Social Media Supervisor Job Description: Suggestions for 2022

The concept that social media is “one thing the intern can do” is about as outdated as saying the web is all cat movies.

And but, you don’t should scroll too far by means of #MarketingTwitter earlier than you discover social media managers venting about feeling overworked and undervalued.

Even Burger King had one thing to say about it.

It’s no query that social media is essential for companies at the moment. In reality, 89% of enterprise executives or leaders suppose social media is important to success.

Should you’re studying this, you’re seemingly in that 89%. And you realize you want a professional particular person behind the scenes and screens of your channels.

Discovering a terrific candidate begins with a robust job description. Comply with these 8 suggestions for writing a transparent, efficient social media supervisor job description, then obtain our social media supervisor job description templates to place what you study into apply.

The ability of sturdy social media supervisor job descriptions

When shoppers comply with a model on social, 91% go on to go to that model’s web site or app, and 90% purchase from them, in line with the Sprout Social Index™. Discovering a stellar particular person to carry your model’s voice to life on customer-facing channels is essential. Listed below are advantages of getting a robust social media supervisor job description.

Connects you to certified individuals

You want somebody able to constructing group and managing escalation when it issues most. Within the subsequent two years, 88% of entrepreneurs anticipate to rent one other staff member. However discovering the suitable particular person for the position could be tough. In reality, social media groups cite discovering skilled expertise as their primary problem this yr.

Considerate, clear and intentional job descriptions may help appeal to certified expertise trying to find open roles by proving that you simply perceive the position, talk clearly and extra.

Encourages a various candidate pool

From phrase option to structure, implicit bias can sneak into job descriptions in some ways. Aware writing can improve inclusive language and reduce the chance that you simply’re discouraging marginalized teams from making use of.

Lets you prioritize what you need out of this position

Writing job descriptions offers you an opportunity to arrange your expectations for the position too. What defines success? What tasks would you like this particular person to personal? How do they slot in among the many bigger staff, and what would you like them to do? All of those questions needs to be clearly answered in your job description.

Exhibits candidates that you simply worth their work

Too typically, social media professionals really feel overworked and underpaid, and burnout is rampant within the trade.

A job description that units clear expectations and highlights impression reveals candidates that you simply worth their work, perceive the job and need to set them up for fulfillment.

Several types of social media jobs + the abilities wanted

Too typically, “social media supervisor” is used because the title for each social media position. However social media careers and paths have developed. There are a lot of various kinds of social media jobs—from specialists, to managers and past.

The necessities of various titles and roles can be completely different for each trade. However to keep away from falling into the lure of a job description that doesn’t match the title, listed here are a number of various kinds of social media jobs and the main points behind them:

Sorts of social media jobs:

Social media specialist or coordinator

Social media coordinator roles are quickly gaining popularity, with the third most year-over-year progress of all advertising and marketing titles, in line with the Sprout Social Index™. That is the right position for somebody dipping their toes into social media advertising and marketing. A specialist or coordinator could possibly be accountable for executing the extra day-to-day duties, like proudly owning a content material calendar, writing and publishing posts, group administration and aiding with reporting.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Written and verbal communication expertise
• Creativity
• Curiosity (do they keep on prime of developments?)
• Primary cellular video modifying expertise
• Technical familiarity with completely different platforms

Social media supervisor

Social media managers sometimes have a number of extra years of expertise. At a bigger group, they could want the abilities to handle a staff. However as a staff of 1, they should steadiness the abilities of a specialist with higher-level, analytical decision-making. Managers could carry out audits, set objectives and techniques, conduct knowledge evaluation and reporting, lay down finest practices, forge cross-departmental relationships and extra.

Shortlist of expertise required (along with the abilities beforehand listed):

• Social media copywriting
• Ideally, expertise with social media administration instruments like Sprout Social
• Organizational expertise (for managing a content material calendar, asset administration and many others.)
• Expertise with social media buyer care
• Knowledge evaluation
• For bigger groups, expertise managing no less than one social media skilled or intern
• The flexibility to develop content material methods
• Expertise managing budgets
• Information of promoting on numerous platforms

Neighborhood supervisor

Whereas all of those roles ought to have some group administration expertise, this position places the “social” in social media and focuses on fostering digital relationships.

From creating conversations in Fb Teams, to main hashtag chats on Twitter and extra, a group supervisor posts below their very own alias, not the model’s, to attach with the viewers, get individuals speaking and develop your group.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Time administration
• Creativity
• Glorious written and verbal communication expertise
• The flexibility to develop community-building methods
• Expertise partaking on completely different social media platforms

TikTok specialist

One of many latest titles, this position consists of comparable duties as different positions on this checklist, however with a laser-focus on TikTok.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Intensive information of TikTok
• Expertise creating TikTok content material
• Capability to determine stand-out developments
• Information of group engagement instruments on TikTok

