9 Things Your Social Media Manager Should Be Doing

Marketing Strategy

Oct 19

Last updated January 23, 2025

There's no denying that social media is an essential part of any small business's marketing strategy at this point. We've all seen marketing done right, and seen the fallout of when it goes wrong.

Managing a brand's social media entails far more than posting funny memes and creating posts for your offers. If you are paying someone to help you with social media and that is all they really do, please consider reevaluating their results and how they’re benefitting your business.

After working with hundreds of business owners, most find themselves in this “no-results” situation when they decide they want to hire their son's girlfriend's brother to "manage" their Instagram and pay them minimum wage.

But maybe, you’re an online entrepreneur running your own show. You know social media is incredibly important for your marketing strategy, but you don't know where to begin.

Or maybe, you’re a social media manager and you want to make sure you are providing your clients with the best possible service.

The 5 minutes or less it takes to post on Instagram is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media management.

I’ve put together the essential insight into what it takes to run a brand's social media presence successfully - all wrapped up in a nice, pretty eBook for you.

Detailed and ready for you to put into action.

01. Knowledge of Marketing Objectives

Social media for the sake of social media is kind of pointless for a brand. There - I said it.

If you are not strategically building brand awareness in line with your marketing objectives, you are going to spin your wheels.

Your social media manager should focus on specific goals like:

Growing your email list.
Driving sales.
Increasing engagement.

Every post should align with one objective—no guesswork allowed.

💡 Pro Tip: Define your primary goal for each campaign and stick to it. This clarity ensures consistent messaging and measurable results.

02. Insights and Analysis

I see tons of posts on "what to post when" on different social media platforms. The fact is, you have to test what works and resonates with YOUR audience.

Social media is not one-size-fits all. A good social media manager will start with analyzing your past performance on your accounts and crafting a schedule based around hard data. They should also be trying different types of posts and schedules to continue to test what works.

Throwing spaghetti at the wall isn’t a social media strategy. Insights and data analysis are the backbone of effective management.

Your manager should:

Review past content performance.
Use analytics to determine the best times to post and types of content that resonate.
Continuously test, refine, and optimize based on audience feedback.

🚀 Tools like Google Analytics and platform-specific insights (e.g., Instagram or Pinterest Analytics) are non-negotiable.

03. Industry Research

Chances are your social media manager will not be an expert in your industry. They must take the time to learn your industry, along with standard practices and jargon. It's incredibly obvious when a business is posting content that doesn't resonate with its audience because the verbiage doesn't quite fit.

Your social media manager must also learn your brand voice. "Speaking" like a brand in a way that's authentic is no easy task. I personally have had my clients fill out a several-page worksheet to describe their brand voice and target audience. Starting off here on the same page is essential. While it always takes time to get in the groove, knowing what's onbrand from the beginning saves a lot of time and misunderstandings.

That’s why your social media manager must take the time to:

Learn your industry’s jargon and trends.
Understand your audience’s pain points and interests.
Master your brand voice for authentic communication.

Starting with a clear brand voice and style guide is key to consistency across all channels so you can set up your manager for success.

04. Scheduling + Calendars

It doesn't matter if you are on one social media network or six - you need to have a schedule and calendar for each for your social media accounts.

These schedules and calendars are based on the research, analysis, and insights already done - as well as taking into account some testing and the current marketing objectives.

The social media manager should also know all relevant dates for your business and promotions. It's like trying to create a work schedule for 6 different employees that all have different lives and availability. It's no easy task. Your social media manager should also be able to collaborate on other types of content, such as contests and sweepstakes, if it applies to your business.

Your social media manager should:

Build content calendars for each platform.
Incorporate seasonal trends and business milestones.
Plan campaigns well in advance while leaving room for spontaneity.

Having a structured schedule prevents last-minute stress and ensures all bases are covered.

05. Reporting

Knowledge is power! You can't know what to do next if you don't know what worked in the past.

A social media manager should have the tools and knowhow to assess how your social media content is performing so they can adjust strategies as needed.

As the business owner, you also need the accountability of reporting - with the knowledge that social media results do take time to gain traction. If a social media manager promises you goals that seem unrealistic and to-good-to-be-true - that's an opportunity to ask more in-depth questions about their process and results with previous clients.

Ask the social media manager what tools and methods they use for reporting so you know what to expect.

Your social media manager should:

Track performance metrics like reach, engagement, and conversions.
Deliver regular reports showing what’s working—and what isn’t.
Adjust strategies based on data-driven insights.

