Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 4: Industry Qualifications and Roles in Social Media
Learning Objectives
• Identify trends in the social media industry.
• Differentiate between social media roles.
• Explain the key responsibilities of each social media role.
• Discuss best practices and expectations for applying for social media positions.
Ice Breaker Questions and Exercises
• Have the students bring in a job position or internship in social media to class. Share the job posting
with the class and why the student chosen this.
• Crowdsource with the class list of skills young professionals need to have working in social media.
Once the skills are listed, rank the top 8 skills needed. Discuss the importance and provide rationale
for each.
Areas to Cover
• Note the changes of expectations and skills that are needed for each role within social media. It is
important to note the impact some of these industries have on the job descriptions that are posted.
• Be aware of each of the buzzwords that are used in the descriptions. Note the importance of some
of the skills that are NOT listed (e.g., Emotional intelligence)
Multimedia Resources
• How To Create A Personal Brand Through Content With Mark Schaefer—YouTube
http://ow.ly/ZEfZ30hruAW
• #AskGaryVee Episode 34: How to Build a Personal Brand from Nothing—YouTube
http://ow.ly/2zmq30hruD7
• Why You Need a Personal Brand and How to Build One—YouTube http://ow.ly/Au1M30hruFA
Additional Materials
• Review job postings from MEOJobs (http://meojobsonline.com/). Sign up for latest job posting
updates and newsletter.
Assignments and Exercises from Portfolio-Building Activities in Social Media
• Community Management Assignment
• Industry Position Analysis
• Networking and Outreach Assignment