If you want your brand to connect with your audience and see success these days, it’s critical that you not only have a social media presence but that you have an active social media presence that effectively engages your target audience and followers.
But managing your brand’s social media accounts isn’t as simple as scheduling some ads and a meme or two.
It’s got to be more strategic than that and, most importantly, it’s got to be left in the capable hands of a social media management expert. The big brands, the ones with the most successful social media accounts, all owe their success to professional social media managers.
So, if you’re wondering what these social media managers do on the daily and why they’re so important to your brand’s success, then today’s blog has the insight you need!
Keep reading to learn about the roles and responsibilities of a social media manager and why, if your brand doesn’t have one, you definitely need one of these special people on your team!
The Importance of Social Media Managers for Business
Before we start, however, let’s go over what social media management is and why it’s so important to your business that you need to hire an entire person to take care of it.
Social media management is your brand’s process of creating, captioning, scheduling, analyzing, and engaging with content and users on your different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and more.
It’s critically important because the way a brand manages their social media has a direct impact on their online presence and how effective any social media campaigns and digital marketing and communication can be through those channels.
Skills Required for Social Media Management
So, what kind of skills would this special person need to be able to handle a social media manager’s job description?
Here are just a few:
- Content Creation — Creating engaging posts, graphics, and videos is essential for grabbing your audience's attention and keeping their interest.
- Excellent Communication — Strong written and verbal skills are necessary to write messages clearly and effectively and make sure they are resonating the way they should be.
- Analytics — Social media managers should know how to track and analyze performance metrics to understand the success of campaigns.
- Creativity — Innovative thinking is a must for developing unique content and strategies that stand out in your followers' busy feeds.
- Strategic Planning — Developing and executing the kind of winning social media strategies that stay aligned with business goals.
- SEO Knowledge — Understanding search engine optimization helps social media managers boost your content visibility and reach.
- Community Management — Engaging with your online community and managing relationships is a big part of the job and is what builds up a loyal and active audience.
- Project Management — Handling multiple campaigns and meeting deadlines require strong organizational skills. and good time management.
- Technical Savvy — Familiarity with different social media platforms and tools is important to be able to effectively and efficiently manage campaigns.
- Adaptability — Quickly adjusting to trends and best practices is a must for keeping your socials relevant, fresh, and effective.
The Key Duties of a Social Media Manager
So, now that you’re aware of just how crucial managing your socials is to not just your social media marketing success but your overall online presence, let’s go over what a good social media manager does for your brand:
In no particular order, here are the tasks that make up a day in the life of a successful social media manager:
1. Content Creation
Content creation refers to the creation of any graphics, copy, or videos that a brand posts on social media.
A social media manager will develop (either through a creative team or their own talents) a winning content strategy; a balanced mix of engaging and relevant content in the formats their target audience likes best that also aligns with their brand’s tone of voice and company goals.
This could include text, interactive polls, quizzes, images, videos, and infographics. Whatever a brand wants to post, their social media manager will make sure that their social media activity is consistent, on brand, and looking sharp across all social media platforms.
2. Scheduling
A social media manager will also keep up a good cadence of social media posts to strike that perfect balance between “not enough” and “argh, too much!”
This usually involves the use of social media management tools like Agorapulse, HubSpot, or Buffer to plan and schedule posts in advance and stick to a content calendar. A social media manager will know how to coordinate the timing of their brand’s posts for best results and to maximize engagement and reach.
3. Engaging with Followers
Social media is a two-way street, and a good social media manager will know this!
If you’ve ever messaged a brand through any of their social media accounts, the answer you received was more than likely from a social media manager. It’s their job to respond to comments, messages, and any mentions from other brands or individuals.
This consistency and responsiveness work wonders to build relationships with followers by getting back to them promptly and actively participating in conversations. Remember, an active and engaged following is one that happily likes, shares, and reposts a brand’s content, so count on a good social media manager to use their audiences to amplify awareness and create useful assets in the form of user-generated content!
4. Social Listening
Part of a social media manager's job is also to monitor different social media channels for mentions of the brand, their closest competitors, and to stay on top of any changes in industry or social media trends.
This social listening is especially important because it can help a brand identify chances for engagement, seize opportunities, and address any potential issues before they get out of hand.
