Social media

According to Marketing Week, digital roles, including those in social media, are among the fastest growing in the marketing industry.

The continued dominance of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and emerging channels such as Threads and BeReal, reflects a growing demand for social media expertise across sectors.

Organisations of all sizes and sectors maintain a digital presence. Larger companies often have dedicated social media teams, while smaller businesses may combine this function with general marketing or communications.

You could work in-house managing a single brand’s channels, or within an agency supporting a variety of clients across sectors.

Typical employers

• Digital marketing agencies
• Government and public sector organisations
• Charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• Higher education institutions
• Tech startups and major consumer brands

Social media roles range from campaign strategy to data analysis and community engagement. While few companies rely on social media as their sole operational function, it plays a vital supporting role in brand awareness, sales, reputation management, and customer support.

Typical job titles

1. Social media manager

• Could involve designing and delivering social media strategies, managing day-to-day social media channels, creating engaging content, and analysing social media performance.
• A typical salary could be £25,000 - £45,000; up to £50,000+ for senior roles

2. Content creator

• Could involve developing original content such as videos, blogs, and graphics for social media platforms, ensuring consistency with the brand’s voice
• A typical salary could be £20,000 - £40,000, depending on experience and platform specialisation

3. Community manager

• Could involve managing and growing online communities, engaging with followers, moderating discussions, and providing customer service on social platforms
• A typical salary could be £18,000 - £35,000, with potential for growth based on community size and engagement

4. Social media analyst

• Could involve tracking and analysing social media metrics, providing insights to improve campaigns, and reporting on social media performance
• A typical salary could be £25,000 - £50,000, depending on analytical expertise and experience

5. Influencer marketing specialist

• Could involve identifying and collaborating with influencers, managing influencer partnerships, and measuring the impact of influencer campaigns
• A typical salary could be £23,000 - £45,000, with potential for higher earnings based on the scope of influencer networks. For up-to-date salary benchmarks, visit Prospects, Glassdoor, or the latest Marketing Week Salary Survey. Salary ranges are approximate and will vary depending on location, experience, industry sector, and employer size. London-based roles and specialist positions may attract higher pay

What can I expect?

• Your first role is likely to be at executive or assistant level and you can work your way up the ladder. It's also common to move into this role after gaining experience in marketing, public relations (PR) or advertising
• Work may be office-based, hybrid, or remote, with travel to events or clients occasionally required. Many roles are now fully remote or hybrid-first, especially within agencies or digital-first companies. This flexibility can open up opportunities beyond your immediate location
• Self-employment, freelancing, and portfolio careers are increasingly popular
• Urban centres offer the most opportunities, particularly London, Manchester, and Edinburgh

There are no set qualifications for entry to these jobs, although many entrants have a degree, and some employers require this. These jobs are open to graduates from any discipline. Employers often view personal qualities, existing knowledge and relevant experience as important.

These websites may be useful when looking for a job in this sector:

• MyCareer jobs and placements page
• Campaign
• Company websites – check marketing agencies, brands, and media firms directly
• Creative Access – creative and digital roles with inclusive employers
• CharityJob – social media and comms roles in the charity sector
• Guardian Jobs – media, communications and graduate marketing jobs
• LinkedIn – job alerts, networking, and following companies
• Prospects.ac.uk - graduate marketing roles
• Simply Marketing Jobs
• TargetJobs – graduate marketing roles

For helpful industry insights into the sector, you may wish to visit:

• Marketing Week
• The Drum

Under-represented groups

Creative Access have jobs and internships in all types of creative industries including digital. Many, although not all the jobs/internships advertised are aimed at under-represented groups.

Networking

Networking can be a great way to access hidden opportunities.

• Set up professional profiles on LinkedIn and Twitter/X and follow companies and campaigns that interest you.
• Attend our career events like Spotlight on Marketing, Communications and PR, where you can meet a panel of industry experts and ask them questions.

Internships and work experience

Digital agencies across the UK are often open to being approached for internships and work experience. Demonstrating relevant skills, passion and curiosity about brands, culture and the digital world can be beneficial, along with a willingness to learn.

Volunteering

Reach out to local voluntary organisations and charities to offer your skills in creating web content, communication with service users and online marketing strategies. This can be a good way to build up experience alongside studying so that you can obtain relevant skills and knowledge.

