5 Common Misconceptions About Social Media Managers

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about social media managers. Some people think that it’s a low-pressure dream job where you get to spend your days scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. Others think that you need a marketing degree to go anywhere near a company’s social media account.

The ever-growing creator economy boom is also blurring the lines between social media managers and content creators/influencers. But what does a social media manager actually do?

This blog post will talk about the five most common myths about social media managers (whether freelancing or in a social media agency) and give you a better idea of what the job entails.

But before we move on, let’s get the main question out of the way: Who is a social media manager?

A social media manager oversees a company’s social media accounts. They create and publish content, monitor feedback, plan social media strategies, deal with analytics and reports, engage with followers, and later on present all of these in a comprehensive marketing report.

Moreover, social media managers typically have a background in marketing, communications, or journalism.

Now that we’ve got that sorted let’s move on to the myths!

Myth 1: Social media managers spend every second scrolling social media

One of the most common misconceptions about social media managers is that they spend their entire day on social media. This could not be further from the truth! Social media managers are often responsible for a variety of tasks, such as developing and implementing marketing campaigns, creating and editing content, analyzing data, and managing customer relations. It’s a lot more than just scrolling and posting photos.

Myth 2: You need a marketing degree to be a social media manager

Another common misconception is that you need a marketing degree to become a social media manager. While it certainly helps, this is not always the case. Many social media managers have communications, journalism, or web development backgrounds, and some are self-taught. So don’t be discouraged if you’re aspiring to get into social media marketing but don’t have a marketing degree! There are many other ways to acquire the skills you need to be a successful social media manager. Take advantage of free resources and courses and offer your help to friends to get some work experience.

Myth 3: Social media managers are all influencers

With the rise of social media stars and influencers, it’s easy to see why some people might think that all social media managers are influencers. But this is not the case! Social media managers are responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns, which often includes working with influencers. Therefore, social media managers have to stay up-to-date with the trends in the creator economy and influencers they could work with, but they are not usually influencers themselves. That’s where using Google Trends API comes in, as you can use it to scrap the latest trends on the internet and be up-to-date with current buzzes.

Myth 4: Social media managers are great at design

Another common misconception is that social media managers design their social media posts. In reality, social media managers often collaborate with content creators, designers, and other team members to create engaging and on-brand content. They usually use a wide range of online tools and platforms to create and design visuals – for example, Illustrator, Canva, or Mediamodifier. All busy marketers know that ordering custom work from a designer can be pricy and that templates are a huge time-saver.

Myth 5: Social media management is easy and only takes a few hours a day

The final misconception about social media managers is that the job is almost effortless and only requires a few hours of work each day. This is a big one and could not be further from the truth. Social media is a constantly changing and evolving landscape, so staying up to date with the latest trends and changes can be pretty time-consuming. An excellent social media manager has to analyze, plan, write copy and schedule the posts while keeping track of marketing campaigns and getting approvals from the client. That’s a lot of multi-tasking!

If you’re thinking about becoming a social media manager or hiring one, we hope this article has cleared up some of the most common misconceptions about the job. Do you have any other questions about social media management? Leave them in the comments!