How Beginners Can Start a Career in Social Media Marketing

Information in this blog post was obtained from Marketer, HubSpot, Neil Patel.

Image Courtesy of Wix

Introduction

I still remember the first time I heard the term "social media marketing" — I had absolutely no idea what it meant. Watching others post amazing content, gain followers easily, and even land jobs through social media made me feel a mix of envy and fear. I worried I wasn’t creative enough. That nobody would care what I posted. That I'd look foolish trying. I envied how professional they looked, but I was scared because I didn’t know anything and had no idea where to even begin. Maybe a lot of people feel the same way — wanting to get into social media marketing but feeling like giving up because they have no experience, don't know how to create content, or aren’t good at writing. But honestly, everyone starts from zero. Once I took the first tiny steps, everything slowly started to make sense — and I realized that no one starts perfect.

What Can A Beginner Do?

Starting a career in social media marketing might feel overwhelming at first, especially when you have no experience. But by taking small and smart steps, beginners can start building their path in this exciting industry.

The first step is to build your personal brand, as Allanah Micallef explains in her blog post on Pretty Little Marketer. She writes, "Building your personal brand is about telling your story in a way that showcases your values, strengths, and passions" (Micallef, 2025). I used to think personal branding was only for people who were already successful. But after reading her advice, I realized that even beginners should start sharing their interests, values, and goals online. It's not about being perfect; it’s about being real and letting people connect with your story.

Once you have an idea of your personal brand, the next step is to start learning the basics of social media marketing. Kristen Baker from HubSpot provides a super helpful list of 39 beginner-friendly resources. She points out, "No matter your current skill level, there are resources available to help you develop and grow your social media marketing knowledge" (Baker, 2025). When I first looked at the list, I thought, "Where should I even start?" But then I noticed that she organized the resources into different types, like free courses, blogs, and podcasts. For me, taking a free course seems like a good way to build a foundation without feeling too stressed. It’s important not to rush — learning step-by-step is better than trying to know everything all at once.

After building some knowledge, the third step is to gain real-world experience, even if it’s something small. Neil Patel talks about this in his blog about building a marketing career. He emphasizes, "You need to take action and create real-world experience through internships, freelance gigs, or side projects" (Patel, 2025). I used to believe that I needed a full degree before anyone would trust me with marketing work, but now I understand that real experience matters even more. Even helping a local coffee shop with their Instagram page could be a valuable start.

Overall, starting a career in social media marketing doesn’t mean you need to know everything right away. By building a personal brand, learning basic skills, and getting hands-on experience, beginners like me can slowly create a path into the industry. It's okay to feel unsure at first — what matters most is just taking that first small step forward.

Image Courtesy of Wix

Conclusion

When I first started learning about social media marketing, I felt just as confused and scared as many other beginners. But after reading these articles, I realized that starting a career in social media marketing isn’t as hard as I once thought. We can begin by building our personal brand, take the time to learn the basics, and actively look for real-world experiences. Every successful person once started from zero and grew step by step. As long as we are willing to take the first step, keep learning, and gain experience along the way, the path to a social media marketing career will gradually become clearer.

Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.

Resources

Micallef, A. (2025, February 13). Establishing your personal brand. Pretty Little Marketer. https://www.prettylittlemarketer.com/blog/establishing-your-personal-brand

Baker, K. (2025, April 2). How to learn social media marketing: 39 resources for beginners. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-marketing-resources

Patel, N. (2025, January 10). Tips for building your marketing career. Neil Patel. https://neilpatel.com/blog/building-your-marketing-career/

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (April 22 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat