If you don’t know what strategic communication is, don’t worry, I didn’t either until I declared it as my major in college. Look at me now, I’m a social media manager and I absolutely love it! There are a lot of different aspects to Strategic Communication/Social Media Management so I will break it down and give a simple explanation that will hopefully be less confusing.
Strategic Communication is about delivering messages with a purpose through various platforms in order to inform, persuade, or entertain. This career is mainly focused on the organization’s objectives and goals. For example, if a company is looking to create brand awareness and increase sales, a social media manager would be extremely effective in achieving those goals. Strategic Communication is focused on analyzing an audience, understanding their purchasing patterns and desires, and then creating a message that grabs their attention and is exactly what they need.
Social media managers are engaged with creating content and establishing metrics to measure the return on investment (ROI). ROI is a performance measure to evaluate the effectiveness or efficiency of an investment, it allows a company to make decisions about where their money is going. A social media manager will develop a strategy/plan to meet the organization’s goals and needs.
A Social Media Manager’s tasks and duties include developing social media strategies that align with the organization’s goals and identify with their target audience. They will create content for social media channels and curate content from various sources while also monitoring and engaging with the online community by responding to messages and comments. They will plan and carry out social media campaigns while tracking and analyzing the campaign’s performance using analytics to adjust what is needed. A Social Media Manager is also in charge of brand management to ensure there is consistent brand messaging and image on all of the social media channels. They will collaborate with PR, marketing, graphic designers, and others to produce content. Influencer partnerships are also used to extend brand reach.
Strategic Communication is vital to cut the noise and be effective in a world that is full of noise and distraction. A Social Media Manager will be able to make your message stand out.