It drives me nutty when people expect a social media manager to also be an expert in SEO, have a communications or journalism degree, be the PR person, create infographics, and design and update the website.
Small businesses often want a one-size-fits-all solution. I would, too. However, the technical depth required for design and SEO may not even exist in the same human being. Many of us social media managers have varying degrees of expertise in these fields, but should they be required? I say no.
The person at the wheel of social media shouldn’t be in charge of the entire marketing car.
A racecar driver isn’t in charge of the funding or building of his car. He isn’t even in charge of the maintenance nor is he responsible for pit stop tire changes. Certainly, he doesn’t have to book the race. He has a team for that. He has to arrive, make appearances, connect with the crowd, make fans, drive the car, and win.
Social media management is just part of that winning team.
It’s always nice if a manager understands the parallel fields because they work better together. Having a conceptual understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) allows a writer to include key phrases in the blog posts. Understanding YouTube captioning and how it helps you rank higher in search motivates us to use it more frequently. Understanding the importance of visual elements relating to our social posts to reinforce the overall message matters.
So, if we now agree on what shouldn’t be required for a Social Media Manager, then what skills are important?
Seven Things A Social Media Manager Should Be:
1. Organized
An organized person is usually routine-oriented as well. Checking up on comments and following up on tweets should be part of a daily routine. The closer to real-time a brand responds, the better it reflects on the brand.
2. Responsive
Being ignored is one of the most offensive things to fans. I’ve had tweets that were not responded to for a year. A year. I mean, if you’re not going to respond then why are you on social media?
3. Polite
“Please” and “thank you” never go out of style and this goes hand-in-hand with being responsive. It’s just polite to respond in a timely manner. And having good manners is even more important when the comment is a complaint.
4. Engaging
Asking questions, responding to comments on blogs, tweets, or other social media posts in a creative way furthers the conversations that you’re facilitating on social platforms. Do more than just say, “Thank you.” Are you wondering what social media engagement looks like?This blog post may help.
5. Creative
Being able to draw is not the prerequisite to creativity. Trying new ideas and thinking differently is creative. A social media manager should be able to craft posts natively on each platform in a way that speaks to each platform’s culture.
6. Collaborative
If you’re not doing all of the “digital marketing” then you’re collaborating. Maybe you have to get ideas approved or gain approval for blog post drafts. Being flexible with your creative, engaging, polite ideas is part of that collaboration.
7. Discrete
So many people these days lack the moral compass to know what is offensive. Being wise enough to think out how people will respond to your post, no matter how great the pop culture reference is, will separate you from the Social Media Winners and Losers.
Everyone starts on social media for a reason. Like many of you, I had something to sell. But I found a community. I found several. And, so, I stayed. Now, it’s my livelihood and my tribe.
Let me tell you my story in the video below and, hopefully, encourage you, too.
My Social Media Origin Story
But the gist, if you just want to read is here:
Originally with my CD release in 2004, I sought to promote and sell (MySpace etc.).
In 2007, I started my original Twitter account after hearing about it on Leo Laporte.
It was fun to talk with people who had similar interests as me: music, the Bible, politics, dogs, etc.
Since 2005, however, I had been struggling with illness. In 2009 that was finally diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
What brought me to social was something to sell, like many of you. What kept me was different.
Social Media Community
What kept me there was the community.
I’m fortunate enough to still be able to work full-time with my illness but, like many chronic illnesses, you have to maintain your health. For me, among other things, this includes bed rest. Before I started on antidepressants in 2017, it meant I was bed by 7:00 PM every night and spend most weekends there, too.
This is how I had time to develop my skills, start blogging, and even the most daring and physically challenging, the videos.
One thing I’ve learned is that the more you open up, the deeper your connections will be.
Sure, I’ve heard, “Why are you online so much? Why don’t you get a life?” more times than I should, and, I’ll admit, it hurts. The upside, however, is the world that was opened up to me in spite of the physical isolation of my illness.
Being vulnerable is a risk. Telling my story is a risk. Though I’ve wavered many times before hitting “post,” “tweet,” or “publish,” I have never regretted it. Why? Most people thank me for telling my story.
The 2020 Update
I have had much success managing my illness since this post was written but most of it is still true. Being on antidepressants has helped my pain levels so much that I forget I’m a person who is ill. I push myself too hard.
