Digital Marketing job descriptions and roles -Social Media Manager including Community Manager
What’s the aim of these 15 templates?
This are practical templates to support managers when recruiting digital marketing specialists to resource digital marketing activities within their team structure.
The job descriptions in this template are intended to help identify the right type of role and the right type of person to improve digital marketing’s contribution within an organisation.
By defining clear competencies required by an organisation, we intend to save you time when creating job descriptions to advertise for new recruits or recruiting into existing digital marketing roles.
The role descriptions may also be useful for updating existing employee job roles. In some companies, HR training plans are created against job skills. These are linked closely to performance objectives, and the focus is to retrain current marketing staff through CPD (continuing professional development), courses, exhibitions or external courses. Where companies are under-resourced in digital marketing or current staff do not have the motivation to upskill, then the company will need to recruit externally and employ those who can literally ‘hit the ground running’!
We have identified 15 of the most important roles based on an analysis of advertised roles across a range of recruitment agencies and direct from employers. The roles are focused on key digital marketing skills, including CRM, Analytics, Search, PPC, Social Media, Social Media Platform Development and the management of digital platforms and tools across agencies and client-side.
Candidate selection criteria covered within the job descriptions
The templates provide the following sections: variation of job titles, junior roles to support this role, location, industry, client/agency-side, summary scope, main duties, person specifications (soft and hard skills), and current average salary.
When companies are aiming to recruit staff in these roles, we believe this is a useful framework to apply in both writing the job specification and to help with scoring key desirable and essential skills during the interview stage. It may also be useful to check if anyone currently in the organisation has these skills. If so, and if there is room to up-skill and the structure is right for the new role, pitching it internally to this candidate at the right salary can be a great move.
From a candidate’s perspective, or someone seeking a new role, the detailed criteria will help them highlight key skills on their CV which employers are looking for or even show skills which they are aiming to develop.
Job description for Social Media Manager
The Social Media Manager is responsible for managing the Social Media Strategy and execution within the organization. The definition of ‘Social Media’ is dependent on the platforms being used within the organization which is reflected in the job description. Some descriptions only cover the management of current tools /platforms (i.e. Facebook, Blogging, LinkedIn) where others are looking to expand into new channels. Others, who are more enlightened, see a broader scope of social media with brand governance, social media listening, customer service, new product development and crisis communications part of the remit.
1. Role:
The variation in job titles includes PR and Social Media Manager, Social Media Consultant, Social Media and Content Manager, Social Media Executive Manager, Social Media Strategist, SEO and Social Media Specialist. Some overlap with Search roles.
2. Junior roles within the team
The more junior roles include Executive and Assistant roles. Online Marketing Executives. Digital Sales Executive – Social Media, SEO within the title. The Community Manager job title may represent a more hands-on role manager social media accounts or the company’s own on-site community but could be a more senior role also.
3. Location
4. Industry sector
5. Client/agency side
6. Summary/scope of role
7. Main duties/areas of responsibility
- Responsible for delivering on agreed social media marketing strategies for audience engagement with pages, updates and increasing leads and sales from social media.
- Responsibilities include planning editorial schedules, content engagement strategies and updating social media channels.
- Develop and plan organic social media content with key teams, develop blog content, manage paid influencer programme, write design briefs and brief designers.
- Monitor and participate in online conversations.
- Handle social listening and insights, reporting analytics to inform content creation.
- Management of Agencies if relevant.
- Plan and implement customer research and using the findings to feed into the online strategy to support the business goals (growth, retention, engagement).
- Agency roles ask for the ability to understand client objectives and alignment of the social strategy in addition to managing social media platforms for the client and build ongoing relationships.
- Present findings to key stakeholders to drive the social media strategy and engage key users.
- Identify new tools, including reporting tools to measure the strategy.
- Responsible for the blogging strategy to develop and influence key bloggers, “thought leaders” and brand ambassadors.
- Define effective social media platforms to support the PR Strategy.
- Evaluate and improve internal processes to support strategic planning and implementation.
- Produce KPIs and insight to improve digital campaigns.
- Line management responsibilities.
- To be the company Expert and Consultant, to support the organization in the field of Social Media.
8. Person Spec: Skills and Experience
Management/Softer Skills
- Passion for Social Media and PR.
- Keep abreast of new tools and the digital landscape.
- Results driven.
- Excellent communication and project management skills.
- Excellent customer relationship skills.
- Strong technical skills.
- Work independently and as part of team.
- Support other team members with good technical support and guidance.
- Ability to influence and negotiate, to achieve goals.
- Good time management skills.
- Creative.
- Analytical.
- Strong commercial skills.
- Experience in managing complex projects.
- Stakeholder management skills.
- Thrive when working under pressure.
Technical/Specific experience
- Experience of web analytics.
- Numerate and good excel skills.
- Excellent copywriting skills.
- Previous experience in similar role.
- Experience in SEO, Web analytics, Digital consultancy or social data/insight company.
- Solid practical skills in Microsoft Office.
- Understanding of SEO methodologies.
- Some roles ask for knowledge in specific social media i.e. Facebook Insights, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
Junior roles ask for:
- Technical understanding of HTML, Facebook and other APIs and web applications.
- Experience in Social Media monitoring tools i.e. Hootsuite, Brandwatch or Streamview for Instagram.
- Experience in Advertising, Journalism or web editing (Some roles)
- Strong copywriting skills (some roles)
9. Core competencies
These tend to be required for public sector roles and private companies can interview candidates based on competencies. Some may include leadership, communication, creativity, project management, financial and problem solving.
10. Professional qualifications and associations
- Over three years’ experience in social media.
- Relevant marketing qualification is desirable (e.g. CIM, IDM).
- Degree level education.
List of Roles
- Analytics Manager
- Content Manager/Content Marketing Manager
- CRM Manager (Incorporating Email Marketing and Marketing Automation)
- Digital Account Manager/Sales Director (Agency Role)
- Digital Director/Head of Digital
- Digital Copywriter Digital
- Marketing Manager or Web Manager
- E-commerce Manager
- Marketing Director
- Marketing Executive
- Marketing Manager
- PPC (Google Ads) Search Manager (or Digital Acquisition Manager)
- Search Manager
- Social Media Manager including Community Manager
- Web Developer/Designer
How can Emarkable help:
- Digital Marketing Team Structuring: Emarkable offers expertise in evaluating options for structuring digital marketing teams, including the establishment of a centre of excellence, and defining roles within larger organizations.
- Employee Development Learning Path: Emarkable provides comprehensive training to help marketers assess their learning requirements, whether they are seasoned professionals or new to their roles. Our resources support annual development or performance reviews between managers and team members, fostering continuous growth throughout the year.
- Recruitment Support: Emarkable offers assistance in the selection and recruitment process for assembling high-performing digital marketing teams.
- Onboarding Assistance: Emarkable facilitates a seamless onboarding process for new recruits, ensuring they integrate smoothly into the team and understand their roles and responsibilities.
- Ongoing Support: Through our Evolve programme, Emarkable collaborates with your company to develop a detailed activity plan aligned with your business strategy. We provide ongoing support to implement the plan, ensuring sustained growth and success.
