How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
Some employers may expect you to have a degree in a relevant subject, like:
- advertising
- marketing and public relations
- digital and social media marketing
- digital content creation
- journalism
- business management
A degree with a work placement will help you gain valuable experience and may be an advantage when you look for work.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
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Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship to get into this job.
For example:
- Content Creator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Multi-channel Marketer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Digital Community Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
- Digital Marketer Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
These apprenticeships take between 2 and 3 years to complete and are a mix of on-the-job training and classroom learning.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
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Work
You could start work with a social media or marketing company as an assistant or digital content creator. As you get more experience, you could work your way up into a management position.
You could also do qualifications through professional bodies like the Institute of Data and Marketing and The Chartered Institute of Marketing to help improve your prospects.
Volunteering
Experience of working with social media could help when applying for jobs. You could get experience by:
- volunteering to manage a charity or community group's social media channels
- managing your own social media profiles
- contributing to your school, college or university channels
- writing blogs or creating podcasts and tracking their use and popularity
- getting involved in social media for the company you already work for
You could also keep up to date by joining webinars about social media trends.
You may find volunteering opportunities through Do It or The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
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Career tips
Many jobs combine technical duties with management roles, so it can help if you have:
- video, sound and image editing skills
- the ability to write engaging copy and scripts for a target audience
- an understanding of search engine analytics
Further information
You can find out more about social media marketing careers through The Chartered Institute of Marketing.