Social Media Management vs. Marketing: Who Handles What?
Today, social media is vital for businesses to connect with customers, build brand awareness, and boost sales. However, many people confuse social media management with social media marketing. While the two are related, they have distinct roles in a company’s online presence.
In this blog, we will break down the differences between social media management and marketing, helping you understand who handles what and how both contribute to your business’s success.
What is Social Media Management?
Social media management involves overseeing and maintaining your company’s social media accounts. It’s about creating a consistent and engaging online presence that reflects your brand’s voice. The person responsible for this is often called a social media manager.
Their job is to ensure that the company’s profiles on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are up-to-date, engaging, and in line with the brand’s goals.
Key Responsibilities of Social Media Management
- Content Scheduling and Posting
A social media manager creates a content calendar and schedules posts to ensure regular engagement with the audience. Consistency is key to keeping followers interested. - Community Management
This includes responding to comments, messages, and questions from followers. It’s important to maintain a positive relationship with the audience and handle customer complaints or inquiries professionally. - Profile Optimization
Social media managers ensure that profiles are fully optimized with up-to-date information, contact details, and links to the company’s website or other relevant resources. - Monitoring Social Media Trends
Keeping up with the latest trends is essential. Social media managers monitor what’s popular and adjust the content strategy to remain relevant and engaging. - Tracking Analytics and Reporting
Managers track engagement metrics, follower growth, and post-performance. This data helps in understanding what type of content works best and where adjustments are needed.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing, on the other hand, focuses on promoting the company’s products or services to a targeted audience through social media platforms. This involves creating paid ad campaigns, boosting brand visibility, and driving traffic to the company’s website.
A social media marketer is responsible for strategizing and executing marketing efforts that directly contribute to a business’s growth and sales.
Key Responsibilities of Social Media Marketing
- Creating and Managing Ad Campaigns
Social media marketers design paid ad campaigns on platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or LinkedIn Ads. These campaigns target specific demographics and aim to increase brand awareness, leads, or sales. - Audience Targeting and Retargeting
One of the main tasks in social media marketing is to identify and target the right audience. Marketers use data to create custom audience profiles, ensuring ads reach people who are most likely to be interested in the product or service. - Content Strategy Development
Marketers develop strategies around what content will appeal to the audience. This includes creating attention-grabbing visuals, copy, and call-to-action elements that encourage people to take the desired action, like visiting the website or making a purchase. - Collaboration with Influencers
Collaborating with influencers is another common social media marketing tactic. Marketers work with influencers who align with the brand to reach a broader audience and promote products or services. - Analyzing Campaign Performance
After a marketing campaign is live, the marketer tracks its performance. This includes analyzing data such as conversion rates, cost-per-click (CPC), and return on investment (ROI). Based on these metrics, they make adjustments to improve results.
The Core Differences Between Social Media Management and Marketing
1. Focus and Objectives
- Social Media Management focuses on building and maintaining relationships with your audience. It’s about engagement, brand consistency, and communication.
- Social Media Marketing focuses on sales and promotions. The goal is to generate leads, boost sales, and increase brand visibility.
2. Content vs. Advertising
- Content Creation and Curation is the main task of a social media manager. They ensure that posts are valuable, informative, or entertaining to the audience. They are responsible for organic reach.
- Ad Campaigns are the primary tool for social media marketers. They use paid strategies to increase reach and conversions, targeting specific groups of people with tailored messages.
3. Engagement vs. Promotion
- Social Media Managers prioritize direct engagement with the audience. This includes answering questions, handling complaints, and creating a loyal community around the brand.
- Social Media Marketers focus on promoting products or services and driving traffic to the company’s website or online store through paid advertising.
4. Tools and Strategies
- Managers rely on tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social to schedule posts and monitor social engagement.
- Marketers use tools like Facebook Ads Manager, Google Analytics, or HubSpot to manage and analyze ad performance and audience targeting.
How Social Media Management and Marketing Work Together
Though their roles differ, social media management and marketing work hand-in-hand to ensure a company’s success. A well-managed social media profile provides a solid foundation for effective marketing campaigns. For example, a social media manager may maintain a lively and interactive profile, while the marketer runs targeted ads to increase the reach of that content. Without the groundwork of strong social media management, marketing efforts can feel disconnected or spammy.
Importance of Coordination
Social media managers and marketers must collaborate closely. The content posted organically should align with the paid campaigns for a cohesive brand experience. By working together, they can create a unified strategy that enhances both engagement and conversions.
Why Your Business Needs Both
Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a larger organization, having both social media management and marketing is essential for growth. While social media managers ensure that your brand’s online presence remains consistent and engaging, marketers use targeted ads to bring in new customers and generate revenue.
For Small Businesses
For small businesses with limited resources, it might seem challenging to invest in both roles. However, even if one person handles both, understanding the difference is important to balance both engagement and promotion.
For Larger Companies
Larger companies often have dedicated teams for both social media management and marketing. This allows for a specialized approach where each team member can focus on their specific area, ensuring optimal results.
In summary, social media management is about maintaining your brand’s online presence, fostering relationships, and creating content that resonates with your audience. Social media marketing is focused on using paid strategies to promote your products or services, target the right audience, and drive sales. Both are essential for a successful social media strategy and when done well together, they can help your business grow and thrive in the digital world.
By understanding who handles what, you can better allocate resources, set clear goals, and ultimately achieve more success through your social media channels. Whether you’re a small business or a large company, investing in both social media management and marketing is the key to a strong digital presence.
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