Entering the Social Media Space
Social media is the one job that everyone has eyes on. Within a few quick clicks, a receipt of your work is available for all to see — that includes your boss, your grandma, and your ex-best friend.
In some ways, this is very glamorous. Your proudest accomplishments are on a pedestal. You have made a living off one thing everyone partakes in.
In others, it is very vulnerable. You are open to everyone’s critique. In a field that everyone feels proficient in, everyone has an opinion (oh, and one they can state without ever saying it to your face – lovely!).
The truth is, that social media is an art form. How do you know what is “right” vs. “wrong?” Who is the judge? And who’s to say you’re “good” at it? Enough to make it a full-time career?
Social Media Management is a hot, growing industry to be in, with an annual growth rate of about 25% a year (Markets and Markets Report). More and more companies are seeing the value of social media marketing and embarking on that avenue, oftentimes hiring teams full-time.
For us Gen-Zers, this is an opportunity we can capitalize on. Social Media Management is, arguably, one of the only fields of work where we have a competitive advantage over those older than us. Not only did we grow up alongside social media, but we hold 85% of social media’s buying power (Retail Dive). This means that we both know how to work the tools and we know what tools work – a skill other generations do not have as easily.
Since beginning my career in the field, I have had a lot of people reach out for tips on entering the space. I am flattered, but in full transparency, want to say that I never went into college with the social media industry in mind.
I entered college as a Journalism major and quickly knew I did not want to go into sports or news reporting, so I switched to Integrated Strategic Communications (a fancy phrase for Marketing) with a minor in Business.
I fell in love with Marketing. As a creative, I was fascinated by the fusion of copy and imagery that goes into a successful ad. As an empath, my mind was blown by the psychology behind making a customer FEEL something through your ad. Most of all, I loved seeing the measurable results you get through marketing, which is sales.
I had always prided myself on “posting whatever I wanted” on social media. In high school, I went for the “cool girl” “I-don’t-care-about-social-media” aesthetic, posting random photos on a whim unedited, like my toes hanging out the window of a car or my friend’s solo singing video because she wouldn’t post it herself.
In college, my personal social media account turned into more of a hobby for me. Taking photos and arranging them in eye-catching ways was a fun way for me to express myself. As I continued to learn about marketing, I made the connection that social media truly is one big advertisement for yourself. You show the highlights of your life, essentially, “selling” yourself to your viewers as to why they should follow you.
This is the first recommendation I give to those who want to enter the field. Treat your personal social media account like an ad for yourself. A portfolio, if you will.
A niche thing about the social media management industry is that it is more about what you can do than what you have learned in school (let’s be real, we know more about social media than our professors). All the tools are at your fingertips. Without a lofty internship, you can make a kick a** portfolio of what you would create for brands.
Even better, you can directly message or tag those brands with your work and they will see it.
THINK ABOUT TELLING THAT TO THE HUSTLERS OF THE 1900s. ONE CLICK AND YOUR DREAM BRAND SEES YOUR WORK!
In my junior year, I started making mock-feeds for brands. This began with a bone I had to pick with LoveShackFancy. I had seen countless influencers post at LoveShackFancy’s drool-worthy cottage in the Hamptons, having tea parties that were straight out of Pinterest. However, when I clicked on the @loveshackfancy Instagram account, there was no trace of such an event. They wouldn’t post ANYTHING!
If I hadn’t seen their handle, I would have believed their Instagram feed was Justice or Limited Too. I was appalled. LoveShackFancy’s relevancy, at least for me, began with these influencers selling their cottage-core brand and I thought they should capitalize on that.
I created a mildly harsh TikTok video expressing these thoughts and showing what I would do if I ran the LoveShackFancy Instagram account. This TikTok video gained some traction, and one of the commenters happened to be the Director of Marketing at LoveShackFancy. Within a few weeks, I was 21 with an interview with the LoveShackFancy team for their Social Media Manager role.
My point in saying this is that if you are interested in entering the world of social media, you can’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
Not only are you your biggest portfolio, but once you land the job, all eyes are on everything you are doing. Heck, sometimes your face is even on it! You cannot hide from your work, you have to own it and be proud of it.
Another takeaway from my crazy encounter with the LoveShackFancy team is how accessible everyone is through the power of social media. Do you want to reach the director of your department? It is just a few LinkedIn searches and a DM away.
We work in social media, therefore we live on it. My second tip I offer to those entering the space is to reach out directly.
In my junior year of college, I found Wonderkind on TikTok. Wonderkind is a design, social, and photography hub for food and beverage brands, run by an all-girl team in Austin, TX. I hadn’t known what I wanted to do with my life up until that point, but right then I knew this was IT.
I proceeded to DM every girl who worked there’s personal Instagram account expressing how obsessed with them I was and what I believed I could bring to the table for them.
This may or may not have landed me the internship, but at the bare minimum, the girls knew my name and knew I cared. Sometimes it just takes one extra step.
During my time at Wonderkind, I was very on top of food and beverage happenings in Austin. I came across a post from a girl who went to my high school at a food and beverage festival in Austin. Immediately my brain goes to – INDUSTRY CONNECTION!
While I had never actually talked to said girl, she was a senior when I was a freshman in high school and I had always followed her because she was just plain cool (we all have one of these girls, right?). I DM’d her on Instagram, making the connection that we both worked in the industry and left it at that.
Two months later, the girl reached back out and asked if I would want to meet her marketing team. We had a lovely virtual meeting. There were no open spots available at their company, and while I was honored they wanted to meet me, I didn’t think much of it beyond that.
One week later, her marketing team at Mom Water sent me an application for a Social Media Manager role and asked me to apply. I was GEEKED!
I have now been at Mom Water for almost a year. The girl was Sloane Swift, who is now my work bestie and a huge inspiration in my life.
You never know where that DM will take you!
These stories were big wins at the beginning of my career, but it is important to note that none of this was easy. There were many nights I stayed in in college perfecting my website/portfolio and applying for jobs. I went to the career center and befriended my teachers for help. I easily applied for 25+ jobs before landing ONE.
Extend yourself some grace. You do not need to have it all figured out right now.
Before rushing into any job, make sure you are passionate about it. Your job becomes the majority of how you spend your time, and if you don’t enjoy your job, you won’t enjoy your life.
If Social Media Management is something you feel passionate about, don’t give up on it. Many doors will be slammed in your face before one opens for you.
The point is to keep turning door handles. Keep gaining inspiration. Keep learning. Keep creating. Keep putting yourself out there. If you see a hole in the space, don’t be afraid to fill it (LoveShackFancy needed it….). There is plenty of room in this social media space.
