If you are looking to learn how to become a social media manager in 2025 and beyond, this is the only blog post you need to read.
First things first. Let’s talk about the role of a social media manager.
The role of a social media manager can vary from business to business, but it mostly comprises creating and publishing content.
Content can also vary, from images to designs, videos, occasionally blog posts and email newsletters.
As a social media manager, you’ll be doing a lot of the following:
🚀 Creating engaging content that aligns with the brand’s messaging
🚀 Planning and implementing a content strategy that drives the brand’s business goals
🚀 Interacting with the brand’s audience and building a thriving online community through discussions and interactions
🚀 Expanding your client’s reach and engagement with paid advertising and analyzing the performance of your content
And so many more.
The job can be a lot some times, but as I said, it varies from business to business.
Here’s a step by step guide on how to become a social media manager in 2025 and beyond
STEP 1
Decide if you want to go the freelance way or the corporate way
Deciding between becoming a freelance social media manager or working in a corporate setting involves evaluating your personal preferences, career goals, and work style.
I’ve had a bit of both, although now, I’m working in freelance fulltime with the hopes of building a fully functioning creative business.
Life in corporate was pretty interesting but it was totally not for me.
Hence my decision to go freelance, fulltime.
What I like about freelancing is the flexibility.
I enjoy flexible work hours and the ability to choose who I want to work for which is sort of a big deal in this industry.
So if that is something that you desire, you may want to do freelance.
Also, I love the exposure that I have gotten on a variety of industries and projects.
And that is one great thing about working freelance. You get to develop your skills rapidly through diverse experiences and you can build your personal brand and portfolio.
Another interesting thing about being a freelancer is that you can turn it into a fully functioning business that makes money for you on autopilot without your direct input.
So, if you are a self-motivated, disciplined person who enjoys working independently in dynamic environments, then freelancing is for you.
But the pros of working in corporate are very juicy.
For example, steady paycheck and benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.
Although, I didn’t enjoy those things when I worked in corporate because I didn’t stay long enough to enjoy them.
In corporate, you get to work in a structured environment right with clear expectations. You have access to training programs and resources, and your expenses are basically covered.
If you are someone that prefers working in structured environments with clear guidelines and enjoy teamwork and collaborative projects, and all those things that come with working in corporate, then corporate is for you.
Step 2
Niche Down
Do niches matter? That’s the question in the mouths of many content creators and online business enthusiasts these days.
In my opinion, I think they do.
It is important as someone who wants to become a social media manager in 2025 and beyond to have a niche they are mostly good at.
Here is my recommendation.
If you have been working in a corporate organization for a number of years, when you are taking up social media management, let it be in that space or field.
This decision will really set you apart from other social media managers who have no prior knowledge of that field.
You will be able to provide your clients with quality work and a greater understanding of what they need.
You’ll understand the industry, the audience, the pros and cons, and what have you.
You will be offering something your competitors cannot, and therefore, attract your ideal clients.
You basically don’t have to do crazy research all the time.
Step 3
Learn everything you can
I remember being the go-to girl for all things social media during my uni days.
When Facebook was still the reigning champion, you would find me there every hour.
I would teach my friends how to edit their pictures with Picsart, how to colour-grade their photos and stuff.
When Twitter came out, I was the first person in my friend group to master it, and I’d teach them how to use it.
I explained the abbreviations and the Twitter slangs to them as well.
When Instagram became popular, I taught a couple of them how to upload, use hashtags, and so on.
Eventually, graduated from school and a few years down the line, it would become a career for me.
But when I started to do it professionally, I realized that using social media for fun was totally different from social media for business.
There were lots of gaps in my knowledge, I didn’t know the first thing about creating business pages.
So I started to attend training, workshops, and seminars that were useful in that area.
I also did a 4-day crash-course on digital marketing.
This was way before COVID so physical training were very popular, also I didn’t have any money to pay for courses yet.
Skillshare was very instrumental to my journey because they were offering free courses at that time.
Although things are different now, it’s pretty easy to take courses from the comfort of your home.
So earn all that you can learn, like all the other skills that come with social media management (like web development, content/copywriting, graphics design, and so on).
Learn how to use the different social media management tools like Meta, Buffer, Hootsuite, Planoly. Including project management tools like Asana, Trello, Notion, Airtable, etc.
Step 4
Learn the Ropes of the Business
I mentioned at the beginning that you need to first decide if you want to be a freelancer or work in corporate.
If you are doing freelance with the intention of turning it into a full-fledged business, you need to understand one thing.
Becoming an expert in social media is different from running a social media management business.
Let me explain what I mean.
When you are on social media, you’re probably having fun and connecting with friends or you’re posting content to get followers and other forms of engagaments.
But when you are in the social media management business, you are a business owner and you must ensure that the business doesn’t flop.
So learn how to create offerings, learn how to create products and set your pricing structures.
Learn all the important stuff that comes with running a business, like setting up systems and structures, book keeping and budgeting, business planning and financial projections, everything you can get your hands on because you’ll need them.
Consider learning how to draw up contracts, handle payments, create automations, templates, content calendars, spreadsheets, welcome packets, and so on.
Step 5
Set Up your Online Presence
So now that you have made the decision, come up with your business names.
It is important that your business is registered appropriately, and that you get all those legal stuff done before going ahead with anything.
Then set up your social media presence, it’s also important to do this quickly so that you can secure those names before they get taken.
This is a good time to build a website for your business, and when you do, ensure that you are driving traffic to it with your blog.
RELATED: Before Building a Website Do These 6 Things
Now you are going to be using your account as ‘practise’ and I love to call them ‘Practise accounts’
They are so-called because you will be using these accounts to practise all that you have learnt and are learning.
When you start to work on these practise accounts, make sure that you document what works and what doesn’t.
Create your own social media strategy and execute it.
Create templates, try them out, tweak and repeat.
Also, learn how to use the necessary social media management tools, this is the testing ground for you.
Ensure that you create a social media workflow that is reproducible.
Create SOPs too for future purposes.
Step 6
Determine your Rates and Packages
Coming up with a pricing plan for your social media management can be a little bit tricky.
This is because you’ll want to make sure that you are not being too expensive or too cheap.
I made a YouTube video about it, check it out below
Step 7
Get Clients
You are now putting yourself out there and it can be really scary.
Reach out first to people in your network who you know can be gracious enough to give you their business.
Once you have these first few clients, use the job to build credibility and build your portfolio.
Use them as testimonials and samples of your work.
Use your website as a client magnet and consistently provide value on your social media platforms.
Make sure you keep exceeding clients’ expectations.