Influencer entrepreneurs

In relation to working with creators and influencers, 36% of entrepreneurs say missing inner sources to handle these partnerships is their primary problem. Devoted influencer entrepreneurs have a foot in PR and in social. They’re accountable for managing a program price range, discovering and securing influencers, fostering the relationships with them and extra.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Expertise setting or managing budgets
• Capability to handle influencer partnerships
• Glorious written and verbal communication expertise
• Venture administration expertise
• Potential gross sales expertise
• Built-in advertising and marketing information
• Knowledge evaluation

Social media content material creator

Whereas all social media professionals create content material, not all of them are content material creators. An in-house content material creator focuses solely on creating visible components, like short-form movies, infographics, text-based posts, content material that jumps on developments and extra. They might even function the digital face of the enterprise.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Lots of the similar expertise as a specialist, coordinator and TikTok specialist
• Intensive information of making partaking video for numerous social channels
• Cell video modifying expertise

Social media advisor

The place in-house social media professionals sometimes publish for one firm, social media consultants handle a number of purchasers. They will focus on a selected trade or many. This extra strategic position consists of creating and assessing social media methods, launching campaigns and extra.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Lots of the similar expertise as a social media supervisor
• Glorious venture and time administration
• Capability to speak clearly with stakeholders
• Expertise conducting audits
• Knowledge evaluation
• Strategic considering

Paid media specialist

Social media advertising and marketing typically entails two halves: natural and paid social methods. Paid social content material requires a unique strategy. A paid media specialist will be capable to carry devoted information to the desk, corresponding to platform-specific promoting necessities and operating A/B checks.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• Intensive information of making and managing paid social media content material
• A/B testing
• Setting and managing budgets
• Glorious organizational expertise
• Knowledge evaluation

Social media director

As social media turns into extra integral to companies and advertising and marketing, the ladder of roles has stretched as nicely. A social media director job description could be centered on extra strategic duties. And a director will typically handle and mentor a staff of social media managers, specialists and past.

Shortlist of expertise required:

• All expertise talked about within the social media supervisor position
• Set methods from asset administration to response finest practices
• Lead content material planning
• Handle social media disaster communications and techniques
• Develop and run start-to-finish campaigns
• Digital advertising and marketing information
• Run take a look at and study alternatives
• Talk cross-departmentally

Suggestions for writing a social media supervisor job description

1. Have a transparent understanding of the position

A social media supervisor does much more than merely “posting on Instagram.” Behind each publish there’s strategic work, like knowledge evaluation, modifying and group administration.

Not understanding the position can lead to job postings which can be too imprecise, or comprise so many duties that your position could result in excessive burnout ranges and turnover charge.

Familiarize your self with what expertise social media managers ought to have.

Equally, know what expertise degree you’re on the lookout for and if it traces up with a manager-level position.

In search of somebody with one to 2 years of expertise? You could be on the lookout for a specialist, coordinator or intern.

Three to 5 years of expertise? You’re in supervisor or strategist territory.
Seven to eight? You could be on the lookout for a senior-level place, or a supervisor you possibly can assist develop.

Professional tip: The duties and expertise wanted for this position can fluctuate relying on staff and firm dimension, trade and extra. Speak to social media managers in your trade to construct an concept of what this position will appear to be, and have your advertising and marketing staff do an inner overview of the job description.

2. Have practical expectations for one particular person

It’s true that social media managers put on many hats directly.

However that doesn’t imply they need to be handled as a hat rack.

“Social media” is usually used as a catch-all time period for a number of roles in a single.

One of the crucial widespread complaints you’ll hear from social media professionals is being overworked below leaders who don’t perceive how demanding the job is. This will result in over-packing a job description and burnt out employees.

“The most important factor that makes me scratch my head is how a social media supervisor is meant to return in and develop a technique for a model throughout social media, handle a staff and nonetheless be accountable for the day by day administration of every social channel,” says Anthony Yepez, Assistant Director of Social Media at Orange Principle. “To me, that’s two separate roles!”

Should you’re hiring a solo social media supervisor, write down the whole lot you need this particular person to do. Then, take a look at that checklist. “Should you’re realizing it’s an excessive amount of work for one particular person, are you able to rent a couple of particular person?” says Rachael Samuels, Senior Social Media Supervisor at Sprout.

3. Create an outline that focuses on worth, impression and progress

Most job descriptions, no matter trade, typically function these three components:

• Firm overview
• Duties/Duties
• {Qualifications}/Expertise

To nail every part:

Be particular

A few of the most looked-at elements of a job description are the day-to-day particulars. A brand new rent may get overwhelmed if the job is extra demanding than the posting made it out to be.

See the place you possibly can embrace particulars and, as Samuels places it, “Don’t disguise expectations in buzzwords.”

For instance, in case you say, “You’ll run our worker advocacy program” with out mentioning that this system has 8,000 contributors, you’re not clearly speaking the depth of the venture.

To stipulate extra particular duties, ask your self:

• What do I need them to perform with our social channels?
• In the event that they’re managing a staff, how many individuals are they overseeing?
• Will they be creating graphics and pictures, or requesting them from others?
• Should you say “open to working nights and weekends,” does this embrace assist? Is that this inside enterprise hours?
• What groups will they work carefully with?
• Are there rising social media channels, like TikTok, we wish them to develop?
• Will this particular person monitor all questions and feedback on social?

