9 Crucial Social Media Content Creation and Management Skills for Aspiring Social Media Marketers

In the dynamic realm of social media content creation and management skills, we’ve gathered insights from Digital Marketing Managers and Social Media Managers to uncover the essential experiences a candidate should exhibit. From mastering essential skills to using innovative and data-driven content strategies, explore the diverse perspectives of nine industry experts on what makes a Social Media Marketer stand out in the hiring process.

Want to get quoted in MarketerInterview.com content just like this? Apply to become a contributor today!

Essential Content Creation and Management Skills for Social Media Marketers

Hiring a Social Media Marketer requires a powerful combination of content creation and management skills, depending on your specific needs and brand. 

Content Creation: The ideal candidate should have a proven ability to create engaging, high-quality content across various platforms, including written and visual content. They should also know different content formats and storytelling techniques, possess SEO and keyword research skills and stay updated with social media trends and best practices. 

Social Media Management: A candidate must have strong social media strategy, tool management, community management, analytical skills, and paid advertising experience to track metrics and provide insights effectively. 

Additional Factors to Consider: Candidates should have industry experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively with other team members to effectively understand the target audience and competitive landscape.

Fahad Khan, Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India

Flexible Content Creators Are Prioritized

Social media marketers need to be jacks-of-all-trades with content creation and management skills, so I am looking for someone who can be nimble, flexible, and strategic. 

For content creation, this means leveraging trends in a smart and relevant way; for management, this means analyzing content to see what performed, what didn’t, and what changes were made as a result.

Kendra Lee, Social Media Manager, Urban Adventures Companies

Personalized Approach to Social Media

There isn’t a specific trait that works in every scenario. You’ll have to take a more ‘personalized’ approach here—what type of company are you running? Do you sell products or services? What social media channels are you currently targeting? Do you hope to target new social channels? And what do you expect from the social media marketer?

You’ll only be able to truly know who you’re looking for when you can answer these questions. In terms of the hiring process, social media marketers should show a high level of confidence when working on social platforms. 

They should be able to quickly answer questions regarding specific platforms that they specialize in—especially questions that relate to advertising, content creation, publishing, etc.

Joe Flanagan, Marketing Manager, Ukulele Tabs

Engagement and Content Creation Mastery

Content is king, but engagement is queen. Find a Social Media Marketer who crowns both content creation and management skills.

Let’s focus on the essentials for finding the perfect Social Media Marketer. Look for candidates with proven skills in:

    Compelling content creation: Engaging across platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) with diverse formats (text, images, videos) and audience understanding.

    Social media management magic: Scheduling, analyzing data, managing ads, and providing top-notch customer service. Bonus points for collaboration skills!

Beyond skills, seek someone who:

    Knows your audience and voice: They should tailor content and strategies like a chameleon blending in.

    Loves social media: Passion and curiosity keep them on top of trends and tools.

    Communicates clearly and creatively: Engaging storytelling and data-driven insights are a winning combo.

By focusing on these key areas, you will attract Social Media Marketers who can bring your brand to life and drive meaningful results.

Justin Cole, President and SEO Strategist, Tested Media

Storytelling That Engages and Connects

When hiring a Social Media Marketer who knows content creation and management skills, I look for a digital storyteller. I want someone who can make our brand shine with posts that grab attention. Creativity is key—I value unique ideas that make our content stand out. 

It’s not just about posting; it’s about creating an online experience. They should know how to use social media tools and understand what the numbers mean. 

I admire someone who doesn’t just follow trends but can predict what’s coming next. In a nutshell, I’m after a storyteller who can make our social media special and keep our audience hooked.

Cyrus Partow, CEO, ShipTheDeal

Versatile Content Creation and Strategic Management

From my experience, a Social Media Marketer should have versatile content creation and management skills, ranging from writing engaging posts to creating eye-catching visuals and videos. For example, when working with social media campaigns, I’ve found that using video marketing, like we did for our YouTube campaign, significantly increased our business exposure.

They need to show proven experience in managing social media platforms effectively. In my work, I emphasize not only gaining followers but also fostering meaningful engagement through strategic content creation and timely interaction with the audience.

They should also show the ability to measure and analyze social media performance. During my time at The MBC Group, we placed great importance on tracking key metrics such as engagement rates, reach, and conversions to continually refine our strategies. 

An understanding of SEO principles and how they apply to social media is also essential, as is evident from the SEO-focused campaigns I’ve worked on. Understanding privacy and security concerns is also key, as demonstrated when I addressed the Cambridge Analytica social media data usage scandal with my team.

The ideal candidate would possess a mix of creativity, analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and a keen awareness of the latest digital trends to keep the content fresh and relevant.

Matthew Montez, Founder, The MBC Group

Diverse Content Experience and Proven Success

When hiring a Social Media Marketer, they must have a diverse range of experience content creation and management skills tailored to different platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Understanding each platform’s unique characteristics and audience is crucial to content creation. For example, Instagram relies heavily on visuals, while Twitter thrives on snappy text and conversation.

As the former CEO of Grooveshark, I witnessed firsthand the importance of an effective social media strategy. The efficiency of our marketing tactics made all the difference in our growth, resulting in a user base jump from 2,000 daily users to over 5,000 users within a week.

In addition to the aforementioned, social listening skills, data analysis capabilities, and experience running successful ad campaigns are all important. The potential hire should be able to substantiate their expertise with concrete data, such as increased follower counts, improved engagement rates, or conversions from their past campaigns.

Last, a good social media marketer should have experience in content creation and management skills in online communities. They should understand how to nurture, engage, and grow an online audience, as well as how to leverage their relationships with influencers or other relevant personalities within your industry for promotional purposes.

In a nutshell, hands-on experience backed by successful case studies is what you should look for.

Sam Tarantino, Founder, Harmonic Reach

Quick Content Creation With Canva Expertise

It might surprise you, but when I was hiring a social media marketer, I wasn’t looking for someone with graphic design experience. Traditional graphic designers can take too long to produce content. I was looking for someone who could create content quickly. 

That’s why I looked for Canva experience. A Canva whiz is worth its weight in gold. Social media is a fast-moving world, and I need someone who can whip up a graphic in just a few minutes.

The other content creation and management skills I looked for are that they independently started and grew a social media following. Someone who has grown a meme or aesthetics account on Instagram, even just to a few thousand followers, knows what they’re doing. I’d be confident in their ability to contribute from day one.

Jon Elordi, Director of Marketing, Main Street Rank

Innovative and Data-Driven Content Strategies

When hiring a Social Media Marketer, I look for someone who has gone beyond typical content creation and management skills. They should have hands-on experience with emerging formats—think AR campaigns, innovative use of memes, or interactive polls. 

I value candidates who have proven they can leverage data insights for content optimization and who have successfully managed niche community engagements or viral campaigns. Essentially, someone who has shown they can both follow and set trends, keeping a brand consistently ahead of the curve.

Gillian Perkins, CEO, Startup Society

Want to get quoted in MarketerInterview.com content just like this? Apply to become a contributor today!