The data they collect from social listening also gives a brand’s marketing department valuable insight on things like audience sentiment and feedback to guide strategy and make sure their efforts are resonating as intended.
5. Managing Ads
A big part of any social media marketing strategy is taking advantage of the targeted ads that each platform can provide you.
A good social media manager can create and manage a successful social media ad campaign
They’ll oversee every aspect of these campaigns from ad creation to optimizing ad performance by adjusting targeting, design, and budget, and interpreting analytics to track the performance of each campaign so that it’s giving the ROI that it should be!
6. Building Strategy
Another huge role of a social media manager is to develop a social media strategy that not only aligns with their company’s overall marketing goals but is tailor-made to reach and resonate with their target audience.
It’s a big job, but a social media manager is a marketing expert who can determine the right goals, keep up with the latest social media trends, read their target audience, and know which metrics need to be tracked to measure the success of their strategies.
7. Monitoring Analytics
Once a social media manager has developed their strategy, they’ll also be in charge of keeping track of all of the data and analytics to determine how well it's working.
They’ll use analytical tools to track key metrics like engagement, reach, and conversions and provide regular reports detailing any trends and use their knowledge to provide insight and recommendations to optimize their social media strategy to get the best possible outcomes.
This monitoring and adjusting is crucial to keep your social media presence fresh and make sure it’s helping meet business goals!
Where to Hire a Social Media Manager
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It’s a busy job but someone’s gotta do it!
So, if you’re not that someone and you need to add a social media manager to your team, you’re probably wondering where you can hire one.
We’ll help you out:
Online Job Boards
Online job boards and marketplaces are full of professionals looking for employment, social media managers included.
To find a suitable candidate, either post a job description on these platforms or browse through different profiles until you see a candidate that suits you.
Here are some popular platforms to start your search:
- LinkedIn — A professional networking site where you can post job listings, search for candidates, and view profiles that include work history, endorsements, and recommendations. LinkedIn also offers advanced search features to help you find the ideal candidate based on specific skills and experience you're looking for.
- Indeed — A job search engine that collects job listings from various sources. Employers can post jobs and access a vast resume database. Indeed offers tools for screening and managing applications, making it easier to find qualified candidates.
- Glassdoor — Known for its company reviews and salary information, Glassdoor also features job listings. It allows employers to post jobs and provides insights into potential candidates' expectations and company culture fit. You can also manage and respond to applications directly through the platform.
- Upwork — A freelancing platform where you can find freelance social media managers. You can post job listings, invite specific freelancers to apply, and browse profiles that showcase their skills, experience, and client feedback. Upwork also facilitates project management and payment processes.
Freelance Platforms
You can also try freelance platforms like Toptal, MarketerHire, or PeoplePerHour.
These platforms come with the benefit of knowing that all the social media managers in their network have been fully vetted and have all of the necessary skills and experience you’re looking for in a new hire.
Just be sure you check out their pricing to make sure their services fit your budget and that you’re prepared to provide project management or creative direction, since it may not be available to you.
Networking or Hiring Events
Sometimes it takes a little networking and some referrals to find the right candidate.
Spread the word that your brand is looking for a skilled social media manager and let your contacts ask around for you. You might be surprised at the high-quality applicants floating around, just waiting for an opportunity.
You can also attend hiring events as well.
This is particularly useful because you’ll be able to meet candidates face-to-face, see their resumes, and ask them the questions you need to assess their knowledge and see for yourself if they’re the right fit, skill-wise and personality-wise, for your brand.
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Or Your Search Might Already Be Over
Or you can end your search right now.
No, seriously.
Designity is made up of the top 3% of all of the ridiculously talented creatives that apply each year, meaning that our creative pool is made up of the cream of the crop in social media management and all of the fields that support it, like graphic design, video production, copywriting, GIF animation, and more.
Plus, each Designity account provides you with a designated Creative Director, a strategy, marketing, and design expert that will help you source a team for content creation, aid you in your social media strategies, and help you reach your goals in 2024 and beyond.
And all for much less than you’d pay in salary and benefits for a permanent hire.
So, if partnering with Designity to improve your social media efforts sounds like a plan, why not click here to book a demo call? We’ll get you started with a two-week, no-obligation trial so you can see for yourself the benefit of adding Designity to your social media team!
Are you ready to transform your social media presence?
