Social Media Manager task specifics
Not too long ago I was asked by a friend how my job as a Social Media Manager was going. I thought to myself, “What do they most likely think I’m doing all day?” I came to the conclusion they probably assume I scroll Facebook and Insta 24/7 and that’s about it… 🙂 But, there’s a lot more to what I do and why I feel like my job really does make an impact. So, I figured — why not blog about it to share a bit of insight into what my day-to-day tasks include as a real life SMM (social media manager). So, let’s dive right into the good stuff, shall we?
The Breakdown
We’re all pretty familiar with the term “social media.” But what does it mean for someone to manage social media for a living? The answer is: there is no simple answer. If you love technology and connecting with people, this could be a great career path for you! Let’s take a look at what exactly a Social Media Manager does each and every day.
1. Content Creation
Content creation is the most important part of social media. Content creation is a creative process, but it’s also a team effort, and it requires balance between art and science. Your content needs to be original enough to stand out from the crowd, but relevant enough that people will actually care about it. And even though there are many great tools at your disposal (like my personal favorite – Canva), you can’t just slap together a meme and expect it to go viral on its own—you need to put in some elbow grease too! There’s a ton that goes into content creation like creativity, branding, messaging (as in voice and tone of a brand), scheduling, and last but not least posting across platforms.
2. Social media strategy
Social media strategy is a set of guidelines that help you manage your social media channels. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, as it depends on your business goals and the type of audience you’re trying to reach.
Social media managers need to understand what they’re working with before they can make any kind of plan. They need to know who their target audience is, what are their interests and how do they like to consume content? The answers will determine the type of content produced by social media managers, which is then used in different ways depending on the channel.
3. Social listening
Social listening is the most important skill you will learn as a social media manager. This includes listening to your audience, your competitors, and your industry. You need to understand what they want, how they want it, and when they want it.
Listening is the first step of creating content (the second step being creating). When a potential customer types in a question into Google or Facebook search bar, there are very few chances that he/she will buy from you if there’s no answer for their query. So in order to be successful at social media marketing we must first listen to our audience before trying to sell anything.
4. Relationship building
Keeping in touch with your audience is part of what makes social media such a powerful tool. In order to keep those followers engaged, it’s important to understand their needs and the best way for you to communicate with them.
It is also important that you interact with other users on an individual level. This type of engagement is called ‘listening’. Listening means that you monitor what people are saying about your brand and react accordingly. You can do this by making sure that there are always fresh posts on your page or by responding directly to comments made by users notifying them of any new content or special offers available at the time they comment (if appropriate). You could even use this strategy as an opportunity for research into what kinds of products people want!
You should also try building relationships with influential bloggers in your industry – these people may be able to help promote your business if they feel like it fits their audience well enough!
We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media. The question is how well we DO it.
– Erik Qualman
5. Community management
One of the most important things you can do as a SMM is to make sure that your community isn’t a hostile environment. This may sound simple, but it can be hard when you’re dealing with internet trolls; my #1 rule is that it’s important to always be respectful of everyone and to keep that in mind in all levels of community engagement.
Just because someone doesn’t like your brand or your product doesn’t mean they’re not still worthy of respect. Use this opportunity to engage with them and learn what they have to say about other brands/products on social media or in real life.
You should also pay attention to what’s going on in their life outside of social media, so that you know where they are coming from and why they feel the way they do about certain issues (and therefore how best approach them). Don’t just listen—address the issues so you can squash them as needed!
TACKLING CONFLICT TIP: If there is something wrong in the community (someone has posted harmful content), then address it head-on by removing the post and banning the user from interacting further with other members (don’t just ignore them). Take responsibility for keeping things positive within your space by preemptively blocking users who might cause trouble before any harm comes from their actions within said community space.”
6. Reporting and measurement
Reporting and measurement are a huge part of the job. You’ll want to be able to tell your clients, at any given time, how many people have viewed their content and what kind of reach they’ve gotten. This data will help them decide what types of content work best for their audience and whether or not certain tactics should be used again in the future.
In addition, reporting on success will help you improve as an SMM by showing you where there are gaps in your strategy that can be filled with new ideas or adjustments in implementation. For example, if you notice that one type of post performs better than another but is limited by budget constraints or other limitations (such as time), then maybe you need to start posting more often with just this type of content instead?
7. Brand monitoring
Brand monitoring is the process of monitoring your brand’s online presence. This can include:
- Monitoring what people are saying about you on social media platforms, forums and websites
- Monitoring competitors’ activity in relation to yours (e.g., what they are posting)
Social media managers use tools like Google Alerts or Mention to search for mentions of their client’s name and brands related to their clients’ industry by other users online.
Social Media Manager is a fulfilling and challenging job that can bring joy every day!
You may be surprised to learn that being a social media manager is a very fulfilling, challenging and rewarding job. My motto is that a good social media manager can bring joy every day!
Why? What makes SMM such a great job? Well, it’s not just the money (although that certainly helps). It’s also the feeling of accomplishment when you see your efforts pay off in real world results: increased brand awareness, increased sales and more people engaging with your brand or product. I truly do find joy in growing my client’s businesses.
It’s also the fact that you get to work with interesting people all day long – people who share similar interests as yours (or at least want to learn about those).
That’s a wrap
I hope this post has helped you understand what a social media manager is, and that it’s not just some vague job title but an actual profession with many different aspects. To summarize, being a social media manager means:
- Creating great content on various platforms
- Developing long-lasting relationships with people online
- Being the voice of the brand and managing customer service
- Handling reporting and analytics to show the impact of our efforts
It’s a lot of work, but it’s also incredibly rewarding to see how much good you can do for your company or clients through these efforts. Every day I learn something new about how social media works, I get to meet amazing people who love what they do as much as I do and be part of some really awesome conversations that make me think more deeply about my own opinions in this industry.
Questions on social media marketing? I would LOVE to help! Drop your questions down below and let’s chat!