Life As A Social Media Manager
Let’s get social!
If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be working in the social media world today… I probably would have been very confused. Before my internship at BKN Creative, and all of the marketing/content creation classes that I took in college, I knew very little about social media and the digital marketing world in general. Plus, Social Media is CONSTANTLY changing every single day, so who was I to keep track? Well, now it’s my job-- and I love every single part of it.
A lot of times when I tell people what I do for a living, I often get responses like, “Wow, so you get paid to just be on your phone all day?” or, “That’s so cool! It seems like such a fun and easy job!”. Now, although there is a small sliver of truth behind 1 of those statements, they are VASTLY false and misleading. So, If you’re interested in what a career in social media looks like, or are thinking about working in the field, let’s dive a little deeper into what a my day to day life as a social media manager truly looks like, and what makes it so “cool”.
Meetings… And More Meetings…
This probably goes without saying, but meetings are something that become part of any daily work routine. For me in particular, Monday’s tend to be my most meeting-heavy days, as it’s obviously the beginning of a new week. Typically, meetings consists of me meeting with our interns and going over their to-do lists for the week, meeting with our entire team to discuss goals and upcoming tasks that are currently in the works, meeting with my bosses to review immediate client tasks and updates, or meeting with clients for either a photoshoot and/or to discuss monthly insights/ analytics. Although meetings can be a challenge to fit into any busy schedule, they are VITAL in order to facilitate a smooth operation, and I actually really enjoy them because they give me the opportunity to collaborate with my fellow creatives in and out of the office!
Content Creation
If you work in the marketing/digital world, or are a content creator, then you already know that any time you get to create original content, it is definitely the highlight of the day. On average, I usually spend anywhere between 5-15 hours each week (give or take) creating content for each of our brands. Whether I'm creating graphics/stories for instagram, taking and editing photos or videos, creating mock instagram feeds, storyboarding, or writing blogs, content creation allows us to help tell a brands story in a visual way, all while maintaining brand awareness. Luckily, I'm fortunate enough to work in an amazing workplace environment, and am allowed a lot of creative freedom in any of the content that I create. This not only gives me the opportunity to create work that makes ME proud, but work that also makes my bosses AND our client proud as well.
Calendars/ Schedules
“Wow, so you get paid to just be on your phone all day?”... I have a simple answer for that. Hell No. Most people assume that working in social media automatically means that you work on your phone all day, when in reality, that is far from the truth. Of course, a lot of tasks like posting and content creation can be done using a smartphone, however, on a daily basis, only about 10% of my time is actually spent managing social media via a cellular device. The remaining 90% of that time is spent solely working on my computer! This is because a very large majority of my time with social media is spent creating strategic content calendars that are customized for each of our clients, and scheduling those calendars accordingly across various platforms using scheduling software.
When creating these content calendars, the process usually includes hours of copywriting, endless amounts of researching information that is catered to a specific industry or brand, utilizing analytics to optimize the best posting dates and times, curating content to ensure that posts don't overlap on each platform, and So. Much. More. Once the calendar is finished, I move on to scheduling each individual calendar accordingly and create any content that may still be needed at this point. These tasks, although quite tedious and detailed, are necessary in order for our team to build consistent and beautifully curated feeds for all of our clients.
Okay… So I could go on for a while, but you get the jist of it! On the outside, social media seems as easy as just taking a photo and posting it to instagram. However, on the inside, it can take a village and a half to produce just 1 captivating post. Like I said though-- I love every single second of my job, and I wouldn’t change my career for anything. Have any more questions about working in the Digital Marketing/Social Media field or how to get started? I’m more than happy to chat! Leave some comments down below, or shoot me a DM over on IG so that we can get small talkin’!
Xoxo
