The digital revolution has been creating a series of new professions, each with a series of functions. Sometimes some can be confused because they have very similar tasks. This usually happens with the Social Media Manager and the Community Manager . Let’s go to the functions and profile of the first to be clear about what it is.
What is a Social Media Manager?
The Social Media Manager is the specialist within digital marketing in charge of preparing and planning the social media strategy of a company , to be carried out by the Community Manager.
The figure of the Social Media Manager appears due to the growing importance of social networks as a means to channel various marketing, advertising and communication actions. This has caused the need to have a specialized profile within companies.
Role of the Social Media Manager within the company
What specifically does this professional do in his day-to-day in the company? His functions are diverse, although his most common tasks are:
- Plan and prepare the company ‘s social media plan .
- Define the objectives that the company must achieve in social networks.
- Monitor the actions to know if the set objectives are being achieved and what the return on investment (ROI) is.
- Analyze the main competitors.
- Know the situation within the market and the needs of customers.
- Maintain a fluid relationship with the Community Manager, helping him to plan his work, giving him the pertinent instructions and keeping him up to date with all the news.
- Analyze and interpret data from external and internal sources, especially those that come from the Community Manager.
- Prepare a contingency plan in the event of an online reputation crisis and, if it occurs, actively collaborate in its resolution.
Functions of the Social Media Manager
As we have already mentioned, the Social Media Manager plans the strategies, while the Community Manager is in charge of executing the actions. For this reason, the skills of the former must be more strategic, with special emphasis on analytical skills. The profile of the Social Media Manager should be:
- Knowledge of the social media environment, its resources and tools.
- Strategic vision and analysis capacity.
- Knowledge of the marketing and advertising possibilities of social networks and being up to date with the constant changes that are taking place.
- Communication skills to be able to agree on the strategy with clients and work together with the Community Manager.
- High ability to work under pressure, must be able to adapt to changes and make decisions in a short space of time.
The Social Media Manager is a key piece within the online marketing department of a company , since he is in charge of defining the strategy, deciding what actions to launch at each moment.
They must also be able to react flexibly, quickly and correctly in the event that it is necessary to implement changes in the social communication policy of the brand or company.
A Social Media Manager is NOT a Community Manager
Although they are two different figures, it is very normal for them to be confused. It is important to be clear that the Community Manager (CM) and the SMM are two very different professional profiles. The main differences are:
- From the point of view of hierarchy, the SMM is above the CM.
- The SMM plans and designs the strategy while the CM executes and manages.
- The CM’s work is bidirectional, that is, he promotes the brand to consumers and at the same time listens to the audience. However, the SMM only thinks about projecting the brand before the audience.
- The SMM creates content to promote the organization, while the CM creates content to promote the conversation.
- The SMM makes strategic decisions while the CM makes tactical decisions.
