What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
Social media management often gets confused with the nominal tasks given to an intern. While some interns still manage social media platforms for brands, social media management is a job in itself. When I was an intern, I was always tasked to schedule social media posts on various platforms including Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Linkedin, and even Tumblr (#TBT!). At the time, it was a lot of copy and pasting and sticking to characters counts. But social media manager job descriptions have changed in recent years.
Now, as a full-time social media manager and social media specialist who's been working in media for over six years, I know that social media is much more than "just posting to Instagram and racking up likes."
When I worked at SheKnows for over two years, I managed all of their social media platforms. That was *extremely* overwhelming. I don't think employers realize how much time goes into building each platform. Typically, there is only one social media manager per team. But, if you work for a bigger company, you'll have a different person or even an entire team managing each social media account. Obviously, if you have the budget, hiring a team is ideal. But most companies don’t have the budget (or don’t want to invest so much in social media) and will hire one person to do everything.
Why is this problematic? Well, let's say you worked for a publication and were told that you had to manage and create content for every single vertical including health, entertainment, beauty, and more. You can't expect one person to write every topic and be successful at growing each topic to its full potential. The same goes for social media!
Social media managers do a lot more than just "post" to Instagram. They're typically in charge of social media strategy, social media analytics, influencer marketing, community management, social media campaigns, content creation, and much more. Learn more about what I do now as a social media manager for small businesses and what I did as a social media manager for big publications. Plus, read about the social media skills you'll need to know how to be a successful social media manager.
Managing Social Media Accounts
According to the dictionary, "Management is the process of dealing with or controlling things or people." Social media managers control and deal with social media accounts.
We oversee the online presence of these accounts and the behind-the-scenes. We monitor who is tagging us, interacting with us, or sending us hate. We keep our finger on the pulse of social media news and algorithm changes. We ensure that links are working and captions are free of mistakes. Plus, we manage the content calendar and curate a content-filled schedule!
Which brings me to my next point....
Community Management
Many social media managers will also be community managers. We comment and interact with your followers and like-minded groups. This is important because other people in your niche and their followers may notice you and interact with you.
We'll answer DMs and make sure that your pages have excellent customer service. We'll send followers links, sign-ups, and answer any questions they may have.
Social Media Analytics
“Sticking to a social media aesthetic can be pretty, but pretty will only get you so far! ”
Social media managers should use insights and social media metrics (whether that be through a scheduling app like Hootsuite, Instagram insights, or Google Analytics) to determine a brand's KPIs. After studying a brand's social media analytics, SMMs can come up with an audit and a digital marketing plan that emphasizes what's working and what's not.
For example, I may study your analytics and notice that your IG Reels are attracting more engagement, but your carousel posts are getting more shares and likes.
Social Media Strategy
This part is crucial!
People assume that SMMs throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. Yes, sometimes, we'll play around and take risks through trial and error. But most of the time, posts are calculated and tailored based on a specific social media strategy.
When I send clients a social media strategy or social media marketing plan, I take their objectives into consideration and set goals on how to meet their objectives. For example, if their objective is to increase their visibility, I may include tutorials on how to execute engagement-increasing Reels, a hashtag strategy, and a new bio with keywords.
Influencer Marketing
I don't work with influencers, but some social media managers also cosplay as influencer marketing managers. They'll work with influencers and brands in a beneficial relationship — influencers get paid to promote a brand while the brand increases their exposure and brand awareness from a wide audience.
Copywriting
I think what makes me stand out from other social media managers is that I'm a writer, too. Captivating captions are important! Maybe not as important as the post itself, but copy can drive sales and establish your brand's voice. SMMs should hook in a reader, add value, and write a call to action as a closer.
Paid Social Media
I only manage organic social media and outsource paid media for my clients. Implementing paid media is different than organic media and requires another expert/manager. People often confuse the two and assume that social media managers also manage paid media — but that's not always the case.
Create Social Media Campaigns
At SheKnows, I created social media campaigns for branded content. I'd work with our branded content manager who'd tell me what deliverables were needed for brand campaigns. For example: We worked with a bunch of health companies. They'd want 4 IG posts and 2 IG stories. We'd come up with the messaging, create the content, and spread them out during the desired timeline. We'd tag the brand, use campaign hashtags, and link back to sponsored content articles on our website.
Create Social Media Content
If you're not working with a graphic designer, social media managers are typically responsible for creating social media content. I use Canva as a graphic design tool and work with the brand to cull photos and imagery they already have.
