Social media manager

Oh My Job is a web series that helps you learn about specific roles from the people who carry them out every day. In this episode, Sara, a social media manager, shares her professional insights and talks about her daily work life at la nouvelle.

The role of a social media manager is to oversee and develop the image of a brand–and its products–on all social media platforms.

Responsibilities:

Social media managers have different duties and responsibilities, depending on where they work. The size of the company–and whether it’s an agency or advertising firm–will have an impact on the scope of their role. First and foremost, they are in charge of creating social media strategies for brands; in other words, they build a strategy that will establish an effective social media presence for the brand. At the same time, their job involves community management, content development and creation, media coverage and monitoring the performance of their campaigns and content. Based on the size of the company, a social media manager will often manage a social media team, if there is one.

A few examples of typical duties:

• Developing, over the long term, the image of a brand that wants to create affinity and loyalty among its current and potential customers.
• Guiding a brand that is changing its DNA (for example, rejuvenating the brand image among its target audience).
• Boosting sales and speeding up the ROI; today, social media makes it possible for brands to sell directly to their audience, in real-time.

Career path:

There are schools today that offer specific courses for social media professions. But a more traditional communications or business school degree is another solid background for those wanting to become a social media manager. What matters most is being interested in the profession and in social media platforms themselves. It is also important to have the desire to learn something new every day.

“My advice for future social media managers would be to focus on what you want to do since there is so much to choose from when it comes to the size of the company and sector you want to work in–carefully consider what you want your everyday professional life to look like. And, at the beginning of your career, go ahead and get lots of experience working for different kinds of companies, so you get an idea of all the different ways you can work in the field”.

Skills:

An effective social media manager must be rigorous, because there’s a schedule to follow and top-quality content to come up with–and that includes grammar. Curiosity and open-mindedness are also essential qualities because you must keep an eye on what competitors or foreign brands are doing, as well as new features and platforms. Resting on one’s laurels is not an option; you must always re-invent your approach.

Collaborative relationships:

In an agency, social media managers work closely with the account executive, project manager, and creative teams. They also work with their clients. When it comes to working with the advertiser, social media managers collaborate with internal teams to execute their strategies across different social networks. They work on a daily basis with the people who help them develop the different content that gets published.

Salary:

In the United States, the average gross annual salary is $59,000.

Career progression:

A social media manager will get the chance to progress as a social media expert wherever they work, whether it’s for an agency or advertising firm. They can also become a social media account executive or social media department manager.

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