8 Suggestions for Writing Social Media Supervisor Job Descriptions

The concept that social media is “one thing the intern can do” is about as outdated as saying the web is all cat movies.

And but, you don’t should scroll too far by means of #MarketingTwitter earlier than you discover social media managers venting about feeling overworked and undervalued.

Even Burger King had one thing to say about it.

It’s no query that social media is essential for companies right now. In truth, 89% of enterprise executives or leaders suppose social media is important to success.

In case you’re studying this, you’re doubtless in that 89%. And you realize you want a certified individual behind the scenes and screens of your channels.

Discovering a fantastic candidate begins with a fantastic job description. Comply with these 8 suggestions for writing a transparent, efficient social media supervisor job description, then obtain our social media supervisor job description templates to place what you study into observe.

The ability of sturdy social media supervisor job descriptions 

When customers comply with a model on social, 91% go on to go to that model’s web site or app, and 90% purchase from them, based on the Sprout Social Index™. So it’s vital that the individual representing the voice of your model on-line—your social media supervisor—is stellar.

A transparent job description:

Helps you discover certified individuals

Social media is a extremely seen area, and might be extremely unstable. You want somebody able to each constructing group and managing escalation or disaster communication when it issues most. Realizing the fitting key phrases to make use of in your job description also can make you extra discoverable to individuals looking for open roles.

Breaks bias in your wording

From phrase option to structure, implicit bias can sneak into job descriptions in some ways. Aware writing can enhance inclusive language and reduce the likelihood that you just’re discouraging marginalized teams from making use of.

Means that you can prioritize what you need out of this function

Writing job descriptions offers you an opportunity to arrange your expectations for the function too. What defines success? What tasks would you like this individual to personal? How do they slot in among the many bigger workforce, and what would you like them to do?

Exhibits candidates that you just worth social media

Too usually, social media professionals really feel overworked and underpaid, and burnout is rampant within the trade.

A job description that units clear expectations and highlights affect exhibits candidates that you just worth the significance of their work, perceive the job and need to set them up for fulfillment.

Suggestions for writing a transparent social media supervisor job description

1. Have a transparent understanding of the function

The duties of a social media supervisor transcend working social media channels. Behind each submit there’s strategic work, knowledge evaluation, enhancing, group administration and extra.

Not understanding what this function entails can lead to a job description being too imprecise or wanting extra like a social media director job description—not a supervisor’s.

“The largest factor that makes me scratch my head is how a social media supervisor is meant to come back in and develop a method for a model throughout social media, handle a workforce and nonetheless be chargeable for the day by day administration of every social channel,” says Anthony Yepez, Social Media Director at Bodybuilding.com. “To me, that’s two separate roles!”

To keep away from this, familiarize your self with what abilities social media managers ought to have and what they do:

• Expertise along with your precedence social channels
• Written and verbal communication
• Creativity
• Group abilities (particularly with managing a content material calendar)
• Expertise utilizing social media administration instruments like Sprout Social
• Good time administration abilities
• Digital advertising and marketing
• Buyer care
• Curiosity (do they keep on prime of developments?)
• Information evaluation
• Content material creation (video, images, primary graphic design)

Equally, know what expertise stage you’re in search of and if it strains up with a manager-level function.

In search of somebody with one to 2 years of expertise? You could be in search of a specialist, coordinator or intern.

Three to 5 years of expertise? You’re in supervisor or strategist territory.

Seven to eight? You could be in search of a senior-level place, or a supervisor you may assist develop.

Professional tip: The duties and abilities wanted for this function can range relying on workforce measurement, firm measurement, trade and extra. Speak to social media managers in your trade to construct an concept of what this function will seem like, and have your advertising and marketing workforce do an inside assessment of the job description.

2. Have sensible expectations for one individual

It’s true that social media managers put on many hats without delay.

However that doesn’t imply they need to be handled as a hat rack.

“Social media” is typically used as a catch-all time period for a number of roles in a single.

Some of the frequent complaints you’ll hear from social media professionals is being overworked beneath leaders who don’t perceive how demanding the job is. This will result in over-packing a job description and burnt out employees.

In case you’re hiring a solo social media supervisor, write down every little thing you need this individual to do. Then, have a look at that record. “In case you’re realizing it’s an excessive amount of work for one individual, are you able to rent a couple of individual?” says Rachael Samuels, Senior Social Media Supervisor at Sprout.

3. Create an outline that focuses on worth, affect and progress

Most job descriptions, no matter trade, usually characteristic these three parts:

• Firm overview
• Duties/Duties
• {Qualifications}/Expertise

To nail every part:

Be particular  

Among the most looked-at parts of a job description are the day-to-day particulars. A brand new rent might get overwhelmed if the job is extra demanding than the posting made it out to be.

See the place you may embrace particulars and, as Samuels places it, “Don’t disguise expectations in buzzwords.”

For instance, for those who say, “You’ll run our worker advocacy program” with out mentioning that this system has 8,000 individuals, you’re not clearly speaking the depth of the challenge.

