What does the role of a Social Media Manager actually entail?

What does the role of a Social Media Manager actually entail?

For such a booming industry, the waters are pretty murky regarding what social media managers actually do.

Let's start with the definition of a Social Media Manager:

A Social Media Manager is a professional responsible for creating, curating, managing, and monitoring content across social media platforms to build a brand's presence, engage its audience, and achieve business goals.

A Social Media Manager's role includes:

• Developing social media strategies
• Publishing posts
• Responding to comments and messages
• Analysing performance metrics
• Staying on top of trends to grow the brand's online community and drive results

As a freelance social media manager, the above is not always the reality. In fact, if you're working with small businesses, you're likely creating and editing content, too.

So, what is the definition of a Content Creator?

A Content Creator produces engaging and valuable content designed specifically for social media platforms, such as videos, photos, graphics, and written posts. They aim to entertain, educate, inspire, or inform an audience while aligning with a brand's voice and objectives. Content creators often use trends, platform algorithms, and storytelling techniques to grow reach and engagement.

In an ideal world, you are either a Social Media Manager or a Content Creator, but two people = twice the cost. And even big businesses aren't necessarily willing to employ both (just look at any job listing on LinkedIn).

We're not saying this is right, but it is the reality. If you are a Social Media Manager also creating content, you need to make sure you're charging appropriately because we have seen people charging <£300 a month and not only are they doing themselves a disservice, they are devaluing the industry. We have a tool to help you determine how much to charge based on experience and deliverables, because being the cheapest is simply a race to the bottom...and burnout.