Concentrate on impression and worth, not simply duties

“One widespread mistake I see in social media job descriptions is an inventory of duties vs. the worth of the position,” says Samuels.

Social media managers typically really feel undervalued. Present you’re completely different by illustrating the worth this particular person will carry and the impression they’ll make.

This healthcare enterprise talked about that their new rent will develop their younger social channels.

Language like “your impression” or “The place we’d like your assist” like Allbirds has on this social media supervisor description lays this out explicitly.

Right here at Sprout, our job descriptions embrace a timeline of how the brand new rent will develop and the impression they’ll make by means of their first yr, clearly illustrating expectations, what success appears like and duties.

Keep away from fluffy titles

Social Media Ninja. Content material Guru. Neighborhood Wizard.

The social media world is stuffed with fluffy titles that may downplay the work your new rent will do. Being referred to as a “wizard” removes the onerous work that can be required from the dialog, changing it as an alternative with “magic.”

4. Embrace progress alternatives

If you wish to appeal to nice expertise, you also needs to attempt to hold nice expertise.
Contemplating that 41% of staff really feel like they don’t have a transparent path for development, providing improvement sources is a good place to start out.

This social media job description from Grammarly prioritizes how they plan to develop their new staff members, firm tradition and advantages.

Whereas asking your self how this particular person may help your channels develop, don’t overlook to additionally ask: How can I assist this particular person develop?

5. Determine the sources you must assist the position

Being a social media staff of 1 could be overwhelming. How will you present assist?

Should you say, “should be accessible to work nights and weekends,” are you able to determine different staff members who may help break up the work?

If you would like your new rent to construct out Reels and TikTok content material, are you able to present a price range for visible manufacturing?

Are you able to expedite content material publishing and reporting with a social media administration instrument?

A instrument like Sprout makes publishing posts and discovering optimum posting instances straightforward, and even aids content material discovery with an RSS feed.

Begin your free Sprout trial

Consider methods you possibly can present assist to this new rent and description what these sources appear to be in your job description. This may require cross-team collaboration inside advertising and marketing and past, so lay the groundwork for this assist earlier than you publish your open position.

6. Embrace the intense components of the job, in addition to the enjoyable

When a model goes viral for the incorrect causes or will get slammed with on-line hate, it’s the social media supervisor who’ll be on digital disaster management responsibility.

Treading by means of unfavourable feedback and trolls could be harmful territory. You need somebody who can navigate turbulent remark sections, proactively determine unfavourable posts your model is tagged in and know when and tips on how to reply…and when to not.

Focusing solely on the inventive and enjoyable components of the position in your job description can set you and your new rent up for failure in the event that they’re not ready or certified to deal with disaster communication.

7. Present your dedication to variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI)

Knowledge reveals that 42% of all staff would reject a job provide if the corporate was not various or didn’t have objectives for enhancing variety.

If DEI is a core worth on your firm, make that dedication clear in your job descriptions.

Should you discuss the discuss, be clear about the way you’re strolling the stroll and the actions you’re taking to be extra inclusive. At Sprout, we embrace a report highlighting our DEI efforts to date.

Don’t let perfection scare you away. You don’t should be excellent to point out that you’re actively evolving.

8. Break your bias

Implicit bias in your wording can inadvertently deter various candidates. Listed below are a number of areas to be aware of when you write.

Contemplate capping your {qualifications}

Girls typically really feel they should meet 100% of {qualifications} to behave on a job description, whereas males sometimes apply after assembly 60%. And requiring a four-year diploma can restrict the quantity of various candidates or candidates from non-traditional profession paths.

To keep away from discouraging candidates who really feel they should meet each bulleted requirement, begin with the core expertise of the job, corresponding to:

• Writing expertise
• Social media expertise
• Customer support and disaster communication expertise
• Understanding of analytics
• Organizational expertise

Past these, take into consideration presenting extra ability units as “most well-liked” or as these you possibly can assist develop and develop.

Keep away from gendered or age-limiting language

One research reveals that ladies had been much less prone to really feel like they belonged in a job place with masculine-coded phrases—suppose ninja, aggressive, aggressive.

One other research argues that corporations promote social media jobs with traits sometimes related to girls—e.g., versatile, emotional administration and sociable—which has contributed to social media roles turning into more and more feminized and bolstered a gender hole within the tech world.

Be aware of your phrase selection—overview your writing to determine in case your language may deter sure age teams. And use the Gender Decoder instrument to seek out gender biased phrases in your job description.

Write a social media supervisor job description and discover somebody superb

First impressions matter.

Your job description is without doubt one of the first possibilities you must impress candidates as a lot as you hope they impress you.

The following tips will equip you to create a job description that reveals your candidate who you might be, what to anticipate and how one can assist them develop.

Time to get writing. Obtain our social media supervisor job description templates and use these tricks to discover superb candidates, and to assist them discover you.