Social media can do wonders for your brand. Just check out Duolingo, a language-learning app. It's become a sensation in the past few years, all thanks to its social-first marketing and its strong presence on TikTok. And this remarkable success is no accident - it's the result of smart, strategic social media management. So, in our guide, we'll break down what social media management is, what it involves, and how to find someone legit to handle your profiles.
“I don’t know what’s worse for a business”, a colleague recently remarked. “Having a business profile on social media and doing nothing with it, or not having a profile at all.”
And he absolutely nailed it with that one.
Neglecting social media for your business is like leaving money on the table. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook aren’t just add-ons or nice-to-haves – they’re crucial for brands to connect with their audience.
Here’s the lowdown: Over 62% of the world’s population is on social media. And they’re not just sharing memes and cat videos; they’re discovering new brands, making purchases, and seeking recommendations. It’s like a virtual shopping mall, with 90% of users following at least one brand and 76% making purchases based on what they see.
Because of all this, businesses are taking the marketing and sales potential of social media more seriously and investing in profiles on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms. This typically involves hiring a skilled social media manager or an entire team dedicated to managing social media.
In its simplest definition, social media management involves maintaining one or several brand profiles to strengthen its presence on selected/key social platforms.
Social Media Management: What Does the Service Include?
Social media management service is quite multifaceted and varies from company to company, depending on specific goals and business needs, or on the abilities and specialties of the social media manager or team responsible for their management.
In its basic form, the service includes content creation and publishing, community management, analytics, and reporting. However, some experts also offer more comprehensive options that may encompass social media advertising, reputation management, and more.
Let’s take a detailed look at what social media management can include, considering the broadest sense of the service:
1. Strategy Development
Facebook, TikTok, Instagram… each of these platforms has its own story, with its culture, language, and specificities, as well as constantly changing rules of the game. It’s impossible to just dive into them and expect results. The prerequisite for success is the development of an adequate social media strategy. It informs the business not only about which platforms are worth building a presence on but also how to do it – which specific tactics to use to maximize the potential of each and their synergy.
Developing a serious social media strategy requires, among other things, analyzing the brand’s business and marketing objectives, its offerings, messages, voice, target audience, customers and clients, competitors, budget, and other resources, industry trends, as well as trends in social media marketing and the specifics of selected social platforms.
Based on this analysis, measurable, realistic goals and methods of measuring success are defined, along with a plan of action on the chosen platform(s). Depending on the agreed scope, the plan may cover tone of voice and communication, content, community building, advertising, and other elements.
A textbook example of a successful social media strategy is the American fast-food chain Wendy’s.
Wendy’s Twitter/X profile is known for its edgy and sometimes brutal humor. “We like our tweets the way we like our fries: hot, crispy, and better than anyone expects from a fast food restaurant” they warn in the profile description, where they often mock competitors like McDonald’s:
They strategically shifted to this approach on social media in 2017, led by the then social media manager, Amy Brown. Stepping out of their comfort zone paid off multiple times over. It did wonders for differentiating Wendy’s and making the brand more recognizable and popular overall.
2. Profile Setup and Optimization
This part of the service covers the basics – setting up and branding the profile itself, which includes designing covers, profile pictures, writing descriptions like Wendy’s, adding key information, appropriate links, calls to action, and the like.
If you already have a profile, it needs to be regularly reviewed and optimized, for example, by changing visuals and/or textual elements, adding links and other necessary data, new content sections, etc.
3. Content Production, Curation, and Posting
When it comes to social media management, many often think precisely of this – creating and publishing content on profiles. However, there are significant variations in the service in this segment, from one manager to another.
Some cover everything related to content, including:
- Generating ideas for original posts,
- Producing visuals, videos, and writing copy tailored to the platform’s culture and target audience,
- Curating, or selecting content from other sources, such as relevant media,
- Planning and scheduling posts throughout the week/month,
- Publishing according to the agreed schedule, and so on.
Others offer a “condensed version” of the service, for example:
- Posting material you provide as a client, without production and editing,
- Editing raw material you send them and adapting it for social media, but not publishing it,
- Providing creative guidance in content creation through prompts for reels and TikToks, captions, and hashtags, or collaborating with your in-house graphic designers, videographers, and/or copywriters, but not producing and publishing the content,
- External collaboration in producing specific segments of content, such as original copy, custom branded graphics or videos, but not publishing, etc.
