Many still believe that a the job of a social media professional is simply to tweet once in a while, upload pictures to Facebook or videos to YouTube… but it’s much more than that! Moreover, I usually think that what people have in mind is a robot, not a person. Furthermore, if such a professional goes on and on about how cool they are and how great they are at their work (though not really working for anyone else but their own brand,) then it’s a #smokemaker we’d be talking about.
Tasks and Responsibilities in the Social Web
I think this is something that must be talked about. This will help clear our path, make it easier to understand for others. The following are some of the basic responsibilities, starting from a strategic standpoint towards one that is more actionable:
– Social Media Marketing: optimise, maintain, monitor and lead the platforms and any marketing strategies carried out in them: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, Pinterest, Mixcloud, Soundcloud, Google+, Flickr, etc.
– Content creation and management: content marketing.
– Interaction with users: community engagement.
– Social commerce: leads, calls to action and conversions in social media.
– Monitoring: online media, information sources and social channels.
– Measurements and follow-up: determining the ROI of the work carried out, justifying the quality of the actions taken and, of course, the results thereof.
– Fan building: based on achieving specific ROI objectives.
– Contests and campaigns: creative input, development, starting up and monitoring.
– Qualitative aspects: Sentiment reports, strengths, scope, virality, passion and effects for the brand online.
– SEO: website, blog and social platform (social search) optimisation, aimed at improving search results.
– Keyword optimisation and improvement in new SEO/SEM opportunities
– Email marketing: development, creative input, running, results and campaigns.
– Database: creation, management and maintenance of the database, making it larger and more streamlined.
– Website: content optimisation and stimulation, improvements within the website structure: functionality, usability, navigation by users. Developing and launching a mobile version. Promoting, marketing and communicating all the website’s contents. Measurements, monitoring and follow-up of results.
– Coordination and management of press and communication tasks: contents, interviews, website news, exclusive acts, etc.
– Video-marketing: optimisation, search, keywords, sponsored videos, marketing.
– e-Commerce: creation and generation of online sales opportunities.
– Reports: online sales, online positioning, online reputation, online results.
– Community: leading online communities, brand representation in different forums and communities.
– Online branding: searching, identifying and improving all brand-related aspects in social media.
– Adviser: playing a brand consulting/advising role with regard to the online environment: opportunities, threats, new initiatives, development of digital identity and online presence, identification of potential business and new digital transactions.
I told you we’d go in at the deep end! It involves much more than what people usually believe; I wish I was wrong about this last statement. This is a proper job. As such, it requires sacrifice, excellence, determination, passion, excitement, initiative and conviction. All this certainly leaves many so-called “gurus” out of the game!
I’m very possibly leaving something out. Will you help me complete this list?
Photo credit: webbr.