Being a full-time freelancer for the last two years and a remote worker for the previous two years has given me the freedom to produce work when I feel well. I have the freedom to take naps at 2:30 PM in the afternoon which is a life saver.
When I go out to meet my friends at the pub for karaoke or whatnot, I take naps. Twenty minute naps are my lifesaver along with more protein in my diet and turmeric.
But, I still have reminders. I’ve been pushing my exercise level a bit too hard. As I update this post today (1/29/20), I do so after sleeping until 2:00 PM in the afternoon, about to order food, and go back to bed.
I manage my chronic illness so well these days that sometimes I forget that I am ill.
What I’ve learned is that we all have a story. We all have value to add to this world. Sure, I can’t gig anymore. I can write. I can’t go to every Meetup. I can do Google Hangouts. I can’t tutor all those who ask for my help. I can make videos.
I used to feel really bitter and sad. And, there are days when I wish there was a solution to my disease (today included), but I wouldn’t have this career if I hadn’t become ill.
Facebook copies Twitter. Twitter copies Facebook. This goes on and on. Call it competition, tug of war, or innovation. Regardless, it’s good for the consumer.
Who has the bigger audience? Who has the most spam? Who’s trying to pry into your personal details?
So, I’m a business, which should I use?
I’m always amazed at this question. Why not both?
But if you really have to choose, ask yourself this:
What do you want to achieve?
Who do you want to reach?
Do you want to build up one and then the other?
Can you devote the time to doing them both simultaneously?
*Disclaimer 1: Twitter and Facebook could change any of what I’m about to point out at any time. This post was written on August 19, 2014.
*Disclaimer 2: It’s hard for me to be objective. Everyone who knows me knows I favor Twitter and my own numbers support that. This is my best effort to present objective pros and cons.
Below I compare Twitter and Facebook by feature. I apologize for the length, but every business has different needs, people who will be using the platform, and how (mobile or desktop) they will use it. You’ll need to consider them all to choose.
First Things First
Facebook and Twitter have entirely different cultures and different rules, protocols, or expectations.
Respect each platform for its own benefits, audience, and culture. I beg you not to connect the two so that you Tweet to Facebook or Tweet from Facebook. Just because something is easy, doesn’t mean it’s good.
You will be judged for being lazy, disregarding either audience, and people will wonder if you’ll ever respond. (Ya, I said it.)
According to Facebook, they have “829 million daily active users on average in June 2014.” That’ too large of an audience to ignore this platform. A lot of people have recently said it’s not worth posting on Facebook anymore. I disagree.
So, why should you have a Facebook Page for your business? How do you set up a Facebook Page? Isn’t it just a profile? What are people doing wrong? How can they fix it? Easy Answer: Go here and follow their prompts.
Disclaimer: These kinds of things change often.
“I have a Facebook account. Do I really need to be a Page?”
If you are a business, church, politician, service, organization, dog or anything resembling any of those, you will want to create a Page. It’s a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service to use a “profile” as anything other than your true self. It protects the user’s privacy and that’s a good thing.
If you want to start using brand awareness campaigns, that’s great. You can get some traction for only $20 a post, if your audience is right. This is also another reason why you shouldn’t buy likes or followers, but that’s another blog post. Make sure your Facebook Page is optimized and that you’ve cultivated an organic following.
“The Brand Awareness objective is great for campaigns that target your top of the funnel – acquisition audiences, and mainly prospective customers. These are the coldest audiences, who have no idea who you are.” Madgicx
Sucessful Facebook Pages are Intentional
For your Facebook Page to be successful, you need to start with intent. There is more work to prepare than to actually set up the actual page. Like most things in life that are overwhelming, the best approach is to break them into small, achievable tasks. Think about a cooking show. What’s the sequence of events? What comes first? Who will do that task?
1. Who is going to manage the Facebook Page?
Decide beforehand who is going to manage the page. At least two people should be admins (to back one another up). Like I told my friend this weekend, it’s work, make no mistake. Often our friends will ask for our help without fully realizing what this new project entails.
Who will respond to requests? Who will be on standby for answers? It is a big responsibility. The Pages Manager App makes this a bit easier but won’t let you interact with other Pages you like (as of right now).
2. What kind of Facebook Page will it be?
If you’re an artist, choose “Artist, Band or Public Figure.” Choose the one that seems most reasonable to you. It can be changed later. If you want people to check in to your location choose “Local Business or Place.”
