Navigating the Evolving Role of Social Media Managers in 2024
In the ever-changing landscape of social media management, the role of a social media manager has undergone substantial transformation. Traditionally serving as the jack of all trades of the marketing department, these professionals have deftly handled various tasks across different platforms, often encompassing cross-functional responsibilities such as events, paid advertising, content creation, and general marketing tasks.
However, the social media universe has expanded across platforms, features, and required skills, rendering it impractical for a single individual to effectively manage and strategize every aspect of a brand's social media presence. As we progress through 2024, there is a pronounced emphasis on organizing and diversifying skill sets while concurrently centralizing decision-making.
Strategic Considerations for Brands
In the current landscape, it is a must for brands to appoint a single accountable decision-maker supported by contributors to ensure the brand's success. This decision-maker should exemplify qualities of a thought leader and subject matter expert, adept at orchestrating collaboration among diverse skill sets to achieve the brand's strategic goals.
Despite the escalating demand for social media services, more than 60%of social media managers express a sense of being overburdened with responsibilities (Hootsuite). The role, which has historically remained broad and all-encompassing, necessitates a strategic realignment to meet the evolving demands of the digital age.
Shifting Focus: From Divided Attention to Strategic Ownership
Presently, less than 15% of social media practitioners allocate more than 90% of their day to social media (Hootsuite). This fragmented attention poses a potential compromise to a brand's social media presence. The solution lies not necessarily in increasing the number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) but in empowering a discerning individual to take ownership of social channels. Simultaneously, assembling the right talent within the organization is pivotal to effectively support this strategic ownership.
Centralizing decision-making does not denote isolating social media from the rest of the marketing organization. Rather, it involves fortifying the organization to enable a calculated and opportunistic approach, thereby delivering hyper-relevant content to the audience.
Key Responsibilities of the Decision-Maker:
- Ownership of the digital strategy and execution
- Management of collaborations and talent
- Ensuring cohesion between brand channels
- Goal setting and ensuring accountability
- Implementation of data-driven recommendations
Building a Cross-Disciplinary Team
To fortify an effective social media program, meticulous consideration should be given to assembling a cross-disciplinary team; analysts for data comprehension, creatives, platform experts, paid advertising specialists, community managers, influencer managers, and more.
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