5 Helpful Tips on How To Get Into Social Media Marketing With No Experience

POV: You just graduated college or are looking to transition your career into Social Media Marketing, but have no experience.

What do you do? Where do you start? How do you get experience? 

Not to worry, we got you bestie!

Within this blog, we will dive into how to get into social media marketing using 5 essential tips that will help you kickstart your career journey in this industry. 

Using likes, follows, and hashtags, to help you attain the social media career of your dreams!

First things first, what is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites for businesses to promote a product or service.

So many businesses and people are on social media today. That is no surprise considering the fact that more than half of the world uses social media, according to Datareportal. As of May 2024, that is 5.07 billion people with 259 million new users coming online within the last year.

Social media makes it easier for businesses to promote their products online and reach a broader audience!

Some other benefits of social media marketing include brand visibility, brand loyalty, higher conversion rates, increased web traffic, customer insights, building a community and generating cost effective marketing. 

Within social media marketing, there are job opportunities such as being a Social Media Manager, Social Media Coordinator, or even creating your own Social Media Agency, and much more!

Okay, now that you know what social media marketing is, let’s get started and dive into the 5 essential tips on how to get into social media marketing!

Tip #1: Build Your Own Social Media Presence and Gather Experience

The first step in getting into social media marketing is to build your own social media presence and gather experience. What does this mean? 

In order to know how social media works, you have to immerse yourself in the social media world. What better way to learn than to get hands-on experience!

Start by picking a social media platform and creating an account. 

Decide what you want your accounts to be related to, this can be anything from a hobby, niche, personal blog, to even your skincare routine, totally up to you! Make it fun and personable! Something that you won’t get tired of posting about! 

Post and get to know the ins and outs of each social media platform. What posts perform well and what posts don't. Use trial and error to help you gain social media experience.

Post consistently to get to know the algorithm of different social media platforms.

*Insider Tip* Analyze the content of others that are successful in your niche to learn what they are doing well and apply those strategies to your own content creation!

The more time you spend posting and polishing your social media presence, the more experience you will gain!

Tip #2: Gain Relevant Skills and Knowledge

It’s important to understand and learn social media platforms, principles, and keywords.

With so much knowledge accessible on the internet, it is easy for you to learn more about Social Media Marketing by doing the following:

• Sign up for social media online courses
• Listen to podcasts
• Read industry blogs, articles, and books
• Gather social media marketing certifications 
• Follow top influencers and leaders within social media marketing
• Watch YouTube videos of people working in social media marketing
• Stay current with the latest social media marketing trends and news 

There are so many helpful resources out there! Here are a few online courses that can help get you started:

• Social Media Marketing Course: Get Certified in Social Media Strategy
• Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate
• Social Media Management
• LinkedIn Learning Social Media Marketing  

Investing in yourself is one of the best ways on how to get into social media marketing!

Tip #3: Create a Social Media Portfolio

Once you have gathered the right knowledge, skills, and experience, you can now create a portfolio to showcase your social media credibility! You are one step closer on how to get into social media marketing

Portfolios help highlight your skills, certifications, real-world experience, and knowledge in a visual way to promote your work and what you offer to a hiring manager, recruiter, business, or even a client.

You can create your social media portfolio using platforms like Canva, Wix, and Behance. Acadium highlights some good points in this article on How to Build an Impressive Social Media Portfolio.

*Side note* If you feel like you do not have enough experience to put in your portfolio, you could do these two things:

• Build a case study. Choose a brand or business to analyze their social media accounts and make recommendations on how you can improve their social media strategy. 

• Consider reaching out to local businesses to help them with their social media presence. This might mean that you will have to work for free to gain experience. 

Tip #4: Network and Connect with Industry Professionals

One of the most important steps on how to get into social media marketing is to network and connect with industry professionals. You can:

• Connect with professionals via LinkedIn
• Attend industry conferences, events, info sessions, and webinars
• Join social media marketing online communities and groups
• Look for industry-experienced mentors that can help guide you or provide tips
• Ask industry professionals if they are open to coffee chats; believe it or not, most will say yes! 

Immersing yourself within a social media marketing network can help open doors for you by surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals and professionals!

Tip #5: Apply for Social Media Opportunities

The final tip on how to get into social media marketing, is to apply for social media opportunities. 

You’ve gathered the experience, acquired the knowledge and skills, polished your portfolio, and networked and connected with social media professionals. Now it’s time to wrap everything together and start looking for social media opportunities! 

Whether you want to look for an internship, entry-level job, or even freelance work, you can search for opportunities on different platforms such as LinkedIn, UpWork, Glassdoor, Indeed, or even use your connections and network from Tip #4 to help you acquire your next social media opportunity!

Don’t be afraid to shoot your shot!

Conclusion

Let’s bring it back and recap the 5 Tips on How to Get Started in Social Media Marketing:

Tip #1: Build Your Own Social Media Presence and Gather Experience

Tip #2: Gain Relevant Skills and Knowledge

Tip #3: Create a Social Media Portfolio

Tip #4: Network and Connect with Industry Professionals

Tip #5: Apply for Social Media Opportunities

Following these tips will help you kickstart your career in social media marketing. 

You now know what to do, the only thing left is for you to start making moves!

The social media world is forever evolving and changing. Remember to always be willing to learn and grow to help yourself become successful in your social media career journey.

Best of luck! We are rooting for you, bestie :) 

✍️ Written by Arely Arriaga