Social Media Consultant, Strategist Speaker, and Founder of Saturn 9 Media--I say things louder for the people in back.
Social Media Manager is not an entry-level position. It's not something you can just put an intern in charge of. It doesn't fall under "other duties as assigned." So, why in 2024 are people still listing social media manager as an entry-level position? If you treat social media management as an entry-level role, you can also expect entry-level results. #SocialMediaManager #SocialMediaMarketing
I'm also noticing a disturbing trend of combining social media manager roles with administrative assistant roles, only offering part-time hours, while paying minimum wage.
The reality is the term social media manager has become used similarly to Zerox or Clorox wipes - it’s generally used to describe everyone who works in social media as opposed to a single level in a job that can have several levels to it. Theres such things as social media coordinators, which is an entry-level position, to director level roles and higher. Everyone has to start somewhere. More importantly, the level of responsibility needs to align with the level of the role.
Jon-Stephen Stansel Totally disagree. A simple point, although there’s a lot but here’s one. We now have Diploma courses for Social Media Management, which a lot of the youth study. Now, obviously and intern as mentioned, will need to learn, so if we say no to them then it closes doors for them, now this will leave the industry with a lof less innovation, we therefore need to find ourselves in an industry that opens doors and gives opportunities to the deserving. I think your point can be an internal one, internal I mean within the organisation; have accounts that interns handle, and have high end accounts that seasoned social media managers handle (you can’t have an intern managing a bank social media account, YES, but you can have an intern managing an other accounts which are aren’t “too busy” if I can put it. Obviously, we treat clients the same, but the industries differ, so you’ll have to make sure you place your interns right. Or simply, place them as something under the social media manager, so they learn. Like a social media coordinator or something else, then report to senior management. This will give interns the growth and opportunities.
If there are no entry level jobs for social media management, then how do people get started in this role? Everyone has to start from somewhere.
When you do it right, social media management is so much more than copy-paste-post. It's copywriting, reporting, researching, keeping up with trends and algorithm changes, planning, media buying and so much more. And not every company has the same expectations across the board: because of this, we have to pivot with each new job. At my last job, for example, I had more of a hand in content creation, whereas now I am more free to story-board and collaborate with creative. I also was more of a "Communications Manager" at my last job and handled all aspects of that, whereas now I'm completely tuned-in to social media. I'm not saying to bypass interns or those just getting started, but for companies that are looking to hire and grow their team, there's power and definite results in having a seasoned professional fill this role.
Social media management can definitely be an entry-level position, especially if you're working alongside a supportive team that can provide guidance. However, for solo social media manager roles, some prior experience can be helpful to hit the ground running and manage multiple aspects of a brand's online presence.
The manager in the title is not seen as entry-level. If you expect this person to be autonomous and not need guidance, they are not entry-level. However, I do agree that they are managing social media, but at entry level, you should not be going it alone, especially for the pay. So maybe they distinction should be junior and senior? The problem may be that we don't have an accurate name for the position. In marketing, we generally call them specialists or associates and then move them into management. I do hate that social media marketing skills, like all other marketing skills, are being lumped into the you do everything marketing jobs we see these days. I also hate that it is often seen as entry-level or easy work. It is not, it takes a lot of expertise to get it done right.
Because people with no social media backgrounds are putting these jobs out there and they aren’t plugged into where the profession is now.
It takes a long time and a ton of effort to find your voice and technique in social media… Especially when algorithms change all the time. But most social media / content people are treated at the bottom, or as beginners… I hope that changes with more companies being aware 🙏
Activating Visionary Brands Running on EOS. Creator of The Next 90™ B2B Marketing Model. Host of Inside The 90™ Podcast
5moJon-Stephen Stansel I’d think an entry level social media manager would engage on their own post. I’ve looked and can’t seem to find where you’ve engaged with anyone in the post that went moderately viral. Do you practice what you preach? Just seems odd to me.