What is A Social Media Manager, And Why Should You Specialize In This Profile?

There are terms that, although they sound almost the same and at first glance, are the same, they are very different when analyzed in detail. Today in the world of marketing, there are many of these terms, for example, social media, social networks, SEO, SEM, CTA, CPC, CPM, CPA, Community manager, social media manager.

Precisely, these last two mentioned terms are confusing. In fact, many believe that it refers to the same type of work, for this reason, some companies are looking for a professional who meets both profiles, that is, they are looking for a 2 × 1 and offer lower than acceptable salary. I clarify that this is not done with bad intention (I hope) but out of ignorance. That is why it is important to know what a social media manager is, what he does, and if his job is the same as that of a Community Manager.

The figure of the Social Media Manager is perhaps one of the most demanded in recent years, like that of the Community Manager. Both have to have a strategic plan in mind so that the objectives of the company are met. But to what extent do we really know what a Social Media Manager is and what its functions are? In this article, we reveal why these professions are so different. Continue reading to also find out the most important skills that all of the top recruiting agencies are looking for when hiring a social media manager.“

Table of Contents

What Is The Social Media Manager?

The Social Media Manager is in charge of creating, introducing, and leading a company’s strategy on social networks, in addition to designing its presence on social media. It is in charge of giving these social media a social and strategic focus. He prepares and plans the network action strategy that will be subsequently carried out by the Community Manager.

In other words, the Social Media Manager creates a social media plan, which must be closely linked to the brand’s objectives.

This promotion can include tools such as social networks, blogs, webinars, and others; hence the SMM must know them all and know what they contribute to a campaign. If you want to know more about the best Social Media tools, don’t hesitate to download the following ebook:

The Social Media Manager has to control the monitoring of social networks as well as know the latest trends that move through the network. But the work not only stays there, but I also have to control the competition and that of the clients. Analyzes and interprets the data they get from the campaigns, drawing conclusions on how these have worked, either through tools of analysis and KPI’s, ROI, or web analytics.

Outstanding Functions Of The Social Media Manager

The work of the SMM within an organization includes the following functions:

Do A Market Study

The first task that the SMM must carry out is to carry out a market study, investigate what consumers want, where they are, what are the networks in which it is possible to find them, what type of content they prefer, starting From the results of this research or study, you can prepare a social media plan.

Content Creator

Content is an essential part of any business related to marketing, and for many copywriters that we have on staff, it is necessary to adapt it to any of the social networks in which we move. Either attract “I like you” or synthesize articles in 140 characters. This function is also added to generate audiovisual content that supports the content.

Brand In Social Media

Design the presence of the brand in social media. Plan what will be done, how, when, and why.

Social Networks And Platforms

Select the social networks and platforms where the promotion will take place: according to the market study, the segmentation of the target audience, and what is sought with the campaign, the SMM decides which are the appropriate social networks and channels to carry out the promotion. This work is important because although there are several platforms, not all of them help to achieve the objectives.

Design The Roadmap That The CM Must Follow

Design the roadmap that the CM must follow as I mentioned above, the CM executes what is planned by the SMM; therefore, the latter must elaborate and clearly indicate the steps to be followed, that is, what must be done and how.

Manage And Assign Budget

Manage and assign budget the SMM has access to the company’s financial resources and is in charge of distributing them among the different activities that will be carried out as part of the campaigns. In addition, it must ensure its proper use.

Addicted To Today

Addicted to today As in any profession related to social media, you need to be on the lookout for the latest news. Both those that are directly and indirectly related to Marketing.

Design The Response Plan Before The Crisis

Design the response plan before the crisis what to do when there are unsatisfied customers with valid reasons, trolls, when the customer receives a defective product, a mistake is made in a communication campaign, a company manager makes an inappropriate comment in a communication media? How to respond? The SMM must design a plan that can be used on these occasions, and that obviously works.

Supervising The Work Of The CM

Supervising the work of the CM the SMM is above the CM; hence it must supervise the work it performs, although it is not in charge of its tasks; rather gives it autonomy if it is in charge of verifying that it fulfills its work and follows the defined strategy.

Analyze The Results Of The Campaigns Carried Out

Analyze the results of the campaigns carried out it is not only about planning but also evaluating. For this reason, the SMM must analyze and interpret the results of each campaign, analyze the successes and, very especially, the errors. Once the results are known, new strategies are developed to take advantage of strengths and opportunities and improve weaknesses. Also, you must make an analysis from the economic point of view, that is, evaluate the ROI; in this way, you will be able to verify if the investment is profitable or if, on the contrary, you are losing money. Nobody likes to invest in something that only generates losses.

Monitoring Report

Interpret the data from the social media monitoring report prepared by the CM.

In summary, a Social Media Manager investigates, plans and designs the strategies that will be used in social media for a marketing campaign, and their work is essential within a company because they are the ones who decide what will be done and in what way to obtain the better results and achieve the proposed objectives.

A Social Media Manager Is NOT A Community Manager

Although they could get confused, and most of the time it is done, it is important to be clear that the Community Manager (CM) and the SMM are different types of professionals. The main differences between the work of both are:

If we speak in terms of hierarchy within the organization, the SMM is above the CM.
The SMM plans and designs while the CM executes and manages. In other words, the latter ensures that the objectives established by the former are met. Let’s see an example; the SMM decides which social networks will be promoted, and the CM is in charge of using or scheduling the publication on those networks.
The work of the CM is bidirectional; that is, it promotes the brand to the audience and, at the same time, listens to the audience and communicates to the brand what is said about it, while the SMM only projects the brand to the audience.
The SMM creates content to promote the organization, while the CM creates content to promote the conversation.
The SMM makes strategic decisions while the CM makes tactical decisions.
The SMM encourages collaboration and strategic alliances with other brands or companies, and the CM fosters relationships on social networks with clients and potential clients.
The SMM’s relationship with users is impersonal since generally its work is done behind closed doors, while the CM’s relationship with the audience is personal, it is he who stands up to the clients, who interact with them.

But Then, Social Media And Community Are Not Alike?

The community must work closely with the Social Media Manager so that all the planned strategies are put into practice. It is not that the Social is above the community, but it is the guide that indicates what the strategy to carry out and the one that responds to the results of it is. As we have already mentioned in previous posts, the Community Manager manages the entire online community so that it is lasting, always under the supervision of the Social Media Manager.

What is a Social Media Manager? In short, a good SMM is defined by having strategic and communication skills, analytical skills, working under pressure, and keeping an open mind at all times.

Why Specialize In Social Media Manager?

Undoubtedly, for many businesses, social networks have become an indispensable element when promoting their products or services through the Internet and thus have visibility for their potential audience.

However, not all companies have professionals specialized in Marketing Digital, able to plan and manage campaigns adapted to this new format. For this reason, the demand for Social Media professionals has undoubtedly exploded along with sectors such as digital marketing and e-commerce.

But what does specializing in Social Media consist of? Social Media requires deep training in digital skills and technical skills to successfully achieve professional performance.