To stipulate extra particular duties, ask your self:

• What do I would like them to perform with our social channels?
• In the event that they’re managing a workforce, how many individuals are they overseeing?
• Will they be creating graphics and pictures, or requesting them from others?
• In case you say “open to working nights and weekends,” does this embrace help? Is that this inside enterprise hours?
• What groups will they work intently with?
• Are there rising social media channels, like TikTok, we would like them to develop?
• Will this individual monitor all questions and feedback on social?

Concentrate on affect and worth, not simply duties

“One frequent mistake I see in social media job descriptions is a listing of duties vs. the worth of the function,” says Samuels.

Social media managers usually really feel undervalued. Present you’re totally different by illustrating the worth this individual will deliver and the affect they’ll make.

This healthcare business talked about that their new rent will develop their younger social channels.

Utilizing language like “your affect” or “The place we’d like your assist” like Allbirds has on this social media supervisor description lays this out explicitly.

Right here at Sprout, our job descriptions embrace a timeline of how they will grow and the impact they’ll make by means of their first yr, clearly illustrating expectations, what success seems to be like and duties.

Keep away from fluffy titles 

Social Media Ninja.

Content material Guru.

Group Wizard.

The social media world is stuffed with fluffy titles that may downplay the work your new rent will do. Being known as a “wizard” removes the onerous work you do from the dialog, changing it as an alternative with “magic.”

4. Embrace progress alternatives

If you wish to appeal to nice expertise, you must also attempt to maintain nice expertise.

Contemplating that 41% of staff really feel like they don’t have a clear path for advancement, providing growth sources is a good place to start out.

This social media job description from Grammarly prioritizes how they plan on rising their new workforce members, firm tradition and advantages.

Whereas asking your self how this individual can assist your channels develop, don’t neglect to additionally ask: How can I assist this individual develop?

5. Determine the sources you must help this function

Being a social media workforce of 1 might be overwhelming. How are you going to present help?

In case you say, “have to be obtainable to work nights and weekends,” are you able to establish different workforce members who can assist break up the work?

If you need your new rent to construct out Reels and TikTok content material, are you able to present help for visible manufacturing with a contract price range?

Are you able to expedite content material publishing and reporting with a social media administration software?

A software like Sprout makes publishing posts and discovering optimum posting occasions straightforward, and even aids content material discovery with an RSS feed.

Consider methods you may present help to this function and description what these sources seem like in your job description.

6. Embrace the intense parts of the job, in addition to the enjoyable

When a model goes viral for the flawed causes or will get slammed with on-line hate, it’s not the corporate on digital disaster management responsibility—it’s the social media supervisor.

Treading by means of detrimental feedback and trolls might be harmful territory. You need somebody who can navigate turbulent remark sections, proactively establish detrimental posts your model is tagged in and know when and learn how to reply…and when to not.

Focusing solely on the inventive and enjoyable parts of the function in your job description can set you and your new rent up for failure in the event that they’re not ready or certified to deal with disaster communication.

7. Present your dedication to variety, fairness and inclusion

Information exhibits that 42% of all workers would reject a job offer if the corporate was not numerous or didn’t have targets for bettering variety.

If DEI is a core worth in your firm, make that dedication clear in your job descriptions.

In case you discuss the discuss, be clear about the way you’re strolling the stroll and the actions you’re taking to be extra inclusive. At Sprout, we embrace a report highlighting our DEI efforts to this point, and past.

Don’t let perfection scare you away. You don’t should be good to point out that you’re actively evolving.

8. Break your bias

Implicit bias in your wording can inadvertently deter numerous candidates. Listed below are a couple of areas to be aware of whilst you write.

Contemplate capping your {qualifications}

Women often feel they need to meet 100% of qualifications to behave on a job description, whereas males usually apply after assembly 60%. And requiring a four-year degree can limit the amount of diverse applicants or candidates from non-traditional profession paths.

To keep away from discouraging candidates who really feel they should meet each bulleted requirement, begin with the core abilities of the job:

• Writing abilities
• Social media expertise
• Customer support and a few disaster communication abilities
• Understanding of analytics
• Organizational abilities

Past these, take into consideration presenting extra ability units as “most well-liked” or as these you may assist develop and develop.

Keep away from gendered or age-limiting language

One study shows that girls have been much less prone to really feel like they belonged in a job place with masculine-coded phrases—suppose ninja, aggressive, aggressive.

Another study argues that corporations promote social media jobs with traits usually related to girls—e.g., versatile, emotional administration and sociable—which has contributed to social media roles turning into more and more feminized and strengthened a gender hole within the tech world.

Be aware of your phrase selection—assessment your writing to establish in case your language might deter sure age teams. And use the Gender Decoder software to seek out gendered phrases in your job description.

Write a social media supervisor job description and discover somebody wonderful

First impressions matter.

Your job description is among the first possibilities you must impress candidates as a lot as you hope they impress you.

You’ve gotten the fitting instruments to create a job description that exhibits your candidate who you might be, what to anticipate and how one can assist them develop.

Time to get writing. Obtain our social media supervisor job description templates and use these tricks to discover wonderful candidates, and to assist them discover you.