By Cassy van Eeden
Because ‘head of social media’ is a somewhat new designation, it is difficult to pin point an exact job description. What does heading up a team of
social media managers involve? Here’s a peek into a day in the life of a head of social media.
What does a head of social media do?
“My most important responsibility is to manage and support the social media team,” says Claire Opperman, head of social media at Artifact Advertising. “I also work closely with clients, partner agencies and the various departments of the company, to discuss various social media objectives, results and propose strategic improvements,” she says.
For Madaleen van der Walt, head of social media at BRAND et al, her primary responsibility is to run the social media department. “So I work with my team of content specialists, community managers, listening experts and creatives to research, plan, create, publish and optimise awesome social media content and make clients happy,” she says.
What does a typical day look like?
Van der Walt starts her day at 05:00 when she checks out client social pages. This is followed by coffee, a trip to work and more checking of client social pages. More coffee and then some community management, followed by several strategy meetings. Coffee. Content planning and approval, client meetings, analysing analytics, refining digital strategies and conducting social media audits for potential clients. And that’s not all: there’s brainstorming, researching trends and more community management.
Aqua Online’s head of social media, Elena Protulis, says her daily duties include helping to resolve social media crises, ensuring her team is working effectively by supporting and inspiring them. Her job also requires her to stay on top of trends in the social and digital space and seeking out new business opportunities.
What’s the difference?
“As a social media manager or community manager, you work on client accounts and are responsible for all the day-to-day elements,” says Van der Walt. “As head of social media, I work with my team to ensure strategic alignment. I am responsible for quality control, brand standards, optimisation, client pitches and reporting insights.”
Protulis explains that while social media managers handle the daily upkeep of social media accounts, the head of social media works at a higher level to ensure effective work processes that make for an innovative and profitable department.
For Opperman, community managers are the foundation of any social media team. Her job, however, is to always ask ‘so what?’. “One has to recognise that social media is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” she explains. As a result, it is the head of social media’s job ensure that goals are met, how they will be measured and how can the team provide value to their clients’ audience.
Are you a head of social media? What is a day in your life like? Let us know in the comments below.