Research local digital agencies

If there is a role that interests you, make contact with the person working in that role, maybe you could use LinkedIn and connect with them and see if they are willing to answer your questions and maybe even have a chat. You never know, a conversation like this could lead to the offer of work experience or mentoring.

Getting involved at Nottingham

• The Nottingham Internship Scheme is a great way to gain experience with a local employer that can fit around your studies. If you are a postgraduate researcher, check out the Researcher Academy's postgraduate placement programme.
•  We also run Digital Marketing Academy in the autumn term, which can help you to gain relevant skills and experience needed to get that vital ‘foot in the door’.
• The University's Digital Transformations Hub provides training, experience and networking opportunities for humanities students interested in digital media in the arts. You can choose an area of interest, one of which may include PR, marketing and social media.
• We advertise paid temporary roles, many of which are roles within the university, and some may allow you to become familiar with social media or web content management systems. Find out more on our part-time jobs webpage.

While good writing skills seem the most obvious ones to possess, they need to be part of a broader skill set. For example, writing meaningful and impactful tweets in 280 characters takes some practice.

You will need to be familiar with some social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WordPress, Pinterest, TikTok, Tumblr and Trello, together with Hootsuite to manage those platforms.  There are often free on-line courses or YouTube tutorials to help you get started.

It will also impress employers if you have taken time to understand and perhaps apply some of the following to your own social media output: Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and X (formerly Twitter) Analytics.

Even having a bit of basic coding (HTML/CSS) in your armoury will help, as will knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.

The Institute of Digital Marketing (IDM) have a DMA Talent website looking to attract people to the sector through mentoring, workshops and training opportunities.

There are many courses and even short ‘internships’ available online. Look at our online work experience pages.

Once you have mastered an X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram following. Offer your social media skills to a student society or a voluntary organisation to run a campaign.

Once you have done this, you will have some impressive evidence to demonstrate to employers that you have the potential to work in social media on a professional basis.

Learn the basics

• Try free online courses or YouTube tutorials on social media platforms and tools like Hootsuite
• Explore short online internships and digital marketing courses - check our online work experience page

Practise your skills

• Start your own blog or social media account to test ideas and build a following
• Volunteer your social media skills for student societies, charities, or small businesses
• Run a campaign or help manage accounts to get real-world experience

Create a digital portfolio

• Show off your work - include examples like social posts, blogs, campaign results or videos.
• Write articles for online student publications like IMPACT or LeftLion
• Build a professional online presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, or X (formerly Twitter) and follow industry news

Boost your technical know-how

• Learn how to use analytics tools like Google Analytics and Meta Business Suite (for Facebook and Instagram) to track audience behaviour and campaign performance
• Explore TikTok Analytics, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and X (formerly Twitter) Analytics to understand platform-specific insights
• Get to grips with content design tools like Canva or Adobe Creative Suite to create branded graphics and videos
• Pick up basic HTML and CSS to help with email marketing or editing web pages
• Understand how algorithms influence content reach and how to apply SEO techniques to improve discoverability
• Try out social media scheduling tools (for example, Hootsuite, Buffer, Later) and AI-based tools (like ChatGPT or Grammarly) to streamline content creation and management

Stay up to date

The social media landscape evolves rapidly, so it's important to keep learning. These resources can help you stay ahead of emerging trends, tools, and platform changes:

• Marketing Week
• The Drum
• Social Media Today
• Content Marketing Institute
• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM)
• Creative Review
• Later (for marketing resources, tips, tricks and trends)

These sites offer insight into algorithm updates, new features, audience behaviours, and examples of best practice.

Social media moves fast – algorithms shift, platforms rise and fall, and content trends evolve. Staying current will help you create content that connects and stays compliant.

• Algorithms and formats. Learn how changes to Instagram (for example, favouring Reels) or TikTok (engagement-focused ranking) affect visibility. Keep an eye on emerging trends like short-form video, AR filters, and live streaming
• Emerging platforms. Explore the rise of apps like BeReal and Threads, and understand their audience, growth, and unique features
• AI and data-driven content. Tools like ChatGPT and Jasper are transforming copywriting and content strategy. Learn to work with AI rather than against it
• Ethics and privacy. With GDPR and similar laws, understanding data protection and ethical content use is essential
• Learn from experts. Follow webinars, blogs, and short courses from CIM, IDM, and platform-specific resources like Meta Blueprint and TikTok Academy