It’s crazy to think that just ten years ago, my job title did not exist. In today’s world, (successful and connected) marketing departments and brands can’t run without a social media manager.
The requirements for this job include a great attention to detail, staying on top of trends in both new and existing platforms, and the ability to communicate your client’s voice effectively.
From early morning emails to curating content, a day in the life of a social media manager is always interesting. Here’s a taste of how my day went yesterday:
7:00 a.m. My alarm went off this morning and I only hit the snooze button once (that’s a record!) As I sat munching on my Honey Nut Cheerios and banana, I scrolled through my Google alerts and scanned my client’s Facebook pages for any negative mentions, reviews, etc.
8:05 a.m.
With my Spotify list playing, I drove to work and started drafting responses to some of the Facebook comments in my head. When I stopped at my first red light, I snuck a peek at my calendar and was glad to see I had a pretty open schedule. For the rest of my drive, I tried to mentally plan my day while simultaneously singing along with Miley Cyrus (“If you’re not ready to go home, can I get a hell no?”)
8:30 a.m.
I walked into the office and to my surprise only had two sticky notes and one voicemail! Before I even opened my laptop, I walked to the kitchen and filled up my tumbler (you know what they say – a hydrated mind is key to a productive day!) and grabbed some snacks for later.
8:45 a.m.
I checked all my emails from clients, vendors, reps, Google, etc. Once I responded, deleted and saved what I needed, I got to my favorite part of my emails – eblasts and newsletters from PR Daily, AdWeek, Social Media Examiner and Mashable (along with a few others). I saved about 12 articles to my OneTab so I can read them tonight.
9 a.m.
Once I cleared out my inbox, I started the engagement process with all my client’s Facebook and Instagram pages (log in, scroll through the feeds, like and share interesting posts, etc.) I replied to all comments and took screenshots of any relevant feedback/questions to send to my clients.
10:30 a.m.
Content is king, right? I posted photos and videos to Instagram and followed up with status updates on Facebook for my clients (like this photo showing off a beautiful Mustang from Visalia Ford).
11 a.m.
Remember my pretty open schedule? My client called and wanted to chat about upcoming campaign strategy. I explain in detail, promise to send an email recap and remind him about what we’re doing to promote gift cards for the holidays.
11:15 a.m.
While many assume all social media/PR/marketing pros are always heavily caffeinated, I’m one of the select few who don’t drink coffee (unless it has lots of caramel and tastes nothing like coffee). So another trip to the water cooler was in order! This time I chatted with one of our designers about the upcoming holiday campaign materials and relay my client’s ideas so he could incorporate it into the design. Totally productive impromptu meeting!
11:30 a.m.
When I got back to my desk, I started planning ahead for next month’s social calendars for my clients. I went through my Google alerts to see which articles were interesting, had great photos to go with the posts, etc. and started a list for each client (Sidebar – while Google Alerts totally clutter my inbox, I can’t tell you how much time they save searching! If you haven’t already, sign up for them (link)).
1 p.m.
Nicole asked if I was ready for lunch (time flies in the social media world!) and we head to our go-to burger joint. I tried to take a photo of our meal for Instagram (#FoodPorn), but couldn’t get the right angle (#Fail).
1:30 p.m.
We got back to the office and first thing on my agenda was a double check of my client’s Facebook and Instagram pages (since most people scroll through their feeds during their lunch breaks). I also took a few minutes to respond to emails from clients, co-workers and a few eblasts.
1:50 p.m.
I went to the kitchen fill up on more H20 and made a quick stop at the candy bowl for some afternoon pep and a quick chat with our amazing receptionist, Laurie! (By the way, we both agree that Khloe and Lamar will get back together after all they’ve been through recently).
2 p.m.
One thing about this job is you never stop learning, so I always stay ahead of the game with trainings and webinars. Yesterday I was reading about Snapchat’s impact on the digital marketing landscape thanks to AdWeek!
3 p.m.
Organization is key in this industry and any tool I can use that will help keep me organized and efficient is fine by me. I scheduled posts and tweets for the rest of the month to free up more time for engagement and monitoring. For Facebook posts, I also selected which ones I wanted to sponsor based on what’s left of my client’s ad budgets for this month.
4:30 p.m.
I had a few comments that needed a response. One customer was upset with their services, and I can’t just let that sit. (Don’t worry, I smoothed out the situation).
4:55 p.m.
I went to the kitchen for one more refill of water for the road and stopped by the design cave on the way back to my office to check in with Josh. He had a few designs for my client’s holiday campaign to look at for approval tomorrow morning. What on Earth would I do without him?
5 p.m.
I made my way to the back door, but stopped to chat with some co-workers about going to happy hour this Friday and asked about some pitch meetings they have coming up.
7 p.m.
After dinner and some downtime, I responded to new emails and circled back with clients, vendors, etc. from earlier in the day. I also went through and organized my emails into folders (it’s tedious, but things get buried in my inbox if I don’t).
8:30 p.m.
I caught up on the articles that I OneTab’d and signed up for upcoming webinars (and forwarded the invite to co-workers who might be interested in joining, too!)
10 p.m.
Since the Internet never sleeps, I did one last check for client pages and profiles just in case there’s any late night emergencies or comments that need a response. Then I hopped in bed and read AP and CNN articles until I fell asleep – nothing like catching up on news right before bed.
What are some of the tasks on your to-do list? Add them in the comments below!
