Social Media Managers are Underrated

Social media managers are underrated. Underrated and undervalued.

And there’s definitely a stigma around those who work in the industry. People ask you what you do for work and you say you work in social media. Whether that be in management or advertising or analytics — you can hear the insincerity in their voice when they say, “Oh, that’s cool!”

They don’t see it as a real job, or at least not a distinguished one.

Maybe it’s because the nature of media is so casual, that people outside of the marketing industry, and maybe even those inside it too, at times, underestimate the power of social media.

Social media is a moneymaker and jobs in the field need to be more respected.

It takes time to write a good social post and even more time to develop your account’s brand voice, to research the target market, to track the analytics of your posts and develop a plan to make changes to improve them.

Social media management takes time and it takes skill.

It also happens to be what should be multiple separate paid positions, all in one.

Social media managers are copywriters. They meticulously craft clever and direct messages that spread the message of their brand.

Social media managers are graphic designers. They understand colors and balance and just have an eye for aesthetics. Plus, they’re often skilled in on or a few design software programs.

Social media managers are photo and video editors. They know how to colorize, improve lighting and assemble raw materials. Not to mention, they often are doing this for photos and videos that they produced. So add those positions to the list as well.

Social media managers are community managers. They use their knowledge of their brands to effectively interact with their consumers and moderate online conversations.

Social media managers are public relations professionals. They help shape the perception of their companies and in the wake of a crisis, they’re on the team that handles it.

Social media managers are data analysts. They closely track the engagement with their posts and channels, making critical plans to improve these numbers.

Social media managers are well-rounded marketing professionals and need to be recognized for all the valuable, hard work they do.