7 Skills You Need to Become a Great Social Media Manager

Social-media May 20, 2025 By Pulzzy Team
7 Skills You Need to Become a Great Social Media Manager

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why Social Media Managers Matter More Than Ever

In today's digital-first world, social media isn't just about posting memes or going viral—it's a vital piece of any marketing strategy. According to Statista, over 5 billion people will use social media by the end of 2025, making it one of the most powerful channels for reaching and engaging an audience.

This makes the role of a social media manager (SMM) incredibly important—and competitive. To stand out and succeed, you need a combination of hard and soft skills, a solid understanding of each platform, and the ability to adapt quickly. This guide breaks down 7 essential skills every top-tier SMM must master.

1. Strategic Thinking and Planning

Let’s be clear—great content without strategy is wasted effort.

Social media managers must know how to plan campaigns that align with business goals. This means setting measurable objectives (like brand awareness, engagement, or conversions), identifying target audiences, and selecting the right platforms and formats.

A good social media strategy should include:

  • Content themes and pillars

  • Posting schedules

  • Campaign goals (SMART format)

  • KPIs to measure success

Example Strategy Planning Tool:

Tool Key Use
Notion Editorial calendars, goal tracking
Trello Workflow visualization
Pulzzy Social campaign planning + scheduling
Google Sheets Budget and content matrix planning

According to HubSpot, 72% of marketers who set clear goals and strategies reported improved ROI in 2024. That tells you just how crucial strategic planning really is.

2. Content Creation & Copywriting Skills

If you can’t create scroll-stopping content, you're lost in the noise.

Content creation involves much more than taking a nice photo or writing a catchy caption. It means understanding your brand’s voice, knowing what works on each platform, and writing to engage, not just inform.

What You Need to Master:

  • Writing short-form, engaging copy (think: TikTok, Instagram captions)

  • Basic design skills using Canva or Adobe Express

  • Knowledge of trending formats (Reels, Stories, carousels)

  • Understanding video basics (editing, subtitles, timing)

Helpful Tools for Content Creation:

Tool Purpose
Canva Graphics and templates
CapCut Video editing for Reels/TikToks
Grammarly Clean, mistake-free captions
Pulzzy AI Content Studio Caption + visual templates

Pro Tip: Use AI to speed up ideation. Platforms like Pulzzy now offer AI-powered templates that help you generate relevant and platform-specific content, especially useful when you’re creatively stuck.

3. Analytics and Data Interpretation

You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you must understand numbers.

Analytics is where you prove ROI. Social media managers need to know how to read platform insights, track KPIs like engagement rate, reach, and conversion—and then act on that data to improve results.

Important Metrics to Know:

Metric Why It Matters
Engagement Rate Measures content relevance
Reach & Impressions Shows how far your content travels
Click-Through Rate Indicates effectiveness of CTA
Follower Growth Reflects content and brand traction

Tools to Use:

  • Native insights (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)

  • Google Analytics

  • Metricool for multi-platform views

  • Pulzzy for simplified reporting across platforms

According to Sprout Social, over 60% of social marketers say they struggle to tie social metrics to actual business outcomes—yet those who can, get 1.6x more budget approval.

4. Community Engagement and Customer Service

A great social media manager isn’t just a broadcaster—they’re also a listener and problem-solver. Today’s consumers expect brands to engage like people, not corporations. According to Zendesk, 76% of customers expect a response on social media within 24 hours, and 50% expect it within 1 hour.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Responding promptly to comments, questions, and messages

  • Handling customer complaints with professionalism and empathy

  • Escalating issues internally when necessary (e.g., product problems)

  • Creating engagement campaigns like polls, Q&As, and giveaways

  • Monitoring brand mentions and managing reputation

Tools to Help:

Tool Functionality
Pulzzy Unified inbox for real-time engagement
Sprout Social Smart Inbox and sentiment analysis
Brand24 Real-time mention monitoring

Tip:

Set up response templates for common questions but personalize your replies. Also, track response time and satisfaction using built-in platform analytics or third-party CRM integrations.

5. Platform Expertise and Trend Awareness

Each social platform has a unique audience, format, and algorithm—and these elements change frequently. As a social media manager, you must stay current or risk irrelevance.

