A few weeks ago an article spread like wildfire in the Twittersphere declaring the “the social media manager is dead”. I couldn’t disagree more. The social media manager isn’t dead; the role is just evolving and maturing. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering social media is an industry that is still relatively new and one that is always changing.
Here’s why I think the article was misleading / wrong:
1. Social media needs a centralized person.
Every brand needs a centralized point of contact to oversee the overall social media strategy and ensure all the pieces of the puzzle work together to tell a cohesive brand story. The worst thing a brand can do is have a fragmented social media strategy. You need a social media brand keeper. Period.
Additionally, social media is a lot to keep up with. I’ve been in roles before where social media was just a component of my job, and honestly, I couldn’t keep up with the industry. If social media is a priority for an organization, they need to have someone who is staying up to date on the latest trends and educating the staff.
2. Social media needs a professional communicator leading the charge.
Social media is one of the most public workings of an organization. If you assume that anyone and everyone can take the lead for your organization, then more than likely you’ll find yourself in an uncomfortable PR position at some point in time. You need a communicator leading the charge.
3. Not everything needs to be social media.
The article talks about how “departments as diverse as R&D and logistics are tapping into social tools” and that it is now a part of everyone’s job. My response to this? Not everything has to be social. There are a million of other ways to communicate with people through email marketing, direct marketing, phone calls, etc. The minute we think social media is the answer to everything is the minute we fail.
4. Titles evolve, but it does not mean they are less social.
The article also says “growth in positions with the title ‘social media manager’ slowed to 50% in the past year.” If we want to get literal, perhaps the actual title of social media manager is leveling off. I actually think that’s a good thing. I’ve often felt like the title “social media” holds people to the platforms and not their skill set.
At the end of the day, I always tell people I’m interested in how people consume online. Facebook and Twitter may go away, but the need to reach people online through content, communities, storytelling and platforms will not. The titles will change as people learn more about the industry and their needs, but I don’t think that makes emerging digital / content roles less social. We’re just evolving and maturing.
5. Some numbers argue otherwise.
Just a few days after the article was published about the dying social media position, LinkedIn released information that social media positions have increased by 1,357 percent since 2010. I know there is all sorts of data out there that argues both sides, so take it for what it’s worth. At the very least it proves that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Now it’s your turn to sound off… do you think the social media manager is dead? Why or why not?
Things are evolving so quickly, a Social Media team seems in order and every team needs a leader.
I agree the position (as a position) is evolving. Good thoughts Jess. I’d like to add a couple, if I may. Seeing as the main article that started the uproar was written by the CEO of Hoosuite, there’s a little self-service there. Hootsuite wants to be your social media manager. His idea is anyone can do it given the right tools (Hootsuite). I digress. My other thought is that brands are starting to realize that social media is more marketing savvy and less about tools. Thus, I think people are looking more to their marketing/PR/comms dept. to produce the strategic understanding first. The tool side of social media isn’t rocket science, but social media w/o marketing savvy is a recipe for disaster. We see it online everyday. Skills for social media managers need to be marketers/PR first and tool people second.My take.
Great thoughts Jess. I think your use of evolve is spot on here. When social media managers first became a thing, it largely consisted of posting content online and trying to collect as many likes and follows as possible. The strategy behind social success has changed drastically since then. That makes having a dedicated social media talent more important than ever, in my opinion. I think Chris is right too. Hootsuite wants to sell the idea that anyone with a Hootsuite account can succeed. That’s far from true. Organizations need to look for someone with a PR/Marketing/Communications background first and knowledge of social media monitoring software second.