What is a Social Media Manager? - First published 17 August 2022
A Social Media Manager is how I market myself, not to be confused with a VA (virtual Assistant).
I often get asked about what I do...
What is an SMM? ( Social Media Manager)
An SMM manages your business page on a social media platform; it can be Facebook (my speciality), Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn & even TikTok.
Business owners give the SMM access to their business pages & usually ad accounts, not their personal profile.
If an SMM asks for your personal profile log in on Facebook or Instagram, I would suggest that they read the terms of service that state 'DO NOT give your personal profile login to anyone.
To give access to an SMM or a VA, you will be required to set up a business manager on the Facebook platform & you do that here if you don't already have one.
But what exactly does an SMM (Social Media Manager) do.
I will be using Facebook for the examples as that is the preferred platform I work with.
Social Media Manager has various jobs that they focus on, and I will explain each one in a little more detail.
- Data, data, data
- Scheduling posts
- Sending traffic to the website
- Engagement
- Studying the latest updates
- Marketing strategy
- Informing clients of changes they need to implement
These are the basics that I work under, but having said that, there are SMM out there that do more & do less. And the pricing usually reflects that.
There are also VAs out there who say they are an SMM, although they have not had the training.
Let's jump into the bullet points above:
DATA, DATA, DATA.
- This is what takes the longest to go over when an SMM starts managing your page. There the profiles of your current 'likers' to check to see if they are in your target market.
- They look at the times that are most active on that social platform.
- Then figure out how to write the copy for the posts, so you can attract more of those 'likers' that are your target market.
Scheduling Posts:
This is usually done with a 3rd party app that is approved by Facebook. It is important to have an approved 3rd party app for this because Facebook can delete any posts that are not from their approved list at any stage. Meaning you are taking a chance on all your previous posts, videos & any other content being lost forever.
Sending traffic to your website:
Adding a 'call to action on posts is a way of getting people to your website so they can purchase from your brand.
There is a delicate balance between giving a 'call to action' (CTA) & being pushy with sales.
I can send all the traffic to your website, but you will need to figure out the disconnect between them if they don't convert.
Engagement:
This can be done in a variety of ways, either as your page or as yourself.
The SMM will usually interact as the page on your business page and help with engagement at the start to help.
Once the consistency of posting posts that identify with your customers, then their engagement will increase over time.
Studying the latest updates:
A lot of time goes into learning the changes that are being made with the Facebook platform.
Facebook does not give us a list of the changes they make to any part of their Facebook platform or Instagram.
So we have to make educated guesses on how we are to change our strategies to suit the latest updates or Facebook's latest push for certain types of content.
Facebook always sees these changes as an improvement, but sometimes they are downright broken. I feel like we are in a forever BETA testing stage!
Marketing Strategies:
Some SMM's do not offer this as part of their package usually; if you have a working strategy, there is no need. But as changes happen, there can be adjustments that need to be implemented.
A good rule is to check the data every 3 months to see if adjustments can be made.
Informing clients of changes they need to implement:
This is a very delicate one. No one wants to hear that what they are doing is not working & I do struggle with this one. I understand having a business is like having a child & no one wants to be told how to raise their children. It is the same with a business; you have put hours of time & energy into your business & being told it is not working can feel like a knife to the heart.
Remember that we cannot be everything, everywhere, all the time & when you decide to delegate, you need to be prepared to let go a little & listen to an outside perspective.
This is also where another disconnection can come from.
When you started your business, you had a vision in your mind, is that vision still the same or have you got caught up in what you think your customer needs?
That is why it is important to listen to those you have brought into your business as experts.
Why hire an expert of you are going to not listen.
You waste both your time & the SMM time.
I hope I have given you enough information to understand what I do as an SMM.
I have a passion for what I do & sometimes come across as a bit of a perfectionist.
I want to enhance your social media presence to have consistent branding & messaging whenever new potential clients discover you & your business.
If you have any questions, you can find me here:
If you are want to have a chat to see if we are a good fit working together, book a call here
Wishing you an abundant week.
