What is the job of a "Social Media Manager" for events?
Social Media are getting increasingly important to market conferences and trade shows. Obviously, email and print are not dead and belong in each marketing plan, but social media are here to stay!
The world of social media is constantly changing. A lot of companies have created jobs like "Social Media Manager", "Community Manager" or "Social Media Marketing Manager", with the aim to professionalize their activities. You find those job ads more and more, often times they are combined with online marketing.
But what is in fact the job of a Social Media Manager?
It is one of the most important interfaces of your company to the outside world. Social media are for dialogue, they are not a classic marketing tool.
The management of an organizer or an association is in charge to discuss and determine the social media strategy. Activities in social networks are relevant to all departments, not just communications and marketing.
Define your target groups: Who do you want to reach? Which management level? What is your regional focus?
Determine your goals: What do you want to achieve? Image transfer? Sales? New target groups?
Intensity: Do you want to use social networks just passively (monitoring)? Do you prefer just to react to discussions mentioning your projects and company? Or do you want to proactively shape your own presences on social media and market them?
Choose the basic technologies, e.g. for social media monitoring, blogging or facilitate teamwork.
This strategy is the basis for any meaningful activity of a Social Media Manager.
screens the social networks: Who and how are your company, your projects or products mentioned? Who are influential bloggers/twitterers? Where do you find relevant content or groups?
wins followers, motivates users to "like" your page, invites users to groups etc.
monitors the success of your social networking activities – this is what they need clear goals for!
It is quite obvious that the job of a Social Media Manager can be very demanding. Therefore, management needs to constantly qualify the community managers – social networks keep changing, new platforms and technologies come and go.
Investing in social media trainings, seminars and attending relevant conferences are money well spent.
By the way, a lot of the Community or Social Media Managers are female – you'll find this and other facts about the general job profile in the 2012 Community Manager Report by socialfresh.