In April I joined in with AgoraPulse’s #COASMM - Confessions of a social media manager - Twitter chat.
It was an opportunity to engage with AgoraPulse’s audience online, discussing the typical day of a social media manager (something I’m very familiar with!) and connect with new people in the industry.
It was a really fun experience and something I’d love to do again in future!
Why is no day the same as a social media manager?
Everything is so fast-paced! You never know what’s going to happen on social. I’m sure we’ve all been there where a platform introduces a new feature on social which completely changes our existing strategy. Part of the job is having to adapt - quickly!
How do you implement structure in your day as a social media manager?
I try to batch similar tasks together as best I can. That way I remain productive but can usually flex around things that come up that I might not have been expecting. It’s hard to not get distracted by social media when you’re working in social media!
Do you use any management tool to structure your day as a social media manager?
ClickUp and Notion! ClickUp keeps me in check in terms of what tasks I need to be working on, and deadlines, and I use Notion to help me research and take notes. There’s a lot of research to be done for a social media strategy, so I can spend hours in Notion!
Should Social media managers accept that chaos is always potential a part of the job?
I don’t want to put anyone off…but yes! There are always going to be unexpected surprises, but it’s what keeps the job interesting! You have to lean into it and make the most of the head downtime in between the chaos!
Describe your ideal day as a social media manager
My ideal would be day would be in Base Creative’s new office (it’s pretty fancy!), spending the first couple of hours (as long as there is no social media emergency), getting my head down in research or strategy planning. As the day goes on I like to have meetings, collaborate with the team on ideas, and work on creating content for clients - usually checking out a report to see what’s working and what we need to tweak in our strategy.
Which part of your day as a social media manager do you enjoy the most?
The puzzle-solving! Every day as a social media manager is different, it makes every day feel like a puzzle. There’s a constant juggle of planning ahead whilst monitoring all the platforms and what they’re up to. Video is so, so important in our strategies for clients, and that’s been a thrill to start working on in the last year or so.
Why did you choose social media rather than any other career?
Because it’s fun! No, but really, it is very fun, but it’s hard work. I like the challenge and I like how often the industry changes. I look back at what I was doing 6 months ago and it’s already completely different to now. The variety keeps me on my toes!
Do social media managers have a lunch break or is that a myth?
Sometimes! We all joke about how overworked social media managers are (which is true) but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to take a break. Set boundaries for yourself. Get some fresh air, hydrate, and eat something. I also like to set up different profiles on my phone to help me focus throughout the day. Look after your brain!