What does a social media manager do?
Social media managers are responsible for representing the company's business through social media channels. They help the company grow by enhancing its presence via social networks. Primarily, they need to implement marketing plans and identify their target clients and create a content schedule. Their duties include implementing and strategizing digital marketing campaigns. They support the development of brand identity and promotional strategies. Candidates for the job must be excellent in communication skills, have in-depth knowledge of how social platforms work, and easily understand the target audience.
Social media manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real social media manager resumes:
- Manage Google Ticketmaster SEM accounts.
- Used social media systems to schedule, manage, and curate content across various social media platforms.
- Manage the development of multiple e-commerce websites, including gathering requirements for basic layout, design and content of websites.
- Organize events for the public and manage the organization's branding through logo use, print materials and social media marketing.
- Develop and lead Facebook strategy.
- Manage the company Facebook page; promote inventory through Pinterest
- See an increase in twitter activity, and begin uploading local content to new YouTube channel.
- Maintain various blogs using WordPress.
- Optimize email marketing with segmentation and A/B testing.
- Leverage multiple social media channels to grow unique communities.
- Web marketing such as SEO and SEM are also implement.
- Utilize Salesforce to streamline content distribution to client base through CRM tool.
- Design a social media campaign for a men's clothing store that increase Facebook engagement and activity.
- Establish benchmarks, and monitor and report on KPIs to show the impact of social media on business.
- Produce content for specialize campaigns and for tweets later used by the presidential candidate on his personal twitter account.
Social media manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Social Media Managers are proficient in Instagram, Twitter, and Digital Marketing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Communication skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Social Media Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Instagram, 9%
Designated Social Media Director Maintained up-to-date information on such social media platforms as our Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts.
- Twitter, 7%
Managed Twitter and Facebook pages while consistently engaging with social media followers and monitoring online presence of competitors.
- Digital Marketing, 6%
Managed vendor relationships, business partnerships, digital marketing campaigns, website changes/updates, marketing collateral production, and budgeting.
- Social Media Marketing, 6%
Created social media marketing/customer communication initiatives.
- Facebook Insights, 5%
Analyzed Facebook Insights to increase target market penetration.
- Media Management, 5%
Provided basic website design and social media management services.
"instagram," "twitter," and "digital marketing" are among the most common skills that social media managers use at work. You can find even more social media manager responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. Many social media manager duties rely on communication skills. "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process," so a social media manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways social media manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "created monthly communication to all corporate employees and franchise owners regarding upcoming initiatives and marketing campaigns. "
Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of social media managers is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday social media manager duties, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "optimized conversion funnel with a/b testing and landing page data wrote daily content on prediction analysis for sports events. "
Creativity. For certain social media manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "creativity." The day-to-day duties of a social media manager rely on this skill, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what social media managers do: "coordinated and executed logistics for creative marketing campaigns and product releases. "
Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for a social media manager to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what social media managers relies on this skill, since "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." How this skill relates to social media manager duties can be seen in an example from a social media manager resume snippet: "prepare or edit organizational publications for internal and external audiences, including employee newsletters, press releases and stockholders' reports. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a social media manager does. Social media manager responsibilities require this skill because "managers must deal with a range of people in different roles, both inside and outside the organization." This resume example highlights how social media manager duties rely on this skill: "utilized my interpersonal skills by providing great customer service answering phones and scheduling lessons for the golf instructors. "
The three companies that hire the most social media managers are:
- American Heart Association38 social media managers jobs
- Owens & Minor12 social media managers jobs
- Robert Half12 social media managers jobs
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Compare different social media managers
Social media manager vs. Marketing manager/project manager
A marketing manager/project manager oversees a company's marketing programs and projects, aiming to attract more customers and increase the brand value of a business, product, or service. They primarily perform market research and assessments to identify marketing trends and opportunities, gather and analyze data to generate business leads, study the consumer and competitors in the industry, and identify the weaknesses and strengths of existing marketing projects, utilizing information to enhance operations. Additionally, a marketing manager/project manager leads operations and empowers staff while implementing company policies and industry standards.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a social media manager are more likely to require skills like "instagram," "social media marketing," "facebook insights," and "social platforms." On the other hand, a job as a marketing manager/project manager requires skills like "project management," "email marketing," "project scope," and "crm." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Marketing manager/project managers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $95,863. On the other hand, social media managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $82,546.On average, marketing manager/project managers reach higher levels of education than social media managers. Marketing manager/project managers are 7.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social media manager vs. Revenue manager
A revenue manager is responsible for conducting price analysis and revenue strategies to support business development and improve marketing techniques. Revenue managers research on the current market trends, evaluate statistical data of resources, maintain reasonable rates, and match the competitiveness of other hotel industries. They also work closely with the marketing and public relations team on releasing press releases, managing media appearance, and publishing content on the digital platform. A revenue manager must have excellent communication and organizational skills, tracking business and financial transactions, and coordinating with potential clients for partnerships.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, social media manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "instagram," "twitter," "digital marketing," and "social media marketing." Meanwhile, a revenue manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "revenue cycle," "reservations," "patients," and "cycle management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Revenue managers may earn a higher salary than social media managers, but revenue managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $99,553. On the other hand, social media managers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $82,546.In general, revenue managers achieve higher levels of education than social media managers. They're 7.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Social media manager vs. Content manager
A Content Manager is focused on creating, improving, and maintaining content to achieve the business goals. They lead a team of copywriters and content executives.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from social media manager resumes include skills like "social media marketing," "facebook insights," "social platforms," and "customer service," whereas a content manager is more likely to list skills in "project management," "wordpress," "facebook," and "video content. "
Content managers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $86,931. On the other hand, social media managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $82,546.When it comes to education, content managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to social media managers. In fact, they're 4.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social media manager vs. Product manager
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between social media managers and product managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a social media manager might have more use for skills like "instagram," "twitter," "social media marketing," and "facebook insights." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of product managers require skills like "product management," "qa," "product strategy," and "project management. "
Product managers enjoy the best pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $114,839. For comparison, social media managers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of product managers showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to social media managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 9.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.Types of social media manager
Updated January 8, 2025
