As we see the world of social media grow, we see new jobs emerge. In recent years, the role of a social media manager has now become a team member for businesses to maintain their image on social media platforms.
why is this giving me “social managers reading the comments on the brand account” energy? pic.twitter.com/S4j843kmYp
— natbalda (@natbalda) September 15, 2021
The term social media manager refers to the team that is behind the content and strategy of a brand or organization’s social media accounts.
This job hasn’t always been around, as it wasn’t too long ago that brands’ marketing strategies didn’t include sizable resources dedicated to Facebook or Instagram. When the social media career first started, Money.com reports that it was mainly young women visualizing their creative ideas and using hashtags to reach an audience. The job now includes research, analyzing data, advertising through the platforms, and more — sometimes too much for one person to handle.
"We're looking for a social media lead who can make TikToks, write tweets, set vision, educate execs, has a creative eye, manage influencers, lead customer support, manage PR crisis, and has 5 years experience." 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
— Bryna Corcoran (@BrynaTweets) October 13, 2021
Integrating social media into marketing is now almost essential for a business in order to market and connect with their customers. Because of the rise in social media usage on the business side, brands now need to hire experts to focus on the strategy and content in order to ensure a stellar Instagram experience for the customer.
Because social media is now a means of communication between a business and its customers, the job is past entry-level. In the past, it was even considered “intern work” since people didn’t use social media as a main source of “serious” marketing and communication. As social media continues to evolve, more positions open up with a rise in demand for applicants. Glassdoor estimates the average annual salary at around $55,000.
Although there are great aspects of the job — such as being able to channel your creative side — using social media for work, and the need to be the digital voice of your company, can come with cons like any career:
- The job is literally to sit on these platforms, which can blend your home and work life, since we’re used to using social media in our free time.
- New trends and expectations are constantly evolving, which brings pressure and demands you to stay in the know. This can create work at all times of the day, as these managers have to stay on top of their own content in addition to what’s trending on the platform.
- What goes on the internet is there forever and can be interpreted differently across audiences, which can intimidating for the person behind the screen, especially when it’s your job and livelihood.
switching between my personal and brand accounts as a social media manager pic.twitter.com/8MdYkbjUzO
— jodie (@jodieegrace) October 29, 2021
The role is often filled by younger employees who are digital natives and grew up alongside the rise of social media. Understanding how the platforms work and what people are drawn to is a crucial part of being successful in the job.
Since social media is not going anywhere, jobs continue to open up and companies demand more and more employees for this role. Although social media is everywhere, it’s still up-and-coming, since new trends arise and platforms continue to change on a regular basis.
Looking to the future, the evolution of social media will continue, no doubt. This will mean the career will also continue to develop into something bigger. What does this mean: a manager for each platform? Brands investing even more money towards social media than they are now?
We’ll have to wait and see!
