Social Media Manager

In today’s digital age, companies all around the world are taking social media very seriously. That’s because social media channels offer an excellent opportunity for companies to connect with and market their services to their specific target audience.

However, it can be hard for a large organization to maintain their presence on social media. That’s where remote social media managers come in.

They work in close association with people in the company’s marketing department and help fulfill core business objectives and KPIs.

Social media marketing managers help companies reach new customer segments, and acquire more business. In other words, they have become invaluable assets to a company. As such, they are usually paid very well!

Without further ado, let’s learn more about how you can build a career for yourself as a remote social media marketing manager.

What Is a Remote Social Media Manager?

First things first (Cue drum roll!)

Let’s get you familiar with the duties of a social media manager.

By definition, a social media manager is someone who oversees the company’s social media profile pages.

This job can include overseeing the company’s Facebook pages, Instagram pages, and/or managing their LinkedIn pages.

A social media manager is responsible for coming up with content that resonates with the target audience. What’s more, he or she also analyses engagement data to identify common patterns of customer interactions.

In addition, the social media manager is also responsible for planning out digital campaigns to build communities online. If needed the social media manager also provides briefs on creative design and responds to reader comments on posted content via company pages.

How to Become a Remote Social Media Manager

To become a remote social media manager, there are two key parts to understand.

You need to develop the right skillset
You need to pitch your services and get adequate job experience under your belt.

If you already have the right skillset, go read this first.

The skillsets you will need to work as a social media manager include the following:

Time management skills
Organizational skills
Market Research skills
Copywriting
Basic Graphic Design Skill
Able to use or learn Canva
Able to use or learn video marketing tools such as Pictory, Vidnami
First-hand experience working with digital marketing tools such as Buzzsumo
Experience using a content scheduling tool like Buffer, Hootsuite etc.
Analytical skills

Now that you know what skills are needed to kickstart your career as a social media manager, the next bit that you need to know is how to acquire these skills.

Here is what you need to do:

Go to Youtube, and start learning these skills.

Another excellent way to pick up a social media manager’s skill set is by purchasing and doing the courses on Udemy.

Skillshare and Lynda are other great options that can help you prepare yourself for your future dream job as a social media manager.

Nice to Haves: Paid Media Experience

As a social media manager, you are responsible for overseeing digital marketing campaigns.

You can basically help a company grow in two ways.

Creative organic content
Creative paid ads

So, if you go the extra mile, and learn the ins and outs of how to run paid ads, you become an invaluable asset for your future company.

Justin Brooke’s AdSkills Core program is great for this. It only costs 10$ per month and gives you a high-level overview of everything to get started with managing paid ads for your company.

How Common Is a Remote Social Media Manager Amongst Digital Nomads?

Working as a remote social media manager is a pretty popular choice among digital nomads.

For starters, remote digital nomads are paid handsomely, and you don’t need a whole lot of experience to get started.

If you have a stable internet connection and a half-decent laptop (Of course, it’s important that social media networks do not crash worldwide!), you can work as a social media manager from virtually anywhere at any time.

What Are Some Skills a Remote Social Media Manager Needs?

Working as a social media manager means the remote social media marketing person has to wear many hats.

Frequently, a social media marketing manager has to create company graphics using tools such as Canva, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

In addition, social media marketing managers today also need to be able to approach their work with empathy.

While managing the company page, the social media manager will encounter all kinds of people.

As the company rep, the social media manager needs to be wary that they are representing the company that they work for.

And they need to interact with customers from a place of empathy and consideration and help build a positive brand image.

Last but not the least, the social media marketer also needs to be familiar with various social media marketing tools.

For example, a social media manager overseeing a company’s Instagram handle will need to be familiar with social media content scheduling tools like Hootsuite, Buffer etc.

They also need to be able to use hashtag research tools.

Finally, but maybe most importantly, social media managers need to be team players and be able to collaborate with other company employees.

What Training and Experience Are Needed to Be a Remote Social Media Manager?

A social media manager needs to be familiar with basic design tools such as Canva.

They need to have a track record of helping a business generate leads and a positive brand image through social media.

In addition, a social media manager is someone who oversees company pages.

Sometimes customers will reach out to contact a company rep on their social media handles.

In those instances, the social media manager needs to interact with the customers from a place of empathy and understanding, and offer them any help they may need.

Where Do You Find Clients as a Remote Social Media Manager?

Finding a remote social media manager job isn’t difficult. In fact, there’s an abundance of opportunities for remote social media manager roles.

Sites such as Upwork and Fiverr offer you ample opportunities to work as a remote social media manager.

Also, be sure to check out other sites like Freelancer.com and People per hour

If you create a compelling profile with an attractive portfolio, then there’s a good chance that you are going to land a job soon or later.

In addition, go to Facebook groups and search for prospects.

Get connected with coaches who are using social media to market their business, and offer to manage their pages for a flat fee.

This can free up their time and allow them to direct their efforts in scaling their business.

How Much Can a Remote Social Media Manager Make?

According to Sendible, the pay scale for remote social media managers can be broken down into three distinct categories:

Entry-level social media marketing managers: These people have around 0-5 years of experience doing this kind of work, and earn around $42,000 per year.
Mid-career social media marketing managers are veterans in their field. They are great at what they do, and they take home $58,000 per year.
Experienced social media marketing managers: Last but not the least, we have the expert category. These people have over 10 years of experience in the industry, which is a lot for a social media manager. They can earn upwards of $62,000 per year.

However, if you are landing jobs through freelance marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr, it’s very likely that you are going to earn a lot less.

It should also be mentioned that the payscale can vary greatly depending on where you are from.

Where Do I Start in Order to Become a Remote Social Media Manager?

There are actually quite a few ways you can go about starting a career as a social media manager.

Rachel Pederson has an entire masterclass dedicated to helping you master the skills needed to get started as a social media manager.

You can check out her work here.

Another great influencer in the remote social media manager space would be Hira Usama.

Other than that, if you have the skills under your belt you can start cold emailing companies that are in your niche (If you have one of course!)

If you check a company page on Facebook, you can actually figure out if they have anyone managing their page.

If they don’t, you can go to their website, get their email using a tool such as Hunter.io, and send them a tantalizing offer to grow their social media presence and generate more business for them.

Other than that, other sites you will want to check out include:

And of course you can search our digital nomad jobs board on this platform.

Last but not the least, take active steps to build out your professional network and portfolio. If you are truly serious about a career as a remote social media manager, you may want to offer your services for free at the beginning of your journey. Doing so will give you great returns later down the line.

Social Media Manager Conclusion

Working as a social media manager can offer you the freedom to work remotely and travel the world. It is our hope that this guide plays a pivotal role in helping you get started as a remote social media manager! With the right attitude and focus, you are bound to shine in the remote social media manager space!