Social Media Specialist Career Profile
- Career Name - Social Media Specialist
- Category - Animal Care / Health / Business / Education / Law & Enforcement / Farming & Livestock / Scientific / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation / Zoos, Aquariums, Museums & Theme Parks / Media
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic Subjects - Language, Business Studies, Biology
- Required Education - High School Certificate
- Species Worked With - Pets, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
- Short Courses - 340 Rewards = Points +Badges
Do you want to work as a social media specialist?
READ: This page helps you read about the career and the information you need to decide whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: ​Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTOR
UPDATED:
29 April 2024
Adverts:
What is a social media specialist?
A social media specialist working with animals is a professional who specializes in managing and promoting the online presence of individuals, organizations, brands, or businesses related to animals, pets, wildlife, conservation, or animal-related causes. They play a crucial role in leveraging social media platforms to engage with audiences, raise awareness, and promote positive messages about animals and related topics.
Alternative Names
Alternative names for a social media specialist may vary depending on the specific focus or context of their work. Some alternative titles or roles that encompass aspects of social media management and marketing include:
- Social Media Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Social Media Coordinator
- Online Community Manager
- Digital Engagement Specialist
- Social Media Strategist
- Social Media Marketer
- Content Manager
- Digital Content Specialist
- Brand Ambassador
Global users?
An estimated 3.6 billion people used social media in 2020
History?
The first recognizable social media site, Six Degrees, was created in 1997
What does a Social Media Specialist do?
Category:
Animal Care / Health / Business / Education / Law & Enforcement / Farming & Livestock / Scientific / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation / Zoos, Aquariums, Museums & Theme Parks / Media
Focus:
The primary focus of social media specialists is to use the various social media apps available to convey a marketing message.
Daily Tasks:
- Discuss brief with clients
- Develop a storyboard to help the idea
- Research topics and species
- Write content
- Publish content
- Monitor reaction and growth
- Create and add new work to a portfolio
- Administration and filing
Where they work:
Environment –
Social media specialists work equal amounts of time indoors as well as outdoors.
Places of Employment –
Most social media specialists work as freelancers, under contract for various clients. They can also be employed by animal organizations, zoos, aquariums, museums, theme parks, national parks, universities and research institutions.
Average Salary:
As most specialists are self employed, their income is based on obtaining contracts. On average the income per year is around $35,000. This will differ from country to country.
Difficulties:
The most difficult part is always to get your work seen by future clients. They may work long hours and over weekends and holidays to finish work within tight deadlines.
​Future growth and Possibilities:
Depending on how talented or successful they are at using social media, the future growth of using this kind of marketing to increase awareness of certain species will always be excellent.
3. Which Skills are required?
The skills required for a career as a social media specialist can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills:
- ​Good business knowledge
- Good social media skills
- Basic customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
4. Which Subjects must I have at School?
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
5. What will I need to Study?
Minimum Requirements:
Established businesses and institutions will require a minimum of at least a College Diploma to enter this career.
Focus:
Major –
In courses dealing with communications, marketing or advertising.
Short Courses –
There are thousands of different short courses, such as those dealing with each of the Apps.
Duration:
The duration of College and Bachelor’s Degrees can be up to 3 or 4 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
Possible Career Preparation Paths:
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
​To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Possible Combined Career Paths:
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Stepping Stone Career:
Being a social media specialist can also be used as a stepping stone career. A stepping stone career is one which is used to help you get to another career, normally because the other career is too difficult to reach (sometimes due to things like high fees etc).
You can begin as an intern after basic short courses and expert guidance (maybe working under a mentor). The money made can then be used to pay for studies towards a promotion or another career, and the experience helps in gaining knowledge. One paying to help get to the other.
Some of the possible paths:
Training and apprenticeship:
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal careers, most of the skills you will need as a social media specialist will be acquired through practice. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior social media marketers or expert.
Join the Social Media Specialist Group in STEP 8Â to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of all the people who enter the career:
6. Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.
Learn more about requirements by joining OZT in STEP 8.
Professional Associations:
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7. Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards marketing or communications.
8. Join the OZT community
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a social media specialist.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Social Media Specialist, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu, and search for something different.
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