Tips for Thriving as a Social Media Manager

Social media, especially as a profession, can be intense. We all go into the profession because we love the tool, but that alone does not guarantee longevity. Here are some approaches to help you have a thriving career in this industry.

1. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon

When you’re ready to execute your strategy, it takes a lot of patience and consistency before you see any results. Consider all the miles runners put in training for a marathon, the diet considerations and how in tune they are with their bodies. In my experience, it takes that same kind of endurance and dedication to create and execute a sustainable social media strategy. It takes patience to stick with the program. It’s possible you might not see any engagement and have a low follower count for a while. It can be discouraging, especially if those in leadership positions within a company or a client want or even demand quicker results.

Remember, you’re trying to get the algorithm’s attention and let it get to know you. I believe at that stage ‘likes’ are important, but ‘shares’ add more value because they get your content into more feeds, stretching your impressions and potentially increasing your follower count. Doing this organically takes time. It’s essential to remain consistent and persistent.

Here are the main reasons people share content on social media:

• They think it will help other people
• It supports a cause important to them
• To connect with people who share their interests
• To show what they care about
• To encourage other people to adopt products they believe in

Create content with these motivations in mind. To truly understand your audience and the nuances of a platform, there is no substitute for being on the platforms regularly, if not every day, especially in the early stages of building a community. Organic social media is a marathon and if you want to run it successfully, no one else can put in the miles for you.

2. Prioritize engagement over speed

One fundamental principle holds true in the realm of social media: increasing engagements naturally extends your reach, leading to a growth in followers. The concept is straightforward, yet its execution is anything but easy.

In January 2021, my social media team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) experienced a steep and sudden drop in impressions and engagements on Facebook and it felt like the platform was tinkering with its algorithm once again, causing a noticeable decline in our metrics; a scenario we've encountered before. Undeterred, our team remained steadfast in our approach, consistently sharing content tailored to our audience's preferences on that platform without altering our strategy. For more than seven months our organic reach gradually rebounded to pre-algorithm-change levels.

Coincidentally, we observed a dip in Instagram engagement around the same period, suggesting another algorithm adjustment. Delving deep into our posts, we worked to understand the nuances of what worked, what didn’t and why. Why did one Instagram post garner 10 more likes than another? Our analysis aimed to identify commonalities among successful posts, allowing us to repeat those elements. For example, we discovered that images featuring "active" shots of individuals immersed in a project outperformed posed portrait photos.

While our insights were sometimes spot-on and at times not, our commitment to continuous tweaking and experimentation aimed at enhancing engagement enabled us to steadily expand our audience. The growth was gradual but consistent.

3. Aim for building community not chasing virality

Early in my social media career, it felt like “going viral” was the primary reason organizations became active in social media. It was the phrase everyone was familiar with and an achievement many companies coveted. “Can you make this go viral?” is a question many social media managers were asked.

While we cannot make content go viral or create content for virality, we can create content based on what we know about our audiences and what they like. Strive for likability with the aim of stopping the scroll. When you create content with likeability in mind there’s a greater chance it will get more likes and more likes can eventually lead to virality, although this is not guaranteed. But the truth is, going viral once does little to help build community. It might help you gain a lot of followers all at once but more than likely most of them will not be in your target audience.

Building a community takes constant listening and monitoring. That’s how you get to know your audience—what it likes, its triggers, its sense of humour. Establishing a space that resonates with individuals who align with your cultural values transforms it into a thriving community. Nurturing something you're passionate about demands both patience and unwavering attention and for me, this commitment extends to social media.

4. Remember, you’re the expert

Insecurity plagues us all. Do I know enough? Do I really know what I’m doing? Most of the time the answer is yes. At times it might be no, but you know more about social media than anyone else in your department and most likely the organization. As the social media manager, you are the expert on the organization’s social media channels and audiences. In an industry like social media, you are constantly learning as you go and you will regularly face situations you’ve never faced before, which will feel unsettling. It’s really easy to start questioning and doubting yourself in these situations but remember, you’re in these spaces every day, and while each crisis is different, this is your territory. You understand the nuances of how things work better than anyone else, and you will rely on your past experiences to navigate the new ones.

One thing I’ve learned as a professional is that when facing my insecurities or imposter syndrome—I call them my doubt monsters—it’s not about having to convince anyone else that I’m the expert, it’s me having to convince myself that I’m the expert. If you don’t believe it, no one else will. There will always be people you find intimidating, folks who don’t take you seriously because they don’t take social media seriously, or those who believe your job is easy and think they know more about social media than you do. Don’t let them get in your head and sabotage yourself. When I own my expertise, then my body language, my confidence in presenting my ideas, and in asking questions, naturally follows.

There is some truth to the phrase “Fake it ’til you make it.” I don’t mean being a complete fraud and pretending to be something you’re not. I mean faking confidence until we are unwavering in the moments, we need it the most. Like I said, it’s not about faking it for others, it’s more about faking it for ourselves. Trust me, confidence is not something you’re just born with—it’s like a muscle, you can build it over time.

One exercise I still do when giving a presentation, meeting a group for the first time, or attending a meeting with very important people, is practice my first line, whatever that may be. This may sound silly, but it’s often my name and title, or maybe it’s a quick self-introduction. Now, one might think this is the easiest part of the meeting, but for me, it’s not. I’ve tripped over my own name and title too many times for me to assume I’ll introduce myself with assurance and grace, and I’ve learned when this happens, it takes me a while to settle myself and recover from the fumble. If the first sentence goes well, then I’m off and running and I’m more apt to speak up during a meeting or ask questions when necessary.

This is especially relevant for entry-level positions. How you come across during meetings and how you interact with those in more senior and leadership positions is essential in building trust and your credibility with them. It is crucial when it’s time to make recommendations during a crisis, that the higher-ups have confidence in you. How you say something is just as important as what you say. If your supervisor is not helping you develop these skills, find a mentor! Find a person you admire and would like to model yourself or your own career after and ask if they’d be willing to meet with you regularly to talk about your career. Don’t choose a mentor because of their brilliance; choose a mentor you believe will help bring out your own brilliance. I’ve been lucky enough to have come across some amazing women in my life who also became mentors to me. They worked with me on my weaknesses and helped me level up throughout my career, and still do. So, take a deep breath and speak up. Ask for help along the way. You’ve got this.