Depending upon what kind of Page you select, Facebook will prompt you to the next questions.
3. What are your Facebook Page’s details?
Just the deets, Jeets. All kidding aside, have a text file ready with your phone number, address, mailing address, website address, contact emails, bio, mission statement, and about all ready to go.
About will show under your page. Try for under 80 characters.
You could skip this part but then your friends wouldn’t understand why you’re inviting them to a Page they know nothing about.
4. Are your images ready for your Facebook Page?
* Disclaimer: Facebook changes a lot and the image sizes with it.
You will need two images to start: a profile photo (which is square if it’s a logo) and a cover photo. The profile photo needs to be square. The cover photo should be 851 x 315 pixels large. This changes a lot but the most recent, easy-to-read guide is by Jon Loomer.
Facebook really wants your cover photo to have very little text on it. For my Facebook Page, I just have an awesome photo I took of the Harbor which is the same image I’m using on my Blog and Twitter headers, too. (See The Twitter Set Up Guide to learn how to set that up.)
If your logo isn’t square, make one. Have your graphic artist make one. All of the social networks require a square photo. It’s nothing new.
5. Who will create content to share on your Facebook Page?
There is a big difference between creating content and managing a page. Many of us do both. But they are different responsibilities. You’ll want to have that conversation.
Creating content is writing, making a video, taking photos, and writing the text.
Curating content is finding articles, videos, and photos elsewhere to share. Beware of right-clicking on images from other Pages and sharing them as if you created it. That’s a big-time copyright infringement issue. SHARING the same photo from a page onto yours maintains their rights as owners. The technologies we use may have changed but plagiarism has not. But you learned this when you were turning in reports in 7th grade, right?
Ask your Facebook friends nicely and infrequently to like your Facebook Page and give them a reason why. Begging for likes is annoying. If you are starting a Page, there’s a reason. Surely, you have at least 25 people who will like it.
You could post, “Hey, I just started this page and I’d love your help to get to 25. Thank you.” with the link. People respond to that. But just post it once or twice.
If you use Twitter or another social network, post there, too. For sure, include a link to your new Facebook Page it on any blog or website.
8. What are Facebook Page best practices?
Don’t share the same content at the same time with other networks (automatic cross-posting). It’s poor form and shows that you’re not present. Resist the temptation. We will think you don’t know what you’re doing.
Do not connect Twitter to Facebook or vice versa. They are vastly different cultures. You’re playing with fire here.
How often should you post? People vary in opinion from 1-3 times a day to 3-4 times a week. Either way, the volume is a lot less than it is on Twitter.
Be helpful. Your posts should be a great resource.
Be humorous. Within reason, this is a good way to make your audience smile.
Share others’ content. It’s a social network, remember?
Find out when your audience is online. This is the tricky part and, depending on the type of Page you have, your audience will vary. Lunch customers would like to know things around 11 am. My audience is mostly business people who don’t care about anything unless it’s 9-5 M-F. Does it stop me from posting at 1 am on a Saturday? No, but I’m a rebel.
Oh. Don’t like your own posts. It’s tacky. (Word to mobile users. If you are a Page admin and you see a post while on FB mobile you will be liking it AS THE PAGE. Annoying, but that’s how it is now.)
Good luck and have fun.
Updated 10/29/2020
Ruby at Social Success Marketing made this infographic and included it in her post:
Instead of posting the exact same content, try varying the image and copy to speak to the platform’s audience best.
One of the best examples, brings me back to my childhood. If you’re old enough to remember the Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters show from 1980, you’ll know what I’m referring to. Otherwise, Google it.
Barbara and her two sisters would do musical numbers and their costumes for each set were similar enough to look coordinated but customized enough for the body type and personality of the wearer. Kudos to the costume designer.
Opening number shows my point exactly.
Take several photos from different angles, use them in collages, add text, embellish according to the platform.
This is how we should approach sharing similar (not the same) content on social media.
But I also refer you to this:
“” by Gary Vaynerchuk on Inc Magazine
Write For the Platform, Not Your Convenience
Every platform has a distinct culture. Write your post for that. If you crosspost, you run into quite a few dangers.
Here’s an example of how I posted on Instagram, Twitter, and our Facebook Page photos from a 1989 project. One is a simple tweet, one is a cover of the magazine, and the Facebook Page post is similar to Twitter but without hashtags.
