What exactly does a social media manager do anyway?

What is a social media manager anyway?

 

I often get asked what it is I do, when I reply that I’m a social media manager, I usually receive a baffling look, followed by the same question–what do you do?

 

This common reaction is understandable given how new the occupation of social media manager is. It’s one of the fastest growing positions too. It’s growing so fast that there are many different roles under the social media management umbrella now, it’s become it’s own department really.

 

So what do I do? Play on Facebook all day?

 

Well sort of. I chose to shift from journalism to social media because I genuinely enjoy social media. I like engaging with people I don’t know and following news and trends. The truth is, I would be on social media most of the day even if it wasn’t my job, so I figured I might as well put that passion to good use.

 

Playing isn’t the word I would use though. There is a definite difference is getting on Twitter and following a trending hashtag while adding my thoughts and responding to others however I like at the time, and following that hashtag through the eyes of a brand and using it to maximize their social impact and ultimately their bottom line.

 

I’m constantly observing on social media, more than anything else I do, I watch, read and listen to the conversations happening. I try to get to different corners of the internet to discover audience pockets I hadn’t known existed before. I observe what they find valuable, funny and concerning. In this way, journalism is not much difference from managing social media. As a reporter I spent a great deal of time observing people, it was something I loved about my job then and I still love it now.

 

I don’t always even do something with observations right away, it’s usually more like research so that when a critical moment comes, I know how to handle it because I understand the audience.

 

Social media management is ultimately about saying the right thing at the right time in the right way. It’s not about quantity usually, it’s about quality. Sometimes you need quantity and sometimes you don’t. It’s my job to know that.

 

Unlike other services a business owner can hire help for, social media management requires a close relationship. It’s impossible to represent a  brand well if you don’t know it well. Getting the voice right and keeping it consistent is essential to succeeding in the digital world. It’s almost like acting, each brand is a character to me and I have to learn how that character thinks and feels in order to portray them honestly. Because of this, it’s extremely important that clients and social media managers are a good fit, just like an actor needs to be a good fit for a character. It is also important for a brand’s entire digital team to be a good fit too. Websites, blogs and email campaigns all need to have the same tone and voice as a brand’s social media presence. That’s why I work with Novalera, a technical solutions agency, to give clients a complete digital management option.

 

All of that time, thought and analysis is the meat and potatoes of what I do. The other portion of my work is the kind that produces something tangible. I create posts for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. complete with branded images and graphics.

 

Don’t struggle to craft your brand’s social media presence. Let me do the work for you.