Social media manager job profile

Social media managers lead an organisation's social media strategy in order to boost visibility and customer and client engagement

As a social media manager, you'll manage an organisation's online presence by developing and implementing their social media strategy.

You'll lead campaigns and projects across a range of social media channels, producing engaging content, analysing usage data, building client relationships and facilitating customer service.

Social media strategies often integrate both organic (free content, such as posts, photos, videos, blogs and memes) and paid (advertising) strategies.

Social media management can be a distinct role in larger organisations and is sometimes known as social media coordination. In small and medium-sized companies, the role may be combined with other marketing and communications responsibilities. In agencies, the term social media account manager is often used.

Responsibilities

Job activities vary to a certain extent depending on, for example, the size of the company you work for. For example, in larger companies you may have more of a strategic role, whereas in smaller companies you may be more hands-on.

However, as a social media manager, you'll typically need to:

design and deliver creative and engaging social media strategies
manage the day-to-day handling of all social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, Tumblr and YouTube, adapting content to suit different channels and audiences
oversee, plan and deliver content across different platforms using scheduling tools such as Sprinklr, Hootsuite, Buffer, Asana and Later
create and/or coordinate original and engaging multimedia content across multiple social platforms
develop, launch and manage new competitions and campaigns that promote your organisation and brand
form key relationships with influencers across social media platforms
undertake audience research
manage and facilitate social media communities by responding to social media posts and developing discussions
monitor, track, analyse and report on performance on social media platforms using tools such as Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights
identify consumer trends to help with planning social media campaigns
optimise content to further encourage community interaction and engagement
research and evaluate the latest tools and techniques in order to find new and better ways of measuring social media activity
analyse competitor activity
recommend improvements to increase performance
set targets to increase brand awareness and increase customer engagement and loyalty
manage, motivate and coach junior staff such as social media executives or assistants
manage and track budgets for social media activities
educate other staff on the use of social media and promote its use within your company (in-house roles)
encourage collaboration across teams and departments
regularly liaise with clients via telephone, email, conference calls or face-to-face (agency roles).

Salary

As an assistant or junior social media manager your starting salary is likely to be between £22,000 and £28,000, depending on your experience.
Social media managers typically earn between £28,000 and £45,000.
With substantial experience, in roles such as head of social media or account director, salaries can range from £50,000 to in excess of £60,000.
According to 3Search, freelance rates for social media managers typically range from £200 to £300 a day. For more senior roles, such as head of social, this can rise to around £350 to £500 per day.

Salaries vary depending on a range of factors including your location, the sector you work in, the type of organisation you work for (e.g. agency or in-house), your experience, and the success of your social media campaign activities.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You'll usually work normal office hours, 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. However, you may work longer hours if working to a campaign deadline.

Full-time work is common, although part-time work and contract work is available, particularly if freelance. If you work on a freelance basis, you may work longer hours depending on the needs of your clients and the amount of work you're prepared to take on.

There are also some opportunities for hybrid working - split between home and the office.

What to expect

You'll usually be office based but may sometimes travel to meet clients or attend relevant networking events and conferences.
Opportunities exist across the UK but tend to be in major cities and towns, particularly jobs with larger agencies.
Flexible working patterns and some homeworking may be possible. Self-employment or freelance work is possible with experience.
The role can be challenging, as social media and the wider digital marketing industry is a continuously changing and fast-paced sector, but also rewarding.

Qualifications

There are no set qualifications for becoming a social media manager, although many entrants have a degree, and some employers require this. It's open to graduates from any discipline, but the following subjects may be particularly useful:

advertising
business management
journalism
marketing (particularly digital and social media marketing)
media and communications
public relations.

Employers often view personal qualities, existing knowledge and experience as equally important as a degree.

It's also possible to get into social media management by taking an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships combine paid work as an apprentice with part-time academic study. Relevant apprenticeships include:

Level 3 content creator advanced apprenticeship
Level 3 multi-channel marketer advanced apprenticeship
Level 4 digital community manager higher apprenticeship
Level 6 digital marketer degree apprenticeship.

