What Does a Social Media Manager Do?

A question I usually receive from aspiring social media managers and prospective clients who are not social media managers is:

“What does a social media manager do?”

If you are an aspiring social media manager or a busy business owner struggling to find time to manage your social media platforms and you’re thinking about hiring a professional to help you, here’s what you need to know.

Social media managers wear multiple hats and here’s a list of our responsibilities.

1. Social Media Platform Audit

Prior to creating content for a newly-onboarded client, I usually perform a social media platform audit.

A social media platform audit is an assessment of the client’s social media marketing initiatives. When I perform a social media platform audit, I look into what’s currently working, what's not working, and what can still be improved. I take note of the posts that have a lot of engagement (e.g., likes, comments, and shares) and what type of content resonates with the client’s target audience.

With the data I’ve gathered from the social media platform audit, I will then use it to create a comprehensive social media strategy for my client specific to each social media platform.

To keep things simple, I have a social media template for this, and the client receives a PDF version of it. I usually present this to my client during a meeting, so that they are also able to provide feedback and key insights.

2. Social Media Strategy

Once I have performed a social media platform audit, I then proceed to developing my client’s social media strategy. A social media strategy is a roadmap that will serve as your guide in managing your social media platforms, planning social media content, and creating content that speaks to the right audience.

The reason why having a social media strategy is so crucial is that it serves as my guide to understanding my client’s brand personality, products or services, goals and objectives, target audience, competitors, content pillars, content production process, overall brand look and feel, key performance indicators, engagement strategy, and hashtag strategies.

Think of it this way: Social media managers don’t just create posts, schedule them, and manage the day-to-day tasks of maintaining an account. I am both a manager and a strategist combined. I always combine strategy and data when planning and creating social media content for my clients.

If you want to become a social media manager, you also need to be able to think strategically. This means being able to recommend strategies that you believe would work, while also knowing how to optimize them as you move along.

3. Social Media Content Planning

Yes, I also brainstorm and plan my client’s social media content. As I mentioned above, I combine both existing data, insights, and strategy to do this.

I personally do my social media content planning using a content bank and content calendar that I have developed and optimized throughout the years. A content bank is essentially a document where you list out content ideas for the month or week based on your proposed content pillars. On the other hand, a content calendar is a schedule where I plot out my suggested content topics.

I also take into consideration upcoming in-store or online promos, events, holidays, and relevant awareness days when I am planning out my client’s content.

4. Social Media Content Creation

Now, the fun part begins! Once I have my client’s social media strategy and content calendar in place, I start creating content.

If my client has existing assets or creates their own content, I utilize these assets to create the content that I have planned out on their content calendar. Note that I typically review their existing assets while planning their social media content. If there are posts that will require specific photos and videos that are not readily available, I always make sure to request these ahead of time from my client. I usually provide them with content guidelines and scripts if needed.

On the other hand, if my client does not create their own content, I usually capture the content myself based on their social media content calendar. I typically do this in advance because capturing content might take some time due to the logistics and editing involved.

Since I work with both local and international clients, they have the option to send their products for me to capture photos and videos. In other cases, I personally visit their office or store to capture content for them.

Once I have the assets, I begin editing, creating graphics, and producing videos for Instagram reels and TikTok.

5. Social Media Scheduling

After creating the content, I then send it over to my client for approval. Once they have provided their feedback, I proceed to edit the posts and schedule them.

I personally use Later and Meta Business Suite for this purpose. If my client has a preferred social media scheduling tool, I also make use of that.

6. Social Media Analytics

This is where monthly reporting comes in. As a social media manager, I also analyze the performance of each post to gain insights into what's effective, what's not, and recommend areas for enhancement as we move along.

I personally have a social media report template that I use for this purpose as well. I look into my client’s growth rate, engagement, reach, impressions, and click-through rates. Do note that the metrics that I measure are unique to my client’s goals and objectives as well.

7. Community Management

As a social media manager, when asked "what does a social media manager do," I also inform aspiring social media managers and prospective clients that we also engage in community management.

Building and managing a community entails different tasks — responding to direct messages, replying to comments, and interacting with the audience. This is a great way to build relationships and trust with my client’s audience.

As social media managers, we play a pivotal role in businesses. We not only assist brands in creating engaging content but also enable busy business owners to focus their energy on other aspects of their business (e.g., sales, human resources, accounting, and operations).

Do you need more help? I have a lot of FREE resources here about all things social media marketing— from social media strategy, social media content planning, to social media content creation.

If you are looking to hire a social media manager and would like to learn more about our social media management packages, click here and please don’t hesitate to reach out.