Dividing up your time as a social media manager can sometimes be challenging.
One of the biggest challenges social media managers face daily is keeping up with the ever-changing social media landscape.
From one day to the next, your work as a social media manager might revolve around data analytics, developing social media strategies, producing content, launching products, communicating between brands, influencer outreach, running paid ads, etc.
The role is so multifaceted that it helps to understand what a day in the life of a social media manager might look like.
We’ve broken down a list of tasks that a social media manager may have to do during the day:
- Customer service
- PR
- Write social media posts
- Write blogs
- Take and edit photos
- Source UGC
- Design banners and memes
- Follow news and trends
- Influencer outreach
- Interpret results
- Create presentations
- Weekly reports
- Content marketing
- Build campaigns
- Promote content
- Account management
As you can see, there is a long list of tasks we must keep a firm handle on. We’re not going to take you through a timestamped day in the life of a social media manager because everyone’s different, works different hours, and with different workflows. Instead, let’s look at how you can break down your time by prioritising tasks.
The 70/20/10 Rule
Made famous by Coca-Cola, the 70/20/10 Rule is an excellent way to break down and prioritise your workflow.
Let’s take a look at how it works.
70%
Think of this section of your workload as everything you need to do right now. It’s the day-to-day activities that keep everything ticking along. What are the tasks you need to do at a base level? For many social media managers, this is often community management, content creation/curation, etc.
20%
Now, here’s where things get a little more interesting. You should reserve 20 percent of your day for innovation and iteration of everything you’re doing in the 70 percent section. Spend this time finetuning, tweaking, and tinkering with the things you know are already working. How can you improve what you’re doing? Can you streamline your process? Are there any tools that can help you? Perhaps there are a few tasks that you need to offload or outsource.
10%
In the last 10 percent, it’s time to take a few chances. This section is all about high risk vs high reward. Think about what new trends might work within your social media strategy. Can you predict a few of your own? What new tools or features on social media can you take a chance on?
Work-life balance
In the busy life of a social media manager, the risk of digital, mental and physical burnout is very real, and that’s why it’s so essential to maintain a solid work-life balance.
But I have so much to do. How can I possibly have a good work-life balance?
We hear you. We know just how hard achieving a solid work-life balance can be, so you need to think about working smarter, not harder. In the world of social media, there are so many tools at your disposal to help you get your work done more efficiently.
Let’s take Instagram, for example. Sure, you could post everything manually, or you could come into the light and use a scheduling tool like Sked Social.
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