What It’s REALLY Like Being A Social Media Specialist

During my freshman year of college, I remember having a lot of anxiety over the fact that I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted and was afraid that I would graduate with a degree in a field that wasn’t going to make me happy. Around that time was when Instagram launched and I became obsessed with the app – seriously, I haven’t been this obsessed since the MySpace days! It came to a point where my friend said “Ruya, stop going on Instagram so much! No one’s going to pay you to go on there! You need to find a real career”.

Fast forward to today and I actually get paid to go on social media and create content and build a presence for companies. It’s crazy how a career in social media didn’t exist a few years ago and has now become an essential part of many businesses. Whenever I tell people that I work as a social media specialist, people will say things like “that sounds like a dream job!” (typically younger people will say that lol) or “that’s actually a career?!” (typically older people will say that ha!). Either way, people think that it’s an easy job and doesn’t require a lot of work. Here’s what being a social media specialist is really like:

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I T ‘ S  A  L O T  H A R D E R  T H A N  I T  L O O K S

Working in the social media industry requires having multiple skills in areas other than social media. A lot of times you need to be good at photography, copywriting, storytelling, design, and even having good manners! Social media is the “face and voice” of the company and you need to not only make it look good but establish a good message and talk to followers in the right way in order to keep them coming back for more. It can be a lot of pressure (especially if you’re the only one working on social media at your company) and one little mistake can potentially turn into a PR crisis and ruin the reputation of the company. I know it sounds dramatic, but it happens so you always have to be cautious and double-check everything before posting.

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T H E R E  I S  N O  S U C H  T H I N G  A S  A  T Y P I C A L  D A Y

One of the things that I love about working in this industry is how everyday can be so different and it’s never monotonous. Some days I come in and it’s a quiet day spent monitoring our followers, coming up with new ideas for a future campaign, and collaborating on future posts with photographers and graphic designers. Then there are the chaotic days that are spent with changing deadlines, coming up with new content last minute, or even live tweeting at a event filled with thousands of people. Personally I prefer to work this way since it makes things so much more exciting!

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C R E A T I V I T Y  I S  K E Y

While I’ve never been the kind of person that struggles when it comes to creativity, I’ll admit I find it tough to be creative 24/7 but that’s what working in this industry requires! Everyday deadlines can change especially if there’s a campaign or an event coming up and you’ll find your boss saying to you “Okay, we’re not doing that idea. Think of something else by 1pm!” and you realize that’s a half hour later and you need to think of something creative fast! While it’s challenging, I’ve learned that’s what makes it so exciting because you’re constantly pushing your own limit and being surprised with your own abilities.

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I F  Y O U  ‘ R E  N O T  A  G O O D  P L A N N E R,  T H I S  I S N ‘ T  F O R  Y O U

I think what shocks people is how organized and good at planning social media specialists really are!  Most companies will ask you to create a social media campaign and you’re going to have to decide how long it should be, what kinds of content it should involve, how frequently to post, how to measure, and what should happen in case it’s not successful. You’re constantly thinking about the future while simultaneously things are changing in the social media world and you have to keep up with that. If you don’t plan everything correctly then it could end up being a disaster so a lot of research and good planning can go a long way.

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T H E R E ‘ S  A  L O T  O F  C O O L  P E R K S

Okay, enough of the serious stuff. Being a social media specialist is an awesome title and you get tons of cool perks from it such as trying out new products before it’s released to the public, being able to attend events for free, using the latest technology, being able to meet incredible people, and lots more depending on the company that you work for!

For anyone that’s considering a career in the social media industry, I hoped this post helped! While a career in social media is still considered a “new” thing, it’s a lot of fun and excitement yet a rewarding career that gives you so many different skills. I’m still getting used to the fact that I love waking up for work in the mornings! Seriously, who says that especially at the age of 24?! I couldn’t be more grateful.

Thanks for reading,