Everyone assumes they can do social media. Not that you can blame them. Everyone has a Facebook account, can post a tweet in their sleep, and spend hours on Instagram. On the other hand, being a social media manager isn’t simply about posting content. It’s beyond being funny on your status updates, sensational on your Twitter feed, and having an eye for aesthetics.

A good social media manager is strategic, analytical, and focused. And as far as their tasks go, here’s a rundown of what exactly they do on a day to day basis:

1. They’re responsible for setting objectives and mapping out a strategy to meet these goals

A social media manager’s familiarity with social media and the brand they represent is critical to their ability to set achievable goals. These goals are essentially what will pave the road for a plan that will allow them to meet the objectives they set. For example, if they wanted to focus on growing the brand’s follower base and increasing engagement, how well they know the audience will definitely come into play.

2. They use their knowledge of the different platforms to build a brand’s online reputation 

How a brand uses Facebook to grow their brand will be different to how you can build an audience on Twitter or Instagram. Your strategy for building credibility on Pinterest, won’t be the same approach you take if you’re using LinkedIn. The point is, social media managers understand the nuances between each platform and leverage on them to build their brand’s online reputation.

3. They routinely monitor, manage, and respond to all forms of online engagement

Depending on how well your social media marketing is working, you likely have to field questions, comments, and other posts on your different platforms. As a brand, social media managers have to constantly engage and check on these given that all brand pages are public. That said, a big part of what social media managers do is checking and responding to all forms of interactions that go through these channels. From reviews—good and bad—to complaints, to likes and follows, comments and shares.

4. They design, create, and manage promotions and manage ad campaigns

Social media has since introduced a way for marketers to generate ads to further boost the visibility of their product and services. Social media managers are responsible for creating ad campaigns that are relevant to their brand’s target audience. Whether it’s for promoting a blog, or a product or service, their knowledge about the ins and outs of social media advertising and reaching high-quality leads comes into play.

5. They stay up to date with trends in tools, apps, and strategies that can boost their marketing efforts

Being a social media manager means you have to constantly stay up to date and educate yourself on the best ways to implement your plans. Technology is always changing, as do social media algorithms. Therefore, social media managers have to be constantly on their toes.

Staying on top of social media requires constant work and close monitoring. Social media managers take on the responsibility of managing everything from start to finish. Making the effort to do so can do a lot for your brand. If you want to know more, reach out to me at Leadspanda and I’d be happy to discuss it with you personally.