Social Media Management: What It Is and How to Do It Well

Social media is much more than posting Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn updates.



Before it was dubbed “social media,” it was known as “community management.” As an expert who led social media for small businesses in 2008, I’ll break down everything you should know about effective social media management. 



I’ve crafted this guide for small business owners and new marketing staffers who need to develop a social media strategy and get their organization firing on all eight cylinders with respect to social media channels.




Social media management primer



Social media strategy components



Best practices to consider



Measurement and analytics



Social media management tools




What Is Social Media Management? 



Social media management is the process of planning, creating, and publishing content across social networks to grow a brand’s online presence. Managing social media involves educating stakeholders, developing a marketing strategy, and establishing governance to ensure a brand’s voice and customer experience are conveyed across social media channels. 



Included as essential parts of social media management are the following functions: 




Social media and marketing integration



Business and platform-specific content plan



Social media performance analysis



Planning and creating content across multiple platforms



Website content promotion



Personalized customer support



Brand and review monitoring



Overseeing training and social workflows




Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? This is why social media responsibilities are often split among several members. As a small business or startup, this might be one person (or the business owner). 



The two primary reasons you need social media management are to guide the organization through social media and reach a targeted audience with engaging content and personalized support. 



Unlike 15 years ago, you shouldn’t automate your social media campaigns. It’s a bad look and ineffective at persuading your audience to care about your brand and take action.



Social media is the catalyst for multiple marketing strategies (via Gartner )


Real talk:  Your business should be on social media because your customers want you there, and there’s a specific business objective behind it. If neither of these is true, you probably don’t need social media management. 



Elements of a Social Media Marketing Strategy



An effective social media strategy aligns with the brand’s overall marketing objectives and business goals.



Here are some key elements to consider for your social media marketing strategy:



Target audiences and personas



Analyze your existing customer demographics and create detailed buyer personas to determine your ideal customers on social media. Identify their age, location, gender, interests, pain points, and motivations.



It’s imperative to understand your audience’s media consumption habits. Refrain from making big bets based on hypotheticals (I’ve been burned before). Talk to your  customers on the phone , get to know them as people, how they research brands, and why they use social media. 



With this knowledge in hand, you’ll be ahead of 75% of others in the industry. 



Relevant social media platforms



Research each social media platform and select the ones where your target audience is most active. Top platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. Consider emerging platforms as well.



Instagram and Facebook are rated as the most effective for social media ROI (via  HubSpot )


By default, you might feel you need to be everywhere. You don’t need to. If nothing else, claim your brand before someone squats on your name.



Follow the money and the market. Where are your prospects? Where do customers spend most of their time? If it’s Twitter or Instagram, great. But if they primarily use LinkedIn, tailor your social media content plan around that platform. 



Lastly, try to enjoy how a social network functions as a user before going full throttle with marketing messages. There’s a little truth to  marketers ruining everything .



Social listening and customer support



It’s crucial to set up listening tools to be responsive to inbound questions from customers and prospects. Connect every social media profile you have into one management tool.



Prepare a plan for how you’ll handle complaints and compliments. A smart strategy is to go from public to direct messages to provide customer service.






Over time, report on the number of brand mentions and specific campaigns stemming from your marketing efforts. Social media management tools can notify you of the growth or decline across your social media presence.



Setting measurable goals



Depending on your use case or stage of your business, you might not need metrics.



Hear me out for a second.



It’s okay to explore and experiment on social media. There’s not a sure-fire template or benchmark you need to hit to prove value in your business. 



Figure out what makes some brands more attractive than a pack of Double Stuffed Oreos. What are the underlying dynamics — is it the graphics, the advice, or are prominent influencers juicing up the algorithm?



Without a big audience to start with, you will need to be creative. You will likely need to make a sizable investment in promoting your social media channels. And you will need to leverage platforms such as email, video, and even your phone system. 



With that said, you’ll want to consider the industry and competitors when it comes to setting targets for your social media marketing program. With defined business goals and KPIs in mind, you can analyze the effectiveness of your social media efforts. 



For instance, followers matter when your audience matches your ideal customer profile, but don’t do anything unnatural to play the system.



Consider tracking engagement, traffic, and even share of voice (market share) on a given social network. 



Content strategy and posting schedule



At this point, you should know a few key items: your ideal customers, what they consume on social media, and your overarching business goals. These help you craft a well-rounded content strategy for your business on social media.