The world of social media is constantly evolving, with new platforms emerging and old ones declining. As a result, brands are now facing new challenges when it comes to using social media for marketing and engaging with users. To make things more challenging for marketers, employees who manage a company’s social media presence are being asked to do so in addition to their existing duties. Let’s face it – not every employee can excel at everything (let alone multiple things). But that doesn’t mean your career has to plateau because you don’t have the opportunity or means to learn another skill set. With that in mind, here are 6 ways you can grow your career through social media and take your career to the next level.
Establish yourself as an expert
No matter what your career path is, you can become an expert in a specific niche. Once you’ve established yourself as an expert, you can use that to find opportunities to grow your career, both inside and outside of your company. One way you can do this is to actively participate in social media communities related to your niche. Go to events and join online communities where experts in your field gather and participate in discussions. By becoming an active member of these communities, you’ll not only get a chance to engage with those who share your interests, but you’ll also have the opportunity to network with experts. You never know who you might meet at one of these events or online communities, and you never know where that connection might take you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
While you should definitely be proactive and push yourself to learn new skills and take on new challenges, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. If you find yourself struggling with a topic in the social media realm and you’re not sure how to proceed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. This might mean just asking your manager for assistance in learning new skills or it could mean reaching out to an expert in the field for advice. Experts in any field – not just social media – are more than happy to help out others who want to learn from them. And it may turn out that you’re able to help them in return. In many cases, being able to network with experts and share knowledge is what helps people grow their careers.
Network with others in your field
As you actively network with people in your field of expertise, you’ll likely make connections that can help you grow your career. You might even find people who can help you find employment once your current job ends or where you can transfer to another department or company. Building genuine relationships in social media can also help you connect with potential employers while you’re still employed. You can use your online presence to show potential employers that you’re interested in growing as a professional and that you’re active in your industry. You can also use social media to show current hiring managers that you’re interested in growing your career and in taking on new challenges.
Write and publish content using social media
Using social media to create and publish content is a great way to expand your knowledge and engage with others. Plus, you can use that content to help grow your career by publishing it on your various social media accounts. This could mean writing blog posts, articles, or books on topics related to your field of expertise. It could also mean creating videos or podcasts where you discuss a topic related to your field. No matter what format you choose to use, you can use social media to publish this content and make it available to others.
Stay up to date on the latest tools and platforms
New tools and platforms come out all the time, and many of these are used for social media marketing tactics. You can stay up to date on the latest trends and platforms by actively following social media news feeds, reading blog posts, and attending industry conferences. Social media is constantly evolving, and as a result, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest trends so you can grow your career using social media. This means you must stay on top of changing trends, social media algorithm changes, and evolving best practices for using social media for marketing and engaging with others.
Don’t rely solely on social media for growing your career
Using social media to grow your career is a great way to expand your knowledge and learn new skills. However, you shouldn’t rely solely on social media for growing your career. You should still be actively engaged in your current position. There are plenty of other ways to grow your career outside of social media. You can take on new challenges at work, actively seek out mentors, and find ways to learn new skills outside of social media and outside of your current position. By actively seeking new challenges, you’ll show your employer that you’re committed to your work and eager to learn new skills. You can also use the skills you learn in these new challenges to add to your existing knowledge and grow your career outside of social media.