Here are a few examples of top content on social media.
The lifestyle brand of pop icon Harry Styles, Pleasing, emphasizes strong, unusual, original visuals like this:
And rhode, another celebrity project, this time the cosmetic brand of Hailey Baldwin Bieber, emphasizes the visual aspect but is notable for its excellent captions written by the copywriting duo FONZIE from Los Angeles:
Rhode really gets how important it is to use captions and text on social media. They know every single part of the platform counts when it comes to making a great impression.
4. Community Management
The essence of social media is social interaction. It might sound redundant to mention, but it’s incredible how many businesses still don’t grasp the fundamental nature of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, approaching them as mere advertising billboards. On the other hand, those who understand them treat them as channels to showcase the human side of their brand, initiate two-way communication with customers and audiences, and build engaged, loyal communities.
This is where community management comes in, managing the community on social media platforms.
Typically, it involves providing customer service by monitoring comments, messages, inquiries, and business mentions on the platform and responding to them in line with the brand’s tone and values. Additionally, it includes fostering engagement among followers (e.g., encouraging user-generated content) and expanding organic reach and audience by tracking relevant hashtags and locations, as well as interacting with users on the platform through likes, comments, or shares.
How deeply you delve into building your community depends on your resources and ambitions, but community management should always be high on the priority list in social media marketing.
At the beginning of the text, we mentioned Duolingo, which currently has 11 million followers on TikTok and is studied in the context of implementing innovative marketing methods and strategies. One of the key elements of the success of this language-learning app on social media was precisely community management. Here’s how.
Zaria Parvez began managing the app’s TikTok profile in 2021 and quickly (with a team of just 1.5 people, as she often points out) grew it from 50,000 to 5 million followers. What was her method? She cleverly utilized a space that brands on TikTok were massively neglecting in early 2021 – comments.
“[Others] didn’t realize that launching on TikTok wasn’t dependent on just video – there was audience attention in so many little corners of the app”, explains Parvez, who took the power of comments and engaging with the audience to a whole new level.
Her comment strategy relied on the recognizable personality of Duolingo’s owl, which users had already described as somewhat cheeky and passive-aggressive. Parvez translated this onto TikTok. She regularly responded to comments below the videos in Duo’s tone, and her replies became viral. Most importantly, there was never a hint of traditional advertising in them, like, for example, urging people to download or use the app.
And it was precisely this natural, human, witty approach in comments and building a community around Duo’s personality (+ viral videos that came later) that propelled Duolingo into orbit. Parvez, of course, now has an entire team helping her manage the social media of this popular app.
5. Social Media Monitoring and PR
Stemming from community management, social media monitoring involves tracking mentions of the brand on platforms, as well as conversations and trends related to it, its industry, and competitors, and, if necessary, timely and professionally responding to them.
Monitoring isn’t just for analyzing public perception of the brand, customer preferences, pain points, and expectations, but also for identifying potential reputation risks, crises, and negative sentiments related to the business.
An example of this is the situation between Booking and Airbnb, where Airbnb skillfully leveraged the power of social media monitoring, while Booking failed.
When influencer Alix Earle, one of the prominent content creators on TikTok, traveled to Italy with a group of 11 friends, she discovered that the house they had booked through Booking didn’t actually exist, and they had nowhere to stay. Earle, of course, posted about it, and the post went viral.
But instead of Booking, her post caught the attention of Airbnb, whose social media managers immediately responded. They arranged accommodation for Earle and her group in a nearby villa. Earle also reported this on TikTok, and the post went viral again, giving Airbnb significant positive visibility.
On the other hand, Booking responded later, after the problem had already been resolved, with a standardized response suggesting the group to contact them on one of the social media platforms to address the issue. Due to their slow response and missing the opportunity to act (instead of just replying, and too late), they appeared unreliable and out of touch with customers.
Here we see how much social media management service can overlap with PR and how important it is for the manager to be adept in crisis and reputation management.
This skill is needed not only to react and communicate on behalf of the brand on social media when a crisis occurs, to minimize damage but also to proactively devise protocols and procedures to address potential issues before they arise, to preserve and/or strengthen the positive image of the business.
