6 Skills Top Social Media Managers Will Need in 2016

It is a fact that social media managers need a variety of skills to get the job done. This fast paced and ever changing role requires evolving skills every year.

Here are six skills it will benefit a social media marketing manager to develop throughout 2016.

Videography

Video content exploded in 2015, and that trend will continue throughout 2016. Facebook doubled its views from 4 billion to 8 billion, while Snapchat tripled from 2 billion to 6 billion. Periscope also hit the scene, offering a live streaming service for the older, and more professional demographic. YouTube, Vine and Instagram all require videography skills as well.

Social media managers, however, do not need to shoot the highest quality videos or study all available editing tools. They should have a good understanding of social video trends and how the trends are different in each social video platform. They know exactly how different videos and CTAs will make their brands success on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Snapchat.

Budget Management

It’s a given that social media managers need to know how to use advertising tools - but many do not come into the job with the skills required to manage a budget. With predictions that social media ad spending will reach $35.98 billion by 2017, that is a lot of money in their hands. Strong budgeting skills will ensure this money goes exactly where it can make the largest return on investment.

Analytics

While likes and follows are great, in order for a business to thrive, it requires a social media manager who understands how to use tools like Salesforce to track leads and revenue from various streams of customers. Knowing how to track exactly which tweet or Facebook update created the most revenue during a specific campaign will create valuable insight into what is and is not working in your content strategy.

Customer Service Skills

Considering 72 percent of customers who complain to a brand on social media expect a response within an hour, social media managers must have highly tuned customer service skills.

Knowing the importance of a fast response, making it a priority, and using the correct tone with customers will go a long way in building customer trust and loyalty.

Content Curation

For brands that do not have a variety of physical products to promote, content creation can sometimes take a backseat in favor of content curation. Being able to source unique and interesting content from customers and around the web continues to be a crucial skill for social media managers in 2016.

Project Management

The wide variety of skills required to be a social media manager means they also need to be a skilled project manager, in order to keep everything on schedule. Every new campaign will feature multiple elements that require oversight to see through. Knowing when to automate or prioritize a task, always being able to justify the budget, and explaining exactly how social media contributes to overall business growth are vital to social media management success.

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Another point that we haven't listed as a skill but is also very vital for social media managers is to know the best social media tools available for their jobs. Social media managers don't have to know or do everything themselves, but they should know the best available tools out there that meet their needs and budgets. For social media moderation, for example, social media managers don't need to go through comments removing harmful content themselves or monitor their feeds 24/7 for social media crisis, but they can employ a moderation solution for this.

By increasing their knowledge and experience with these skills, social media marketing managers will be in a strong position to elevate their brands reach and revenue in 2016.