Social media marketing experts aren't ninjas, masters, or wizards, but they're also more than just managers. What was once an individual role is now enough work for the entire crew, and the list of candidates for roles on social media continues to grow.
As the marketing landscape continues to change, it's becoming increasingly clear that social is a team effort. Brands looking to take advantage of everything the channel has to offer should seriously consider advancing their careers in social media. By investing in your team today, you can drive acquisition, loyalty, and growth tomorrow.
This list of social media job titles and descriptions covers all the positions you need on your core team. We've also included a roundup of emerging titles that leading companies are adopting to ensure a social-first competitive advantage.
Key social media positions
The speed of society influences more than just which cuts of jeans are currently in style. It can have a real and tangible impact on consumer expectations, market share, and of course marketing careers.
If you have tenured social media experts on your team, their work has likely evolved far beyond what they were hired for. Whether you're looking to redistribute responsibilities with a new hire or simply need a refresher, here are the key roles your social media team needs.
social media manager
The role of a social media manager varies depending on the industry and team size. For example, the day-to-day life of a social media manager for a global retail brand is very different from that of a social media manager working for a regional insurance company.
That being said, there are still some common elements that unite social media managers across the board. In addition to providing strategic and creative insights, a good social media manager also advises internal stakeholders on evolving best practices, trends, and data insights. These analog skills are essential to embed social value throughout your business.
social media director
If you work for a brand with multiple franchises, locations, or business units, you need a social media director.
This person will be responsible for building the vision and execution plan for how the brand will appear on social media. Their work helps unite teams around a consistent strategy that creates a unique and singular brand voice across multiple profiles and networks. In addition to marketing, it also serves as a connection point with stakeholders such as sales, merchandising, customer service, and research and development.
Without this critical role, brands risk relegating valuable social data to marketing silos, which can result in a fragmented brand presence across markets.
social media specialist
Social Media Specialists are junior employees who work with Social Media Managers to grow organic reach through content creation and social media monitoring efforts.
The ideal person for this role has a passion for the channel. If you don't have solid professional experience:
- Deep understanding of each social media network (best practices, trends, engagement standards, etc.).
- An informed opinion on the current and future state of social media.
- Understand the basics of brand marketing, including voice, tone, design, brand personality, and positioning.
paid media specialist
Managing Meta Business Suite is a full-time job.
It's like, I'm kidding. The truth is, paid social as a whole is complicated. Requires a keen eye for detail and the ability to make adjustments on the fly. A marketing strategy that relies on a robust paid social arm requires dedicated resources to manage spending and optimization rituals, especially if you're advertising across multiple social platforms.
The ideal paid media specialist is highly detailed and process-oriented. No UTM is missed and A/B test results are always saved for future reference.
community administrator
What is the difference between a community manager and a social media manager? A social media manager oversees an owned profile strategy, while a community manager works to engage audiences across social media networks to increase brand loyalty and authentic connections. focus.
In the vast landscape of social media, this work can take many forms. The day-to-day duties of a social media community manager include moderation of closed communities (think private Facebook groups or his Discord chats), active engagement duties, and fan appreciation efforts, to name a few. It may include tasks such as:
For example, Oatly Community Manager Paula Perez fosters connections by participating in the comment sections of TikToks related to the coffee and food space.
This achievement supports Oatly's goal of becoming the first plant-based brand to be featured in relevant conversations to create a more loyal following.
influencer marketing strategist
Behind every #sponsored post is weeks, if not months, worth of contract negotiations, creative quick fixes, content feedback sessions, and campaign strategy work. It takes a lot of time to get influencer content to the finish line. It's no surprise, but companies that work with creators and influencers on a daily basis absolutely need a role dedicated to influencer marketing.
More brands are embracing the creator economy, and the race to acquire high-value influencers is on. The ideal influencer marketing strategist has a keen eye for identifying and developing relationships with individuals who meet a business's unique criteria for brand fit and reach.
Influencer marketing also involves a fair amount of account management. Influencers may require different amounts of support and direction throughout the partnership process, from initial negotiations to the day content is published. Influencer marketing professionals manage these relationships while collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment and maximize their ROI.
Four new social media marketing jobs (and what they mean)
Cutting-edge brands don't allow social media to override their strategy. Instead, they are experimenting with new titles and team structures that support evolving marketing standards. Here are four new social media jobs that are becoming industry standards.
social media intelligence analyst
Important conversations don't take place in one place or platform; they span every corner of the web. A social media intelligence analyst's role is to use social listening and reporting tools to identify and monitor conversations that have the potential to significantly change a brand's reputation.
Allocating dedicated resources to finding and distributing social insights will dramatically increase the impact of the channel on your business strategy. While we cannot say for sure what the future holds for social, our prediction is that this will become a core role sooner rather than later.
Consider this role if:: You're a fundamental social media player looking to take your strategy to the next level.
social media engagement manager
Social media engagement managers are the architects of a brand's overall engagement strategy, from community management to social customer care. They will be responsible for implementing tools and workflows that create a great audience experience for current and future customers alike. This could mean case routing, surprise-and-delight initiatives, cross-functional reporting standards, and more. Think of it as a connection point between your marketing and customer service teams.
Consider this role if:: You know there's a lot you can do in terms of social customer care, but taking advantage of these opportunities is always on the back burner.
content producer
Content production roles appear under a variety of titles, such as content producer, content editor, resident creator, or simply content creator. This is a creative role responsible for ideating, producing, and editing platform-specific content that delights and engages the online community.
Consider this role if:: You're pushing your brand further into the age of social entertainment through innovative and authentic storytelling.
social operations manager
This digital project management position is a must-have for brands looking to consolidate content and resource planning under one highly organized individual. Depending on your needs, this may include budget planning, distribution schedules, technology procurement, team rituals, and more. A social operations manager's leadership enables the team's creators and strategists to focus on their best work, as efficiently as possible.
Consider this role if:: The number of stakeholders involved in social strategy is starting to cause workflow issues.
How to get buy-in on social media team headcount
Justifying an increase in employee numbers is always difficult, especially when you are meeting your goals. When you add in salaries, benefits, equipment, etc., labor costs can add up quickly. To get the green light, marketers need to sell a data-driven vision of what their teams can accomplish by being more hands-on.
If headcount issues stand between your brand and a standout social media strategy, here's how to make the hiring case to your leadership team.
- Start with a solid foundation: An important part of advocating for social media teams is educating senior leaders about the nuances and needs of the channel. To build a solid foundation for your questions, please proactively share the hurdles and opportunities arising from the changing social landscape.
- Provide competitive context: Conduct a social media competitive analysis to better understand how your brand compares to competitors in the market. Opportunities, or gaps, make the benefits of additional headcount more tangible.
- emphasize urgency: Social media presence plays an important role in brand safety efforts, especially given the growing role of social in customer care. When making your case, be sure to highlight the brand reputation risks associated with an ill-equipped social team.
what will you do Social media job title Talk about the future of marketing?
When you peel back the layers of day-to-day responsibilities, social media job titles say a lot about where the marketing profession is headed. Behind every new title are useful clues that help predict what's coming down the industry pipeline.
Marketers who keep up with changing trends are in a unique position to propel their businesses to the next stage of growth. Stay ahead of trends by checking out this interactive article on the future of social media teams.