6. Tracking Trends in Social Media Marketing
Social media is a dynamic arena, constantly changing its ways of operation. One of the major challenges for business owners trying to DIY their social profiles is precisely keeping up with the constant changes on platforms and optimizing their approach accordingly. They often feel like something is slipping through their fingers.
Annie-Mai Hodge, a social media management expert, has pinpointed this pain point well. For several years now, she has been posting an extensive overview of the most important changes in the world of social media marketing every Wednesday on her LinkedIn. Her posts are a valuable resource because they sift through the abundance of information (regularly!), illustrating how challenging it is to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape of numerous platforms:
For social media managers, such data is part of their daily routine. They are constantly bombarded with novelties on social media and always need to keep up: what are the current best practices, trends, the latest features of platforms, algorithm changes, and what all of this specifically means for the client and their social presence.
This monitoring is necessary for your manager to be able to explore and test new technologies, tools, and tactics, thus optimizing the strategy on your social media platforms. Only then can it remain relevant and effective.
7. Advertising on Social Media
Advertising is often treated as a separate service, distinct from social media management (= content production and publishing + community management). However, some social media managers offer advertising integrated with organic growth.
This makes sense because organic reach on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook has drastically declined in recent years, and pay-to-play is now almost an inevitable approach for targeting specific segments of the audience and increasing visibility, engagement, and conversions more rapidly. Ultimately, it’s ideal to have a social media manager who can cover both grounds and optimally combine organic and advertising efforts to maximize this synergy.
Whether advertising is integrated or separate from other social media management tasks, it requires prior strategy development. Besides detailed analysis and segmentation of the target audience, the strategy typically involves analyzing advertising trends on the chosen social media platform, optimal ad formats and positions, defining goals, metrics, and budget, as well as planning campaigns and ads.
In addition to the strategy itself, the full scope of advertising services on social media also includes setting up and running campaigns, as well as tracking and optimizing them.
8. Influencer Marketing
A pivotal aspect of growth on social media is undoubtedly influencer marketing, collaborating with selected influential individuals to expand reach and audience. Some experts offer this service independently or as part of advertising, while for others, it’s an integral part of social media management.
Influencer marketing entails tracking/analyzing relevant influencers, selecting compatible ones, and managing relationships with them. This encompasses everything from establishing connections with influencers and negotiating contracts to collaborating on sponsored content and promotional campaigns, to monitoring and measuring the impact of these collaborations.
An example of effective influencer marketing is the collaboration between Samsonite and TikTok content creator Delaney Rowe, known for her witty videos portraying various personas. In the example below, she offers her version of the “girl on the run” character, typical of Hollywood thrillers:
This promotional content for Samsonite perfectly aligns with Delaney Rowe’s regular content and tone on TikTok, and her audience regularly comments under ads (including this one) that they wouldn’t even notice it’s a promotion if it weren’t explicitly indicated (with the “Paid partnership” tag below the video).
And that’s the key to influencer marketing – promotional campaigns should be seamlessly integrated into what the influencer typically offers their followers. In fact, this should be taken as the golden rule of advertising on social media in general: Good promotional content doesn’t disrupt the usual user experience but enriches it.
9. Analytics and Reporting
Social media management typically involves regular analysis and reporting on the performance of organic content and/or campaigns.
The manager, in collaboration with the client, defines the methods for measuring success, i.e., specific metrics to track and the timeframe. Some of the most common metrics include engagement rate, reach, follower growth, top-performing posts, website traffic, number of conversions, etc.
The most basic reports provide an overview of results based on selected metrics, typically on a monthly basis. However, some managers offer clients more comprehensive reports with additional elements, such as regular analysis and interpretation in relation to trends and industry standards, suggestions for further steps, improvements, and so on.
How to Choose the Right Social Media Manager?
Managing social media obviously involves a whole spectrum of responsibilities and tasks – from strategic thinking, through copywriting and graphic design, all the way to PR. And regardless of whether it’s a full-service or some abbreviated form of it, mastering social platforms and achieving results requires a whole array of skills and abilities – both creative, analytical, and interpersonal.
In practice, individual social media managers are often asked to transition from one role to another in an instant, embodying numerous professions and specialties in one person, as humorously referenced by Hubspot in the video below:
When choosing your social media manager, don’t have such unrealistic expectations. You can’t get “all in one”, nor can you assume that all social media managers are the same and that every social media management service is a standardized package.
