketing is also a great skill to learn if you are hoping to build your own brand identity online or launch your own product/business. This is because it is among the most accessible kinds of online marketing, with most advertising tools and platforms being free for users (and many being free for businesses). Social media marketing is also an important skill to learn if you want to build a professional following, regardless of what it is you are hoping to do. For example, if you are a content creator, you can use Facebook and TikTok to help increase the reach of your content and engage with your audiences. Likewise, if you are starting a boutique make-up business, learning how to advertise through Instagram can pay dividends almost immediately.

Find work in a range of industries

One of the best parts of learning social media marketing is that it is a very versatile skill that also has a lot of different professional applications once you become accustomed to the basics. Almost every commercial and consumer-facing industry aims to take advantage of online advertising, and social media marketing has a very low barrier of entry since all you’ll need to do is sign up for a web service.

The most straightforward case of an industry embracing social media marketing is the retail and commercial sales industry. You can’t go to a website anymore without seeing tons of ads for various products, including those advertised on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These are fairly traditional advertising strategies, with professionals creating content for the online space and attempting to generate organic and sustained engagement for their clients. In addition, these companies also have social media managers who treat their various social media accounts as an arm of the advertising industry, such as the Tony the Tiger X (formerly Twitter) account or a Facebook profile for a specific meal box delivery service. 

In addition to traditional advertising, there is also a wide range of creative fields, from graphic design to online content creation, that use social media as a primary tool of their advertising budget. If you want to work at a small comedy studio making online videos, you can learn how to use TikTok to more effectively spread your short-form content to draw viewers toward your longer content. If you are working as part of a creative enterprise, you may use Instagram to work with influencers and content creators with the aim of extending the reach of your product and marketing. Even public institutions like theaters, museums, and government agencies have social media accounts that they use to communicate with constituents and potential visitors.

Social media also plays a major role in political campaigning and activism. If you are looking to affect change in your area or engage in some rhetorically persuasive electioneering, social media is an important avenue to consider, given how many people primarily engage with it to get their news and updates on the happenings in their area. This is also why traditional news media outlets have begun to increase their social media presence since more people are likely to see a hit Tweet than they are to watch the evening news.