In the present age of digitalisation, the world is indeed reduced to an incredibly smaller place with businesses being able to reach and engage customers in any part of the world. The advent of social media has provided the much-needed impetus to these efforts and businesses are no longer far removed from the customers that make them.

We know there is definitely something very positive about Social Media Marketing, if done responsibly. Social media is among the fastest growing fields of digital marketing; it builds and nurtures lasting relationships between businesses and consumers. To tap into the potential of social media, today companies do not shy away from hiring social media strategists to plan online media outreach campaigns for them. Responsibilities of a social media strategist Social media strategists are experts who have great insights on managing online communities.

They also have the right to know how and understanding required for identifying target users who may genuinely be interested in a product or service. Accordingly, they make the best of their expertise to chalk out ways to reach those users and convert them into loyal consumers. They develop paid and non-paid social media and content strategies that aim at helping the client’s business grow through popular online and social channels. The primary aim of a social media strategist is to get customers talking about the business or organisation they are promoting. They are often required to come up with promotional contests and deals even when they are seeking more likes on the business’ Facebook page. A social media strategist works in close coordination with the digital marketing head to ensure they are on the same page when implementing the overall online marketing plan for the business or organisation.

Here’s a look at the career opportunities you can opt for when you are looking for the role of a social media strategist.

Social Media Executive: This is usually an entry-level position in any domain where social media marketing holds the key. An experience of 1 to 2 years is enough to be eligible for this role. He must have good knowledge of various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. The prerequisite for a person taking this role is that he must have good oral and written communication skills. He is also required to conceptualise engagement-driven social media posts keeping the social media targets in mind.

Business Social Media Manager: A social media manager is usually a digital marketing professional and is required to oversee all social media accounts of the company, ensuring they have up-to-date content. If it’s a manufacturing company, he will be required to stay in close association with the product development and marketing teams to create a social buzz before the products are introduced in the market. He also has the responsibility of preparing weekly and monthly reports on ROI and web traffic.

Celebrity Social Media Strategist: In the world of cinema, sports and other fields where certain personalities have attained celebrity status owing to their good work in their respective areas, social media strategists perform the role of building or maintaining the image of these celebrities. The need may arise if a famous personality is not tech-savvy enough to update his social media accounts on his own or is too busy with his engagements. Social media strategists for film and sport celebrities are responsible for creating everyday posts highlighting their social and work-related engagements, achievements and everything else that deserves a highlight in the media.

Political Social Media Strategist: A political media strategist needs to have a good understanding of the inner working of political campaigns, which will help him strategise their campaign platform and provide the right publicity to the party he is campaigning for. He is responsible for managing the digital aspects of every candidate they run campaigns for. In this role, he will be responsible for the public relations side of the campaign, which will involve creating and posting social media content and writing speeches. A strategist will have to evaluate polling trends and associated demographics to come up with effective messages for every campaign he handles. The content he creates for a politician/party/political campaign must resonate with the social media followers and voters.

To become a political media strategist, a bachelor degree in media and communications or marketing is good to have. The person must have exceptional political acumen and excellent communication skills. Sound technical abilities are a plus for they will help the strategist arrive at accurate reports that give a fair idea of the efficacy of each campaign. The role of social media strategist is a highly intellectual one and requires sound knowledge backed by a strong acumen for understanding the modus operandi of social media. If you nail it, nothing stops you for soaring high and attaining a formidable position in your career. Good luck!

The writer is social media political strategist and director, Design Boxed