Search Find an apprenticeship for opportunities.

Your first role is likely to be at junior or assistant level and you'll work your way up from there. It's also common to move into this role after gaining experience in marketing, PR or advertising.

Although not essential, you can study for a relevant postgraduate qualification in areas such as:

digital and social media marketing
social media and digital communication.

Skills

You'll need to have:

a solid understanding of the use of a range of social media platforms, particularly in relation to advertising/branding and customers
strong copywriting and editing skills suitable for each platform, from knowing how to write a successful tweet to using effective storytelling techniques
strong communication and people skills for articulating ideas to colleagues and clients
knowledge and understanding of algorithms and search engine optimisation
creative thinking skills for contributing new and innovative ideas
leadership qualities to manage and motivate a team
excellent teamworking, collaboration and networking skills, as well as the ability to work independently
organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise and work across multiple projects simultaneously
project and campaign management skills
the ability to work well under pressure in order to meet deadlines
skills in data analysis and interpreting statistics
online community management and customer service skills to strike the balance between publicity and stimulating direct discussion with potential and actual customers
an eye for detail and the ability to work accurately
motivation and commitment.

Work experience

The digital marketing sector, which includes social media roles, is a popular career choice, so relevant experience is expected by the majority of employers.

You can start building experience by developing a strong online presence and personal brand across a number of social media channels. Writing a good quality blog, and using multimedia tools such as videos, photos and infographics can help you build up a good following. Track the impact of your posts as evidence of your effective social media communication.

To stand out, you'll need to show that you are able to use and manage social media channels well on a professional level. Look out for paid social media placement years or summer internships, which are sometimes available with large companies. Use any experience you get to create a portfolio of your successful campaigns. This can be used at interview.

You could also try directly contacting the marketing departments of companies, digital marketing/social media agencies and charities speculatively to ask about their work experience opportunities.

You can also look for social media voluntary work or projects that can provide experience of developing, writing and editing engaging communications for different channels and audiences. For a database of UK volunteering opportunities, see Do IT.

As social media is used as a significant part of a wider marketing strategy, experience gained in other related roles, such as design, marketing or communications, is also useful.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

In-house opportunities, working exclusively for one organisation, are normally found in medium to large organisations across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. You can find opportunities in a diverse range of industries such as retail, higher education and even independent inquiries set up by the government.

You could also work for an agency managing social media for a number of clients. Agencies can specialise in social media or have a broader remit such as digital marketing or PR. Freelance work is possible with experience.

Look for vacancies at:

Professional development

It's important to keep your skills and knowledge up to date throughout your career as social platforms and channels evolve. You can do this by taking short courses in new technologies and tools and attending events and webinars.

You can work towards professional qualifications through relevant professional bodies, such as the:

Although many of these courses may help professional development, the IDM Professional Certificate in Social Media (Cert SocM) may be particularly relevant.

Joining a professional body, such as the DMI, IDM or CIM, can increase your status as an industry professional and offer a range of benefits. These typically include the chance to attend events, take part in mentoring schemes and gain access to webinars to keep you up to date with relevant trends.

You can also study at postgraduate level to further develop your skills and knowledge.

Career prospects

You may start as a junior social media manager, assisting a more senior manager. At this stage, you're likely to have a more task-oriented focus, managing and engaging directly with online communities, rather than a strategic or analytical one.

As your career develops, however, you will take on more strategical responsibility, which includes designing, overseeing and analysing social media campaigns, and delegating work to more junior staff.

With the right mix of skills and experience, you could move into a social media management role with a larger company or progress into a more senior role such as:

senior social media manager
head of social media
social media strategist
social media account director.

You could also consider moving into senior roles with a broader digital communications remit.

The social media and digital marketing sector is fast-changing, so it can be difficult to predict how social media jobs will evolve in the future.

Find out how Phoebe became a digital engagement apprentice at BBC Bitesize.

Social media manager