📊 Remember, consistency matters. Results take time, so avoid the trap of chasing overnight success.

06. Content Curation

Posting all about your sales and products all the time will not resonate well on social media. Social media is about building brand affinity and providing value (not salesy ickyness). A social media manager must find content relevant to your industry and audience that will provide value and interest (and fun!).

You can still be posting about your business - but consider testimonials, employee spotlights, and behindthe-scenes content as a way to show your audience who you are as a business and your values.

A good social media manager curates content that:

Adds value to your audience.
Encourages engagement without being overly promotional.
Reflects a balance between entertaining, educational, and promotional posts.

Stick to the 80/20 rule: 80% value-driven, entertaining content, 20% sales-focused. This approach builds trust while still driving results.

07. Branded & Custom Graphics

Every social media network has shown that posts perform better with a graphic or video. These should be highquality and on-brand.

You should have your brand's style guide available to your social media manager. These guides include your fonts, colors, logos, and any photography (brand or stock).

Every social media network also has an ideal picture size which means you might need a different graphic for each platform. There are both free and paid tools for graphics. Either way, a social media manager should be creating custom graphics for brand posts so they show up correctly with the platforms' best practices.

A skilled social media manager will:

Create on-brand, high-quality visuals for your campaigns.
Ensure images and videos are correctly sized for each platform.
Use tools like Canva or Adobe Suite to maintain a polished look.

✨Consistency in your visual branding strengthens your presence and builds recognition.

08. Engagement

We all know at this point that social media is not only a marketing tool, it has also become a customer service platform! Customers expect responses to reaching out to your brand via social media and they aren't shy about voicing their displeasure.

You should work with your social media manager on response and customer services practices for your business on social media. Bonus points to them if they can help guide you with this! But let's not forget the positive! A social media manager should be checking each account regularly (at least every couple of days) to thank fans for comments and shares. Fans love it when a brand recognizes them for all to see on social media.

If your audience never gets a response, they'll stop engaging.

Your manager should:

Respond to comments, messages, and reviews promptly.
Handle customer inquiries and complaints with professionalism.
Recognize and thank fans who interact with your content.

👋 Ignoring engagement opportunities is like leaving money on the table—it’s that important.

09. Industry Knowledge

Social media networks change their rules and algorithms almost daily - at least it seems that way.

Having a social media manager that is up to speed and takes the time to inform themselves about the latest and greatest marketing ideas is critical to staying relevant. Sometimes there's a fine line between asking your social media manager about updates to best practices and micro-managing.

A good solution would be to ask them about any news or updates they think are relevant to your strategy when they do their reporting. Remember - you hired them to be the expert.

They should:

Follow industry updates and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Test new tools and features to improve efficiency.
Communicate important changes to you, so you’re always in the loop.

📖 A continuous learning mindset ensures you’re ahead of the competition.

How do I know these 9 skills are absolutely essential for a successful social media strategy?

From 2012 to 2014 I was the social media manager for Megadeth and Dave Mustaine - managing 13 million fans across 17 social media accounts.

I then went on to create my own digital marketing agency from scratch in 2015.

And while I now help Type-A moms with productivity and time management skills - the marketing knowledge in this blog applies to all entrepreneurs (even me).

And there is one skill, in my experience, that rises above the rest.

➡️Knowledge of Marketing Objectives!

You have to know the purpose of your strategy and each and every post if it’s going to make any difference in your overall marketing.

Conclusion

It's easy to see why small business owners get overwhelmed and frustrated with managing their own social media. It's truly a full-time job when done correctly.

If you are considering hiring someone to help you - I hope this blog makes you a little more aware of what they should be doing to manage your social media effectively. You should also hire someone that will put the time and effort into the right strategy for your brand - not the same strategy they've used for someone else.

Your social media manager should love coming up with fun, creative ideas to help business owners cut through the content clutter on social media. They should help you decide how to stand out, engage your fans, and tell your unique story through your content marketing. REMEMBER: Social Media is not one-size-fits-all!

Managing your social media effectively requires time, strategy, and expertise. Whether you’re doing it yourself or outsourcing, these nine essential tasks ensure your efforts lead to real results.

Remember, social media isn’t just about visibility—it’s about impact. A great manager doesn’t just keep the lights on; they deliver strategies that align with your goals and help your business grow.

💡CEO TIP: Use this blog of 9 essential social media management tasks to help you during the interview process!

Thoughts to share? Leave a comment below! ⤵️

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