Some social media managers focus on strategy, some are creatives. Some have a background in PR and media relations, while others specialize in marketing. Some excel in graphic design, others in video production, and some in copywriting. Some handle social media advertising effortlessly, while others are masters of engagement and community building. Some understand TikTok perfectly, while others specialize in Facebook or Instagram, or something else entirely.
Many know all of this to some extent, but it’s hard to find one person who excels in all the mentioned areas. That’s why business owners are often reminded that social media has become so complex that one manager is no longer enough for them. They need a whole team.
In any case – whether you’re willing to hire just one person or invest more and build a team – one thing is for sure: you need to entrust social media to an expert. Trying to do all the above-mentioned tasks solo or on the side will cost you nerves, time, and money. After all, the biggest loss will be not being able to firsthand experience what social media can really do for your business.
So, how to decide then who to entrust with your social media? How to find experts who will be the right choice for you?
First and foremost, think carefully about what you want to achieve in social media marketing, where, and how. Define the priority skills you are looking for in your social media manager.
Once you’ve narrowed down the people who seem like possible candidates, further test your compatibility with the expert or team with the following questions, depending on which aspect of social media management you want to focus on:
Experience and expertise
- What experience do they have in managing social media for businesses in your industry/sector?
- Can they provide you with an example of a successful campaign and/or project on social media in your industry?
- Which social media platforms are they specialized in and to what extent – only organic growth, only advertising, or both?
Strategy and communication
- How do they tailor a social media strategy specifically for the business goals and target audience of your business?
- How do they collaborate with other team members or departments to align and integrate social media into a broader marketing strategy?
- Can they provide client references who can speak more about their communication and collaboration skills?
Content production
- What does their process look like for coming up with ideas and producing content for social media?
- Which tools and resources do they use for video, visuals, and copy on social media?
- Can they provide examples of content that has resonated with the target audience on social media and achieved high engagement?
Community management and engagement
- How do they approach community management and audience engagement on social media?
- Can they provide an example of successful community building on social media?
Social media advertising
- What is their experience in planning and running campaigns on social media, including targeting and budget allocation?
- How do they track and optimize ad performance?
Analytics and reporting
- How do they measure success on social media, both organically and through advertising?
- Can they provide an example or template of a client report showing results?
These questions and steps will help you find a person or form a team that understands your specific needs and has the experience and skills to effectively translate them into social media. So don’t skip or rush through this part. The better informed you are about what you’re looking for and getting in a social media manager, the better results and return on investment you can expect.
How does it look when we manage your social media?
Our custom strategies consistently achieve above-average engagement on our clients’ social media platforms, specifically:
- On TikTok, on the profile of the iconic animated series and brand, Professor Balthazar, aimed at a global audience, we reached 2.5 million views in just the first three months on the platform, with engagement on videos 40% higher than the TikTok average. And all of this completely organically, without advertising.
- In promoting the Croatian comedy “Even Pigs Go to Heaven” on Facebook, our posts had an organic reach and engagement rate seven times higher than average for this platform.
How do we achieve this? And how can we achieve results like these for you too:
Our service of managing your social media always starts with a thorough understanding of your brand, your specific circumstances, and goals. This ensures that the strategy and plan we develop for you are practical, realistically achievable given your specific strengths and resources, with clear frameworks and metrics, ready for you to start implementing immediately.
However, our strategic approach is just part of the story.
After years of experience and work in diverse areas, including digital marketing and advertising, media, editing, copywriting, PR, design, and art, it has become natural for us to combine strategy and creativity. That’s why we can find fresh, original solutions for your content, campaigns, and growth on social media.
The unique combination of our strategic and creative skills also means that we can cover various aspects of your social media growth, through a full-service approach that includes producing original, branded content for your profiles, designing and managing campaigns and ads, plus community management, or through specific sub-services on social media, such as:
- development of a comprehensive marketing, content, and/or advertising strategy for social media that your team can easily implement independently
- on-demand production of creative and branded content for your profiles – including copy/text, visuals, and video
- social media advertising, from developing a strategy for one or more platforms, through campaign and ad planning and setup, to monitoring and optimization
- development of your community management strategy and/or reputation management strategy on social media
- education/consultation of your internal team for strategy implementation and optimization, content production, and advertising
Curious to find out more? Read our social media marketing guide, explore our services, or reach out to us to discuss how to integrate social media into your broader business picture.