What You Need to Track:

  • Algorithm changes (e.g., Instagram favoring Reels)

  • New features (like LinkedIn newsletters or TikTok Search Ads)

  • Audience behavior shifts (e.g., Gen Z moving to BeReal)

  • Trending content formats (memes, carousel posts, 9:16 videos)

Reliable Resources for Updates:

Comparative Table: Format Performance by Platform (2025)

Platform Best Format (2025) Engagement Boost (%)
Instagram Reels + Carousels +32%
TikTok Storytelling Short Videos +41%
LinkedIn Personal Success Stories +25%
X (Twitter) Text + Threads + Visuals +18%

Understanding each platform deeply lets you tailor content contextually, which can dramatically boost performance.

6. Project Management and Collaboration

Managing social media is not just posting memes—it’s complex project coordination. You’re juggling campaigns, promotions, product launches, and sometimes international teams.

Core Tasks Include:

  • Planning content calendars

  • Managing creative assets and working with designers/copywriters

  • Coordinating approvals and feedback loops

  • Tracking deadlines and performance checkpoints

Tools You Should Be Comfortable With:

Tool Project Feature
Trello Kanban-style visual planning
Asana Task dependencies, team workflows
ClickUp Campaign dashboards, time tracking
Notion Integrated wikis, checklists

Great project managers are detail-oriented, communicative, and proactive. Having a clear process improves team efficiency and helps avoid last-minute fire drills.

7. Creativity and Adaptability

The best social media managers are creative problem-solvers. You need to think visually, write compelling copy, and adapt to constant changes.

Examples of Creative Work:

  • Designing a meme-based campaign that goes viral

  • Writing engaging CTAs in a 100-character limit

  • Repackaging one blog post into 10 social content types

  • Spotting a trend early and turning it into a branded post

Adaptability in Action:

  • Instagram hiding likes? Shift to comment-focused content.

  • TikTok adding longer videos? Start experimenting with storytelling.

  • Meta changes ad policy? Adjust targeting and copy fast.

💡 Pro Insight: Creativity doesn’t mean randomness—it’s structured experimentation. Test, analyze, refine, repeat.

While some social media managers focus on organic, those who understand paid social are 10x more valuable to their teams.

What to Learn:

  • Audience segmentation (lookalikes, retargeting, interests)

  • Ad creative testing (A/B tests, headline variants, video vs. image)

  • Budget planning (daily vs. lifetime, ROI projections)

  • Platform-specific ad tools (Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Promote)

Sample Ad Objective Breakdown:

Objective When to Use Example Tool
Awareness New product, brand launch Meta Ads
Engagement Event registration, contests TikTok Promote
Conversion Website traffic, sales LinkedIn Campaigns

Even if you’re not the person running the ads, understanding how they integrate with organic campaigns helps build cohesive brand narratives.

Tools That Support Skill Development

You don’t need to master everything at once. Start with these tools to grow steadily:

Skill Tool/Resource Purpose
Content Creation Canva, CapCut, Pulzzy Studio Design and video templates
Analytics Metricool, Google Analytics Multi-platform performance tracking
Planning & Strategy Trello, Notion, Pulzzy Scheduler Campaign + content calendars
Engagement Sprout Social, Pulzzy Inbox Unified message management
Paid Social Meta Blueprint, TikTok Academy Ad targeting, campaign strategy
Trends & Learning Later Blog, HubSpot Academy Keep up with best practices

Using these tools not only sharpens your skills but keeps you competitive in a constantly shifting landscape.

FAQs: Becoming a Successful Social Media Manager

1. Can I become a social media manager without formal education?
Yes. Many SMMs are self-taught. What matters most is your portfolio—showing you can manage real accounts and deliver real results.

2. Should I specialize in one platform or manage all?
Start broad, then specialize. For example, you may find that you're best with Instagram growth or LinkedIn engagement and then go deeper.

3. How can I prove ROI to clients or employers?
Track metrics like engagement rate, click-throughs, conversions, and use UTM parameters to show content impact in Google Analytics.

4. What certifications make a difference?
Consider Meta Blueprint, Google Ads, HubSpot Inbound, and Hootsuite Social Marketing certifications.

5. How do I stand out from the competition?
By mastering analytics + creativity, being active in social media communities, and building a personal brand on platforms like LinkedIn.

Related reading: