Writing a job description for a job that didn’t exist 10 years ago is no easy feat. People are still getting used to the idea of “Social Media Manager” as an actual job title, and there are actually a number of different types of social media managers. When writing a social media manager job description, it’s important to first understand the specifics around your needs. For example, do you want a social media manager who will be strictly in charge of running social ads programs? Or more of an all-around person?
Knowing your answer for these questions is why a detailed social media manager job description is crucial for attracting the right type of person to the role. You want to find someone who has the necessary skills to do well, but who also aligns with the company vision.
A comprehensive social media manager job description will weed out those determined to wow you, from those that would be happy with any job.
“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood, sweat and tears.” -Simon Sinek
The following represents the six things a social media manager job description should include.
1. About the Company
This section of your social media manager job description should include a brief introduction to your company, especially for people that may not be familiar with it. As part of this section, make sure to touch on:
- What your company does
- Company values
- Company culture
Naf Naf Grill’s social media manager job description provides a short but sweet summary of what they’re all about.
Essentially, you want to use this section to highlight the things about your company that you think will attract like-minded people to want to work there. But don’t be tempted to write a novel—it will take away from the main purpose of the social media manager job description. Being a little vague also leaves some room for a candidate to do their own research about the company to demonstrate their interest in working there.
2. General Job Information
Social media manager jobs didn’t really exist 10 years ago, especially not in the same vein as they do today. So what exactly does a social media manager do?
According to Monster.com, “Social media managers are responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies for a business’s social media sites. This might include blogging, creating social media profiles, managing regular posts and responding to followers.”
A social media manager’s responsibilities can be narrowly focused or encompass many different aspects of digital marketing, depending on the company and existing staff/departments.
When writing out the general information section of your social media manager job description, these tips may be useful:
- Job title: Some opt for the straightforward “Social Media Manager”, while others get creative and use titles like “Social Media Ninja” or “Social Media Superstar.” Match the title to the voice/brand of your organization to attract the type of person who would be a good fit. Social Media Today offers additional considerations when it comes to framing up your exact social media job title.
- Who they’ll report to/what team they’ll belong to: Though not a requirement at this stage, it might be helpful to add, especially if your new social media manager will be expected to lead a team. In that case, you’ll want to attract applicants with leadership/management experience to ensure that they’re capable of all that the job requires. Additionally, if any of the team members or leaders are well-known (wouldn’t you kill to work for Gary Vaynerchuk at Vaynermedia?), it can help make the job seem more desirable to top talent.
- Location of the job: Applicants need to understand if they will have to relocate themselves/their families for the job, so make sure that they’re made aware of the nature of work. Is it remote or office based? Or even a mix of both? Since social media activities take place online, applicants might assume that the job does too. Displaying clear information regarding the location of the job will ensure the most qualified candidates in terms of a workstyle match.
3. Job Purpose & Scope
The job scope refers to a high-level description of what the job requires, and gives a general overview of what is expected on a day to day basis. As far as actual responsibilities, save them for the next section of the social media manager job description.
4. Job Responsibilities
Use this section to get more specific about job requirements. This should include an idea of what a social media manager at your company is expected to do each day (or week, month, etc.) and what skills are required to do the job well.
Your job responsibilities section may resemble something like the following:
The social media manager shall be responsible for developing and implementing a social media marketing plan, which includes tasks that encompass:
- Brand development
- Identifying target customers
- Identifying goals and KPIs
- Web development and content strategy
- Promotion strategy
- Engagement strategy
- Conversion strategy
- Measuring and Analyzing ROI
GrubHub’s social media manager job description presents expected job responsibilities in a cheeky way.
When writing this section of your social media manager job description, use action verbs for maximum impact.
5. Job Skill Requirements/Qualifications
What kind of social media manager do you want to hire? Consider the following social media skills, and select a few (or all) to include on your social media manager job description.
Technical Social Media Skills
A great social media manager takes the time to understand the whys surrounding their field, which is why you should aim to find an individual who can demonstrate relevant technical skills and knowledge. That might include:
SEO
Though sometimes hard to measure, SEO has a great impact on your social media strategy. Today’s star social media manager understands the importance of SEO, and is capable of coming up with ideas to align SEO efforts with your social media strategy. Since content is a big factor in SEO, the social media manager will have to dip their hands in this side of digital marketing, or at least create a collaborative relationship with the person on your team responsible for content.
When thinking of questions to ask your potential hire regarding their knowledge on SEO, these may be helpful:
- How will you promote website content on social media?
- Do you understand the connection between social media and improved search ranking?
- How does blog content impact other channels?
Social Media Expertise
To be effective, a social media manager must know or be an expert with regards to social media. As the field is constantly changing, a social media manager must stay current with new trends and features, and should be able to demonstrate their continued learning process. Additionally, they must have a keen sense of what type of content is optimal for which social media network, and leverage this knowledge in their role.
Customer Service Skills
Social media is frequently used as a customer service tool.
If there is not a team in place to handle customer inquiries over social media, the social media manager must know how to respond strategically.
Mastery of Social Media Management Tools
Since the social media manager will be handling several social media accounts, they must know how to work with a company’s preferred social media management tools. Make sure to mention the tools your company uses, in an effort to attract talent that won’t need much training to get up to speed.
Oberweis’s social media manager job description specifically calls out the social media tools they want applicants to be familiar with.
These tools might include social media scheduling/analytics platforms like Sprout Social, and easy image creation tools like Canva. You might take this opportunity to see if applicants are reading your social media manager job description closely, and ask them to describe their favorite social media tool in their application.
Social Media Creativity
As a marketing field, social media combines elements of art and science. Your goal should be to find an individual who exhibits traits relating to both.
Social Media Copywriting
Since they will be interacting with customers, social media managers must have great communication skills, especially in writing. Social media managers must also have great copywriting skills, being able to talk about their company in a manner that customers can easily understand and relate to. Good copywriting skills can mean all the difference when it comes to a sale—or a fail.
An Eye for Design
Social media posts are written, but are most effective when accompanied by photos, videos, or other graphical elements. The social media manager must know how to match photos with posts, with an eye for design. A top candidate will understand how to leverage video platforms, because video is the future of social media. Graphic design experience shouldn’t be necessary, as long as they’re capable of directing others to create designs.
6. Expected Salary, Perks & Benefits
The expected salary isn’t a must on your social media manager job description, but according to Smart Recruit Online, job ads with the expected salary posted see a 30% increase in views. Addressing salary upfront also helps to increase qualified applicants, which means less irrelevant resumes and cover letters to wade through.
If you’re not sure what to offer as far as expected salary, consult Glassdoor or Payscale for an up-to-date range of salaries for social media managers. Being competitive with the market is another way to ensure quality applications.
Automattic’s careers page details a number of impossible to ignore company perks.
Salary isn’t everything, which is why you should also use this section to detail benefits including sick days, vacation days, maternity/paternity leave, health insurance, tuition assistance, or whatever else your company offers to existing employees. This is a great part of the social media manager job description to highlight any unique perks of your office, like unlimited La Croix or a cool employee break room with video games.
Tips for Writing the Social Media Manager Job Description
When writing a social media manager job description, the following tips can be useful:
- Write an exciting opening paragraph. This will make the potential applicant feel excited to work for your company, and nudge them to send in their application as soon as possible.
- Optimize keywords for SEO to reach your most relevant audience.
- Sell the company and opportunity, but be honest. Don’t oversell or misrepresent the company.
- Use templates if you’re having a hard time coming up with something from scratch. Besides this guide, there are several templates available online to give you a starting point.
6 Things Your Social Media Manager Job Description Should Include
The unique elements that go into your social media manager job description should reflect your company, and the specific type of person you’re hoping to hire.
What are some of the things you always include on a social media manager job description? We’d love to hear your insights. Tweet @SproutSocial, and we’ll share our favorite responses!